Soothing Scents
Dream pillows and essential oils, especially with lavender scents are soothing for body and mind. Other scents that serve as sleep aids include basil, calendula and rosemary.
Tea Time
Did your grandma give you chamomile tea before bed? Mine did. Turns out this is an excellent relaxer. Apparently, the herb’s anxiety relieving potential has been studied for a couple of decades, and while these tests haven’t been on humans, what they’re finding is that the chemicals naturally present in chamomile act like a drug for anxiety – but without the side effects. (thanks Dragonfly). Other herbs that can work are valerian (warning: tastes bad!) and hops. For a tropical variation, try Kava-Kava with coconut juice (thanks Bogdan!)
Magnesium
A number of people in our community recommended magnesium supplements, reporting good results for sleep once they started a regular regime. It’s supposed to both calm the nervous system and clear the mind. And according to Gordon, “Magnesium is a major deficiency which allows for a level of chronic tension in our systems.” He’s using a transdermal magnesium oil and having good results.
Melatonin
Many folks recommended melatonin as a sleep aid, and while I’ve heard some success stories, the people I know with chronic insomnia don’t seem to have any luck with it. This began to make sense after what Penny shared: “Contrary to popular wisdom, most of the melatonin in the body isn’t actually produced in the pineal gland. Rather, it originates in the small intentine. So if you are having GI problems (Crohn’s, IBS, Celliacs) as part of your health picture, your body may not be producing, or absorbing melatonin. Supplements can help, but always look for the cause, and not treat the symptom.” Sound advice there.
Blue Light
Or the avoidance there-of. We’re talking artificial lighting here folks. Things like: incandescent light bulbs, compact-fluorescents lamps, TVs, computer screens, smart-phones, and the like. Carole had this to share: “Some people are recommending wearing glasses that filter out the blue light for a while before going to bed or not watching tv using computer etc in the run-up to bedtime. Our exposure to artificial lighting for such long periods is so alien to the way our bodies have evolved to function it does seem to make sense that light pollution is making us ill.”
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