What Are Some Good Natural Sleep Aids for Adults?

There are few things more frustrating than not being able to drift off and enjoy a good night’s sleep - tossing and turning, counting sheep, staring at the ceiling… We’ve all been there, but if it’s a frequent problem for you then it might be worth looking into natural sleep aids to see if anything can help you reach the elusive land of nod without any chemicals or prescription medication.

Lavender oil

One of the most affordable and accessible natural sleep aids on the market, lavender oil can be purchased at health and wellbeing shops as well as online. It smells beautiful, and has great benefits in terms of helping you sleep: lavender interacts with a neurotransmitter in the body known as GABA, to help quieten your brain and nervous system activity. In turn, this reduces restlessness and agitation, helping you relax and fall asleep.

The best way to use lavender oil as a natural sleep aid is to add it to a diffuser in your bedroom, or place a few drops on the underside of your pillowcase. This way you can breathe it in as you drift off.

Of course, lavender as a plant has similar benefits. Growing abundantly both in the wild and when planted, having a bunch of fresh lavender in your room is brilliant for promoting a good night’s sleep. You can even make your own pillow spray by brewing dried lavender in boiling water and then mixing it with witch hazel and lavender oil. Spritzing this on your bed or even just in your room is a perfect way to help you sleep!

Melatonin

Another natural sleep aid is melatonin - our bodies produce this, but some people have lower levels than others. If you’re struggling to get to sleep, it might be that your melatonin levels are a bit too low. Taking melatonin in supplement form will give you a little bit of a boost that is perfect as a short-term natural sleep aid. You can also raise your own melatonin levels by keeping the lights low, avoiding your phone or tablet, and sitting at least six feet away from the TV in the run-up to bedtime. Milk, chicken, turkey, and pumpkin seeds are foods that can aid the production of melatonin thanks to the tryptophan and serotonin they contain.

CBD

A lack of sleep can be down to feeling stressed, and CBD (also known as cannabidiol) can help lower your stress levels - ultimately resulting in a great night’s sleep! CBD, which you can take in gummy or capsule form as well as an oil which you drop under your tongue, which can suppress the overactivation of your stress hormones and really help you and your body relax. For instance, Rest Capsules sold by Allay Today provide the ultimate sleep experience everyone dreams of. By combining CBD isolate extract and melatonin, the two simple and natural ingredients work in tangent to bring about sweet elusive sleep.

CBD helps with general hormone equalisation by acting on the endocannabinoid receptors in your limbic system; this is an important part of your brain that plays a big role in storing memories, learning patterns, and regulating emotions. If your limbic system isn’t in a state of equilibrium, taking CBD will help to balance things out again.

Valerian Root

Another natural sleep aid comes in the form of valerian root. The Valerian plant is native to Europe, and the greyish-brown roots are often used to combat insomnia without the side effects of prescription sleep aids like that feeling of drowsiness in the morning. You can take it in tablet form or as oral drops mixed with water or juice. It mainly works by calming any anxiety that might be preventing you from falling asleep, by again working with that GABA neurotransmitter to regulate your nerve cells. Research suggests that you need to take valerian root for up to a month before you’ll start to reap the benefits of the plant.

Lifestyle changes

There is another way to naturally aid your sleep: change up your lifestyle. Cutting down on substances like alcohol and caffeine can really improve your overall sleeping habits - eliminating sugar where you can is a great idea too, so you can avoid the spikes and crashes that come with it. Exercising more helps to reduce your sleep onset (the time it takes for you to fall asleep!) and it increases your serotonin levels too, making you happier and less anxious. In turn, this leads to a better night’s sleep. Ensuring you stick to a good bedtime routine, cut down on screen time in the evening, and make your bed as comfortable as possible are all other ways to improve your chances of drifting off easily and sleeping well.



With these natural sleep aids, you’ll be able to enjoy night after night of comfortable and refreshing sleep - guaranteed to make you wake up in a better mood and ready to face the day!