5 Natural, Healthy Ways to Beat Insomnia

October 09, 2019

 

The CDC recommends at least 7 hours of sleep a night, but studies suggest that a third of Americans struggle to meet this target, with a smaller percentage getting less than 4 hours of sleep a night!

This is a bigger problem than it has ever been and it’s the result of our fast-paced, high-stress lives, as well as our smartphone and “always-on” obsession. So, what’s the answer to all of this?

Well, contrary to what you might think, medication isn’t the only solution and may actually be the worst one. Sleeping tablets are addictive, can cause a host of health problems, and will leave you groggy and lethargic in the morning. Instead, focus on natural, healthy alternatives that will help you to get a quiet, peaceful night’s rest.

This dedication to a natural healthy sleep is what we had in mind when we created our Sleep protein, a high-protein, late-night drink formulated to help you get a restful night’s sleep. It contains several healthy, naturally compounds, and when combined with some of the methods below, it could beat insomnia and improve your health overnight.

 

1. Watch Your Caffeine Intake

Millions of Americans are addicted to caffeine and many don’t even realize it. If you’ve been drinking coffee and soda several times a day for years, never going without and never experiencing the withdrawals, then it’s easy for this addiction to go unnoticed.

Caffeine keeps fatigue at bay, keeping you wired even when you’re trying to get some sleep. But don’t worry, you don’t need to give-up your coffee or soda to improve your sleep, you just need to avoid consuming it up to 4 hours before you sleep.

That means no coffee, no tea, no soda, and no chocolate. Instead, drink a little chamomile or another herbal tea.

You can also use your caffeine addiction to your advantage. You may have noticed that if you go half a day or even a full day without your fix, you feel very tired. You can’t stop yawning, you struggle to stay awake, and your concentration is destroyed. These are all withdrawal symptoms and they can actually help you to sleep.

Simply limit yourself to drinking coffee/tea in the morning and then avoid it for the rest of the day. By the time the evening rolls around, you’ll feel tired, and when your natural melatonin kicks in, you’ll fall asleep.

 

2. Turn off Electronics

Many millennials are not just hooked on caffeine, they’re also addicted to their smartphones. They can’t turn away, even late at night, and many of them awake several times during the night to fiddle with their phones.

There are several issues with this. Firstly, the glare from smartphone screens can keep you alert when you should be drifting off to sleep, stemming the production of melatonin and interfering with your natural cycle. Secondly, the information on your device is keeping you alert because it’s designed to entertain, to attract your attention—none of which is conducive to relaxation and sleep.

 

3. Don’t Drink Alcohol

Alcohol is often used as a sleep aid, with many reaching for it at the first sign of insomnia. But while it can help you to fall asleep, the sleep you’ll get won’t be restful or long, leaving you fatigued, tired, and restless. In many ways, alcohol is similar to a prescription medication and it’s just as problematic.

If you drink a glass of wine or beer every night to relax, and you’re struggling to sleep, then consider skipping the alcohol and seeing if that helps. If you’re a heavy drinker and are constantly tired and wake many times a night, you don’t need us to tell you what the issue might be.

 

4. Stay Busy

It’s hard to fall asleep on a night-time if you’ve spent the day sitting around the house watching TV. Think about the times when you have been at your most tired, the times when you feel like you could fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. These are probably the times when you’ve been busy all day, either with physical activity, work, stress, or family life—they are the times when you have been run off your feet, not allowed a minute to rest.

We’re not saying that you need to occupy yourself throughout the day from morning until night, but we are saying that you should exercise a little and try to keep your mind occupied. If you’re not working, do some puzzle games; if you’re in the house all day, go for a walk.

 

5. Relax, Bathe, Read

Leaving your phone alone and giving the coffee a miss could provide all the help you need, especially when compared with our sleep protein mix (more on that below). But there are a few other things you can do to complete the cycle and ensure you sleep restfully.

Firstly, consider meditating or practicing Yoga/Pilates an hour or so before bed. Secondly, instead of browsing Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter while you’re trying to sleep, read a book. Your eyes will grow tired, the melatonin production will increase and within half an hour you’ll be ready to sleep.

If that still isn’t working for you, or you want to make sure you sleep well, have a bath or a shower before getting into bed. This will raise your body temperature and it will also separate you from the chaos of the day.

How many great ideas have you had in the bath or the shower? How many times have you found yourself resolving issues that you couldn’t resolve at home or at work? It’s not because the water’s magic, it’s because a shower or a bath is often the only time we allow ourselves to switch off from the real world and connect with our thoughts. If you do this before you sleep, then it can serve as a segue, taking you from the chaos of work and family life, to the peace of the night.

 

Improve Your Sleep Now

One serving of our Healthy Skoop Sleep Protein is all it takes to sleep well and reap the rewards. You’ll get a fix of high-quality protein to help you build and repair muscles overnight, and you’ll also benefit from natural sleep-boosting compounds like tryptophan, melatonin, and more.

Invest in a tub of Sleep Protein, keep the above tips in mind, and you’ll see a drastic improvement in your sleeping patterns.

---

Also in Blog - The Skoop