Sleep is a huge issue for a large percentage of us. By now we all know how critical good sleep is to our overall well-being, moods (aka avoiding extreme grouchiness and in general helps us have a much better day!), beauty and beyond…so if it’s a struggle for you we need to figure out how to boost your sleep hygiene.
We are constantly surrounded by electronics and stimulation that it is common to sleeping aids to get a good night of rest. But read this first before reaching for any pills!
Here are 3 great ways to get better sleep naturally. We all know how important sleep is, but as a little reminder, the low-down on sleep is that getting a consistent amount of good sleep makes you feel your best and feel more energized. Below are several nutrients that you can consume to help ease yourself into sleep. Food can heal…even sleep issues!
Everything suffers if we don’t get adequate sleep! You’ll feel crabby and sloth-like during the day, and won’t have as much energy to achieve your goals. To help combat the energy slumps you will also be more apt to reach for snacks and more food— even though it is more sleep that you need, NOT more food!
Here are some easy, natural sleep tips:
1 – Tryptophan
This is a word we normally hear around Thanksgiving. I’ve personally all plant-based, so I haven’t had to deal with the turkey coma around the holidays for some time. But did you know you can get a healthy dose of tryptophan from plant foods?
Tryptophan is an amino acid that can help the brain get into a relaxed state, similar to melatonin. A good source of plant based food items to obtain tryptophan from includes carbohydrates like brown rice, corn or quinoa.
In a sleep hygiene study they uncovered that by consuming some carbohydrates in the evening helped promote restorative sleep [1].
Try having a healthy brown rice stir-fry or my Veggie-Turmeric Quinoa Recipe.
2 – Magnesium
I have talked about the importance of magnesium over here before. Today I want to tie the importance of having enough magnesium in your body with why you may not be getting great sleep. Studies have shown that higher magnesium levels in the body can help you have a deeper sleep [2].
They also, indicate that higher levels of magnesium actually helped provide better, more consistent sleep since magnesium is a calming nutrient. Some wonderful plant based ways to get more magnesium are foods like spinach, pumpkin seeds and even dark chocolate!
Be sure to try my magnesium-rich signature Glowing Green Smoothie® recipe!
3 – Passion Flower
Passion flower has many benefits that can help your body outside the bedroom, but today I want to focus on how its calming and anti-anxiety effect can help you fall asleep easier and stay asleep longer. Anxiety can cause us to lay in bed at night and toss and turn as we go over our thoughts. It’s the worst! We’ve all felt that horrible, frustrating feeling. Sleep why won’t you come?! Luckily, meditation and passion flower combined can help you to stop that vicious cycle.
There have also been clinical trials to help back up the effectiveness of passion flower and how it can reduce anxiety as effectively as the prescribed drug known as benzodiazepine oxazepam. A double-blind study of 4 weeks took patients with generalized anxiety disorder and compared the effectiveness of passion flower to a common anti-anxiety drug and found it to be an effective herbal remedy to combating insomnia. BUT (but!) since passion flower is not a drug it won’t leave you feeling groggy or tired the next day or with other adverse effects [3]!
Even after all this is said, all of us may have trouble falling asleep sometimes that is normal. If your sleep is not consistent more often than not, be sure to check your sleep hygiene and apply this tips, as well as the ones above.
We must be conscious of the root causes of our sleep problems and work to correct them- rather than put a bandaid (and an unnatural and liver-harming one at that!), on the issue and resort immediately to the multiple varieties of sleep pills available to us today! Sleeping pills should be a very last resort. Try these amazing alternatives I have suggested today and let me know how you fair!
While this post illustrates just how important sleep is, The Beauty Detox Power and Radical Beauty will help you tap into the power and energy you need to experience deep, lasting results on ALL levels.
Happy Sleeping!
Love and light,
Kimberly
[1] Sleep Hygiene and Recovery Strategies in Elite Soccer Players[2] Blood and brain magnesium in inbred mice and their correlation with sleep quality
[3] 2 Passion Flower Benefits: Anti-Anxiety and Insomnia Without the Side Effects
Being in nature is such a great way to feel refreshed and balanced from our artificial, electronics-focused world. Saying hello from a recent trip to the Muir Woods in Northern Cali! xo
As I miss the passion flower I will go for brown rice and corn! Thank you for those great tips!