Natural Sleep Aids

Can We Make Up For Lost Sleep?

We all know what will happen to us when we do not get sufficient sleep during the night. We will tend to become more edgy, highly irritable and most importantly our health will suffer as our immunity level takes a plunge. Most people have the impression that we can easily make up for lost sleep by using some form of natural sleep aids. Well, the sad fact is that it is not possible, lost sleep can never be balanced out by getting more sleep.

There is a saying that says “what’s done cannot be undone”, lost sleep is the perfect example. Like I mentioned earlier, some people have the impression that if they only sleep for 4 hours everyday for a week, they can easily make up for the lost sleep by sleeping for 10 hours everyday on the following week. The fact is that the harmful effect of getting little sleep throughout the week has already affected the body and no amount of sleep can make up for that. Therefore it is crucially important that we clock enough hours of sleep everyday.

Easier say than done! I heard your thoughts. While it is never easy to sleep well at night due for most people who live very stressful or unhealthy lifestyle, there are many forms of sleep aids available that will help promote better sleep quality.

What Is Sleep Quality?

We may sleep for 10 hours and we can still wake up feeling tired and soggy-eyed. Why? Many of us suffers from broken sleep cycles due to loud snoring spouse, new born baby who needs to be fed every few hours, medical conditions like restless leg syndrome, frequent urination, sleep apnea etc. A person getting only 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep can wake up feeling more rested compared to someone who slept for 9 hours with hourly disturbance. Quality of sleep is very importance and although there are over the counter sleep aids that are available, we strongly recommend that you try out the below list of natural sleep aids. And if all else fail, always consult your family doctor for advice so that prescription drugs can be given to you in accordance to your medical and health conditions.

Top 5 Natural Sleep Aids

Sleeping Environment – There are usually many factors that either prevent us from sleeping or distracting us from our sleep.

• If you have a loud snoring spouse, you may want to consider sleeping on a separate room if the snoring is truly unbearable.
• Switch on the air-con an hour prior to bedtime. It is true that we can fall asleep faster when the bedroom is cool.
• Avoid caffeine at all cost a few hours before bed. This is truly a big NO if you can someone who is extremely responsive to caffeine.
• Having a clean bed sheet and comfortable sleepwear and a very soft and comfy bed are again few things that can help you to sleep better and faster.

Aromatherapy – This is one sleep aid that has proven to be effective for most people. Our body usually reacted better to positive scent and once our mind and body are sufficiently relaxed, off to sleep we go. Many people have had very good result with using Chamomile, a natural sedative. Lavender is another natural relaxant that has helped many people around the world sleep better and longer at night.

Melatonin – As we age, the level of melatonin in our body decreases and studies has shown that people, who have tried  Melatonin sleep aid either through acupuncture or pills, can sleep better and longer. People will high level of melatonin in their body tends to sleep better at night.

Music – I once went to a spa where they play very soothing music in the background and guess what, I fell asleep within 5 minutes and the masseuse has to wake up several times. Try to play some soft music inside your bedroom and see the result for yourself.

Peace and Quiet – Some people cannot stand the slightest bit of noise when they are trying to sleep. And if you find your bedroom facing a noisy street, you may want to consider moving to another room in the house where is quieter and more peaceful. Alternatively, getting ear plus for sleeping can also help to a certain extent.

It is highly recommended that you try out the above natural sleep aids or natural sleep pills or even try out Unisom sleep aid before you surrender yourself to getting prescription drugs which can be pretty harmful to the body because of the many known side effects like “hangover” feeling the following day, long term dependency and addiction etc.