Natural Ways to Fall Asleep: Every morning while surfing through social media we read about many people who are having trouble sleeping. Let’s figure out a good alternative to getting some shut-eye without having to take prescription sleep aids.

This is key. Get your body on a set schedule and stick with it. Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. This includes weekends. This may be the most important tip out of this post. The routine of a set schedule will keep your biological clock steady which will result in better rest.

Take a bath right before you go to bed. Soaking in a tub will relax your body and mind and will raise your body temperature. When you get out of the tub your body temp will drop and mimic the natural body temperature drop that triggers your brain to fall asleep. Personally I have always slept better if I take a bath or shower right before going bed.

Melatonin is a natural hormone that I use from time to time and it works great. Melatonin has been said to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep without experiencing restlessness. It can also help with ending daytime fatigue. You only need a very small dose. Start out with 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg and adjust it up from there. Taking higher doses, such as 3 mg, can make you feel more awake, adjust your dose accordingly. You can always cut the pill in half.

Use Essential Oils: Certain scents, such as lavender, chamomile, and ylang-ylang, activate the alpha wave activity in the back of your brain, which in-turn leads to relaxation and can help you sleep more soundly. Mix a few drops of essential oil and water in a spray bottle and give your pillowcase a spritz. Or you can always get an aroma steaming pot. I have one and love it. That story here.

Cut out your caffeine intake after lunch. Caffeine has lasting power, five hours after your last cup of coffee or pop, half of its caffeine is still in your system. Of course that number could be higher depending on how strong you make your coffee.

Turn off all the lights. Light sends a signal to your brain to stay awake. The glow from your television, laptop, iPad, phone, or any other electronics devices  may pass through your closed eyelids and retinas and into the part of your brain that controls sleep. The darker your room is, the more soundly you will sleep. I put my phone on silent and turn it face down so that I can’t see it light up.

Make a list. Staying up worrying about everything you have to do the next day will undoubtedly make you stress. Make a list before you go to bed so that you can forget it until next day. You will be calmer knowing you won’t forget anything and most likely get better sleep.

Turn on a fan to keep cool. Keep it at the low setting. Your body loses some ability to regulate its temperature during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Over-chilling your environment down to 60°F, could backfire.

Wear light pajamas that won’t tangle up in your sleep. There is nothing worse than waking up because you are uncomfortable in what you are wearing.

If you have a different way of falling and staying asleep, please leave us a comment below.