8 Natural Sleep Aids - Beating the time change!

Can we talk about sleep today?

Next to nut butter and chocolate {ok and running} it’s seriously one of my favorite things.

I adore that moment when you crawl in between the cool sheets, pull the covers up all the way past your head so you can then have enough to bunch under your chin and feel all snuggled in…then relaxing with a few pages from a book as my eyelids just get heavier and heavier.

AHHH then waking up feeling alert. Really everything about sleep is my jam.

Sooooo I was not a fan of the night sweats and sleep issues that came with early menopause. And lately, I’m not a fan of how stinking tired I feel after a full night of sleep thanks to the time change {can we get rid of it already?!}.

NATURAL SLEEP AIDS

Over the years I have found a few things that really seem to work wonders for me and I thought I’d share. In case you too have an aversion to sleeping pills {heaven only knows what weird things I’d do sleep walking}.

CALM Magnesium
This is one I just started using the last year and LOVE. It not only helps with relaxation, but it eh hem ensures things get flowing quickly in the morning, which means no bathroom breaks needed during early morning running.

Peace and Calm Oil
A few of my friends are HUGE in to oils, so I have definitely been incorporating them in different ways. In fact you can read all about oils for athletes here>> I do feel like this one has been helpful, but really have no idea for sure as I use it with the other items.

Nightly rituals
Far and away this is the biggest winner of all. I stop checking my phone by like 8PM, which drives a lot of people a little crazy, I always spend a few minutes praying then reading when I get in bed and it’s a clear signal to my brain that it’s time to go to sleep. Numerous studies have shown having a ritual is highly beneficial to falling asleep quickly.
Melatonin
As a last resort at home I will take this when I’m wide awake, but usually I save it for the second night of traveling. For some reason I always find it difficult to sleep then and a small dose of Melatonin, which is what your body naturally produces to help you sleep, always works.

I’m beating the time change sleeplessness with natural sleep aid tips Click To Tweet

Keep it cool
When we lived in the MidWest I always felt so thrifty keeping the thermostat low at night, but it turns out that was also making it easier to sleep well. They say the ideal temperature is 68, but I’d say it’s often warmer here in the summer which is when my favorite sleep aid of all comes in to play….

Fan
A ceiling fan won’t do. A stand fan won’t do. I need the beautiful hum of a box fan. I’ve slept with a fan for years and only recently found I could sleep away from home sans fan by using the above methods. It turns out the fan is actually helpful to a lot of people as it’s very similar to white noise and soothing…here it also blocks out the neighbors and street noise!

Hot Tea
Again I have no idea if it actually works, but there is definitely something about a hot cup of tea at night that helps me to slow down and begin to shut down. Aim for chamomile or a sleepy time blend, which usually contains valerian root.

Meditation
I say this jokingly, but I know a lot of you fall asleep trying to meditate.It’s great for getting your heart rate to slow down and to shut off the running to do list that often keeps us awake.

Anyone else feel like the time change should go by the wayside?! Even the people who know who still farm {yes we’re from Missouri and Iowa} note that everything has lights now and for the most part it isn’t changing their lives.

Are you a good sleeper?

What helps you nod off?

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