Tired Of Sleepless Nights? Here Are 6 Effective Sleep Aids To Improve Your Sleep Without Pills And Medications

You feel tired and distracted when you do not get enough sleep. You will also feel that you are out of sync with situations and persons around you, whether they can be friends, family members and co-workers.

With lack of sleep, you will unable to study, concentrate and work effectively. You will also experience emotional problems such as depression.

Even health problems like heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity can result.

Therefore, it is necessary to get enough sleep to start your day actively when you wake up and to be busy with what is going on around you.

Here are 6 effective sleep aids that can make a big difference to tackle sleep problems.

1. Relaxation techniques for inducing sleep:

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive relaxation, and guided imagery help in improving the quality of sleep.

When you practice these techniques during daytime, you can get rid of daily stress. These relaxation techniques in turn reduce the elevated stress hormones at night.

When you practice these techniques during bedtime, negative thoughts during sleep can be removed.

You can attain calm and relaxed mind and body. You can sleep sooner with deep sleep. You can feel restful in the morning and can also develop control over mind and sleep.

Here are some of the relaxation techniques to help you sleep.

Deep breathing:Deep breathing allows relaxation of your body by itself. Practice deep breathing for getting quality of sleep. First lie down on your back and slowly relax the body.

Start inhaling slowly with nose. The lower part of the chest should be filled first, then middle and top part of chest and lungs.

Hold the breath for 1 or 2 seconds. Now, relax quietly by allowing the air out. Wait for few seconds and start repeating the process again. If you feel dizzy, slow down, as it indicates that you are overdoing it.

Guided imagery: In guided imagery, you have to visualize in a peaceful situation. First lie down on your back by closing your eyes. Now, you have to imagine yourself in a peaceful and favorite place of yours.

Feeling the surroundings, hearing peaceful sounds, smelling the flowers, and feeling sun warmth can be imagined to enjoy.

You can think of that favorite place at night whenever you feel sleeplessness. You will find it easier to sleep when this imagery becomes a sleep aid for you.

2. Behavior therapy to change your actions or thoughts:

Behavior therapy includes cognitive therapy, stimulus control, and sleep hygiene, which helps in improving sleep.

Cognitive therapy: Cognitive therapy identifies and corrects inappropriate thoughts that contribute to lack of sleep in people with sleep disorders.

This therapy provides proper information about the changes that are age related, norms of sleep, influence of exercise and naps.

Stimulus control: In this therapy, you are asked to go to bed when you feel sleepy. If you do not get sleep within 15 minutes, you should leave your bedroom and should not return until sleepy.

The therapy includes maintaining consistent time and using the bedroom only for sleep and sex. You should not watch television, eat, or read the books in the bed.

Sleep hygiene: Maintaining sleep routine, that is sleep and wake up times should be same every day, engaging in regular exercise workout, avoiding naps in daytime, preventing nicotine and caffeine 3 to 4 hours before bed time and keeping worries out of your bedroom before going to sleep are necessary for getting quality sleep.

3. Exercise to stay active:

Exercise, a sleep aid, not only helps you to sleep better but it also helps you to be alert and effective during day.

Exercising regularly results in less occasions of sleeplessness than without exercise.

Your body takes transition between sleep phases smoothly and regularly with exercise.

Your brain increases the amount of time spent in deep sleep when you experience physical stress with exercise. Deep sleep is a sleep phase in which your body repairs itself. [Good Night Sleep with Exercise]

Your sleep quality will be improved by adding exercise to your daily schedule. Practicing exercise for 20 to 30 minutes is enough to improve your sleep quality.

For maximum benefits of sleep, include cardiovascular exercises six days a week.

Walking: Walking is a low impact exercise preferred by many people. If you are a beginner, start with slow pace and increase the speed. Walking not only improves your sleep but also improve your quality of life.

4. Hot bath to provide transition from waking to sleep:

Hot bath is one of the sleep aids that relax your body. It raises your body temperature, which helps in getting sleep.

The temperature of the water should be slightly warmer than body temperature. Water should not be too hot as you can feel sweaty and weak.

Too hot water can place the strain on heart by dilating the blood vessels. You should not stay more than 15 minutes in hot water because there is a risk of being overheated.

You can add essential oils in water for soothing and relaxation. You should not bath close to bed time as it will become harder to sleep because of the elevated body temperatures.

5. Diet to promote sleep:

Your eating patterns also affect the quality of sleep. If you take more than 15 minutes to fall asleep, you have to change your eating patterns in the evening.

Alcoholic and caffeinated drinks stimulate your brain that can prevent sleep. Avoid them for restful and deep sleep. You have to take sleep inducing foods that can make you fall asleep easily.

Bananas: Bananas consist of melatonin and serotonin chemicals, which help your body to sleep as well as magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

Turkey:Tryptophan is present in turkey, which is used by the brain for building sleep inducing substances, melatonin and serotonin.

Almonds: Almond contains magnesium, a muscle relaxant and tryptophan, an amino acid which acts as a sedative that helps in promoting sleep.

Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds contain omega3 fatty acids, which lifts the mood naturally and helps in preparing your body and mind for sleep.

Milk: Milk contains calcium and tryptophan that tells your brain to sleep. You wake up next morning feeling fresh and active by drinking milk.

Oatmeal: Oats contain melatonin, which enables your body to sleep. Take a bowl of oatmeal with bananas and milk half an hour before bed for getting better sleep.

6. Bright light therapy to set your internal clock:

If you are suffering from circadian rhythm sleep disorder, bright light therapy helps to treat this disorder. Circadian rhythm is the body clock, which tells when it is the time to sleep and when to awake.

These circadian rhythms help in regulating sleep cycles and therefore you feel sleepy or alert at usual timings every day.

This clock works properly when you expose to light such as sun light. When your circadian rhythm is disturbed, your sleep time overlaps with regular activities like going to school or work.

If your sleep cycle is disturbed, your doctor can suggest light therapy as part of treatment plan. You are asked to expose to sunlight for specific amount of time. If sun light is not available, light box is used, which provides artificial light.

Light box contains extremely bright light that should be kept 18 to 24 inches away from you and there is no need to look directly into the light. You can just face in the box direction.

You can do day to day activities while you are taking light therapy. With light box therapy, your circadian rhythms can be regulated.

There are minor side effects with this therapy. You can get headache, eye irritation, nausea, and skin dryness. To minimize the side effects, the therapy should be started slowly.

Once your body gets habituated with this therapy, you can increase the time and intensity. Before starting the therapy, you should discuss with your doctor whether it is suitable for you or not.