Improve Your Sleep Naturally
At Arete, we believe that our health is deeply connected to nature and to achieve optimal wellness it is vital for us to embrace a more natural, Earth-centered approach to living fuller, healthier lives. Plant medicine is a beautiful way to empower you on this journey.
The featured product of the month is Sleep Tea, but before explaining the benefits of this restful brew, I would like to go over some sleep hygiene tips that you can incorporate into your daily life to promote healthier sleep patterns, naturally.
Proper Sleep Hygiene Tips:
Sleep in complete darkness. Get black-out curtains; cover any light sources in the room like digital clocks, plugs, etc. Block out any street lights. Our bodies can only produce melatonin when there is complete darkness. This is essential for deep, rejuvenating sleep.
Turn off all electronics one hour before bedtime; this includes TV, iPad, Kindle, computer, etc. These are considered to be blue light and are stimulating to our brains which will trick our bodies into thinking that it is day time. Light candles instead of having the lights on prior to bed-time. This gives off a different type of light.
Reduce/eliminate surrounding noise. Ear plugs and eye masks may be useful.
Avoid caffeine and nicotine especially in the afternoon to evening time. Caffeine/nicotine forces our adrenals to produce more cortisol which is stressful to our bodies.
Avoid too many liquids close to bedtime to reduce trips to the bathroom in the night.
Avoid napping longer than one hour or after four pm.
Incorporate rest and relaxation into your daily life, some examples include meditation, deep breathing, listening to soothing music, warm baths, yoga, nature walks, prayer, joy, mindfulness, etc. Reducing stress and cortisol levels will greatly benefit sleep patterns. If cortisol is always at a steady high, then there will be insomnia issues.
General Lifestyle Tips:
Around eight hours of sleep is required for humans. A lack of sleep can drive a person insane and reduce your overall health because many other issues will splinter off from this one area.
Eat at regular meal times
Exercise will help you sleep better at night. Work out early in the day if you can. Exercises that reduce cortisol/stress levels are gentle yoga and tai chi-- Not power yoga!
Try to wake up when the sun does.
Create routine in your day. Wake up around the same time and go to bed around the same time every night.
Go to bed around 10 pm. 10pm – 2 am is a deeper, more rejuvenating, non-REM sleep; 2 am – 7 am is strictly a REM and dreaming state of sleep. If you go to bed at midnight or later, you will miss out on the deeper, restful sleep. This is tied to the environment and our circadian rhythms.
I hope that these helpful hints provide you with some tools for healthier sleep habits. In addition to the above lifestyle recommendations, a sleep enhancing herbal tea can be extremely beneficial to those who need a little extra help to wind down at night. We have just the thing for you! Check out the featured product below.
Caffeine Free Herbal Tea (Loose Leaf)
This minty blend of tranquilizing herbs will promote a healthy sleep cycle by calming tension, helping the mind unwind, and increasing deep relaxation. These herbs have been used to relieve insomnia, restlessness, irritability, tenseness, and nervousness. The overall result is an improved depth and quality of sleep, with fewer wakings and refreshed mornings.*
Suggested Use: 1 tsp per cup of water. Pour boiling water over herbs. Cover and steep for 20 minutes. Strain & enjoy!
Organic Ingredients: Chamomile, Linden, Spearmint, Passion Flower, Skullcap, California Poppy, Valerian, Hops
weight: 1.8 oz, servings: 50
You may also be interested in our:
Sleep Formula
For actionable tips on how to improve your sleep naturally, read our blog post here!
*For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the FDA. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Not to be used during pregnancy or while nursing. Excessive use, or use with products that cause drowsiness, may impair the ability to operate a vehicle or heavy equipment.