Anyone who has flipped through a newspaper or caught a few minutes of the local news has surely heard the ridiculous amount of side effects associated with all of these sleeping medications on the market. Aside from the long list of side effects, many of them are also very addictive, which only leads to further complications. So my question to you is, why put your health in jeopardy(not the game show) to get a good nights sleep, when you can use safe and natural sleeping aids to do the same thing?

Your answer to my question might be that you don’t believe in natural remedies, but I will tell you that it is in your best interest to at least give them a try before you rule them out. So without further ado, here is my list the top 7 natural sleep aids, hopefully they help:

A Warm Glass of Milk: Often thought to be an old wives tale, many of us remember back to childhood when our mom would give us a warm glass of milk to help us get to sleep. Well guess what, it really does work. Milk, along with most other dairy foods contain an amino acid called Tryptophan, which your body converts to Melatonin and Serotonin, both of which are believed to induce sleep. One word of advice here, this works best on an empty stomach, protein for instance will counteract the Tryptophan and not work.

Turkey Sandwich: Turkey is again, a great source of Tryptophan as mentioned above. Tryptophan is one of the most common sleep inducers and surprisingly, has been proved to work very well in various sleep studies conducted around the world.

Chamomile Tea: The dried flowers of the Chamomile plant are often used to make a hot tea that is believed to have many healing properties. One of those properties is Chamomile’s unique ability to serve as a relaxant and sleep inducer. Chamomile was used by Ancient Egyptians and early European civilizations as a cure for insomnia among other health problems. Chamomile tea can be purchased at virtually every grocery store in the country as well as online. Fresh chamomile is the most potent and thus seems to work the best, but tea bags should work also, if that is what is available to you at the time.

Valerian Root: The use of Valerian root has been traced back as far ancient Greece. Hippocrates wrote about its therapeutic uses and at one point in the 2nd century, Galen prescribed Valerian root for insomnia. With such a distinct past, it is not surprising that several different studies suggest that Valerian root one of the best natural sleeping aids on the market today. You can buy Valerian root online through several retailers, and you can also find it in your local health food and supplement stores.

Melotonin: Melatonin is produced naturally within our bodies by what is called the Pineal gland. The pineal gland is a small pea sized gland in the center of the brain. At night, Melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep and wake cycles. Melatonin supplements, however, are manufactured herbal supplements that are designed to avoid the side effects that are associated with many non natural sleep aids. Modern research shows that when taken at night, Melatonin supplements battle insomnia, by making it easier to sleep through the night.

Sleep Fix: Sleep Fix contains homeopathic ingredients designed to relieve the occasional symptoms of difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night, sleeplessness, and poor sleep quality. The homeopathic ingredients are formulated in strict compliance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States. Sleep Fix also contains a base of relaxing botanicals and 1 mg of Melatonin per dose.

Reading without enough light: While this method is not recommended to cure your insomnia all of the time, it will help you get to sleep in a pinch. When you read a book or magazine without the proper amount of light, you cause your eyes and brain to work much harder at trying to focus in on the text in front of you. This extra workload serves very well as a means to wear down your brain and help you get to sleep. This is why so many people read before bed, they might not realize it, but it usually isn’t the book itself that makes them sleepy, but rather the lack of good lighting as they are reading. Overtime, this method can cause problems with your vision due to the increased strain on your eyes, but as I said before it does work as a last resort.

Hopefully after reading this article, you will be able to put your new found knowledge of natural sleeping aids to work and get a good nights sleep. Sweet Dreams!

Related posts:

1. 4 Reasons Why You Might be Having Trouble Sleeping
2. Get Informed On Sleeping Disorders
3. Overview Regarding Sleeping Disorders In Children

Sleep apnea is one reason as to why you might be having trouble sleeping. Sleep apnea is an issue that you need to discuss with your doctor and can be considered serious. Basically, it is a form of sleep deprivation caused when the airflow is disturbed during sleep. This causes the person to wake up and gasp for air. It can be a scary situation if you do not understand why it is happening. Snoring plays a part in sleep apnea as well as being tired during the day. This sleep disorder can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure. If you are having trouble sleeping due to sleep apnea, you need to seek medical attention.

People having trouble sleeping might also be experiencing insomnia. Those of you suffering from insomnia usually cannot fall asleep or cannot stay asleep during the night. Waking up and not being able to fall back to sleep can cause other health related issues. The body needs rest in order to properly function and replenish its precious energy supplies. If you suffer from insomnia, you need to talk with a doctor to see what you can do to correct the problem. You might also look into any direct causes of waking up through the night, such as noise in the room, spouse moving etc., are all common disturbances. There may be another sleep disorder or health problem causing it to happen.

If you are having trouble sleeping, you might have restless leg syndrome. Restless leg syndrome causes pain in the calves and lower legs. It can be very painful and cause you to wake up frequently throughout the night. Limb movement is common with RSL because you try to ease the pain so you can go back to sleep. Because involuntary limb movement happens several times a minute, people find it difficult to sleep a full night. People who experience restless leg syndrome should seek professional advice before it becomes more serious and affects their health.

Ones lifestyle and stress is another concern if you are having trouble sleeping. If you are having trouble sleeping because of stress or worrying, you need to find a way to reduce the stress before going to bed. Simple relaxation exercises often work well or your doctor can help find ways to reduce stress and allow you to sleep peacefully at night. What you drink or eat before bed can also affect how you sleep. Drinking caffeine or alcohol can cause you to lose sleep. Avoid long naps during the day and go to bed on a regular schedule, rather than just whenever.

You should seek medical advice when sleeping has become an issue. If you are having trouble sleeping, you risk jeopardizing not only your health, but family life and your career as well. The body needs to have plenty of rest before tackling the new day. It is very common for a person that does not have enough restful sleep to become irritable.  You might also take a look at our article on natural sleeping aids to see if those help you get your much needed rest.

Related posts:

1. Get Informed On Sleeping Disorders
2. Top 7 Natural Sleeping Aids to Help You Through Those Long Nights
3. Overview Regarding Sleeping Disorders In Children