Key points about sleep and natural sleep aids
- Your circadian rhythm is an internal process that regulates your sleep-wake cycle
- Too much artificial light at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm
- Coffee doesn't impact your circadian rhythm but it can delay the onset of sleep
- Revenge sleep procrastination may be causing you to delay going to sleep
- There are a number of natural sleep aids that may help promote better sleep
If you’re having trouble getting enough shut-eye, rest assured you are not alone. Around 1 in 3 people experience trouble sleeping. We've listed our pick of natural sleep aids below. But first, let's take a closer look at some factors that could be affecting your sleep.
If you’ve ever looked into how to sleep better, you’ve probably come across the ‘circadian rhythm’. While it sounds like a dance move, it’s actually how our bodies are innately programmed by the earth’s cycle around the sun.
Sleep specialist Dr David Cunnington describes it like this:
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“You could think of circadian rhythm as the rhythm of a day. You may think of it as a light/dark cycle. Or activity/rest. Or feeding/fasting. Or wake/sleep. Ideally, you want all those things to be in sync, so you’re awake, active and eating when it's light. When it’s dark, you're asleep, resting and fasting.”
The challenge, says Dr David, is that we no longer live in caves with the sun as the only source of light. Instead, we have all sorts of artificial lighting and distractions that could play havoc with our circadian rhythm. If you’re wondering, ‘why do I feel so tired?’, this may be the cause.
If you enjoy your daily coffee, Dr David says that it generally doesn’t impact your circadian rhythm. But there may be an indirect impact.
“Coffee is a stimulant,” he explains. “It could potentially delay the onset of sleep or make you feel like you could ‘cheat sleep’ for longer. That, in turn, may affect your circadian rhythm by pushing it out longer.”
Revenge sleep procrastination
Bedtime procrastination is nothing new. Despite knowing the importance of sleep, we still want to finish a task, watch a TV show or read more of a good book.
But the notion of revenge sleep procrastination has taken off in social media circles, making it about more than just going to bed late.
Sleep procrastination is when you specifically delay going to bed. You know it’ll reduce the amount of sleep you’ll get and you know how you’ll feel in the morning, but you still don’t go.
As there are only a certain amount of hours in a day, it can be easy to feel resentful when very few of those hours are spent doing stuff for yourself.
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Delaying sleep is one way to get some ‘extra’ time. It’s as if you are getting ‘revenge’ on your day that left you no time for any personal activities, or ‘me time’.
Making time for yourself is good for your mental health. But sacrificing sleep in order to get that time isn’t a healthy trade-off. Once you understand what happens when your circadian rhythm is disrupted, you can begin to understand why a good night's sleep is so important.
You shouldn’t have to choose between having personal time and having sleep time. So assess what you spend your day doing and prioritise. Just make sure you are one of your top priorities.
If our sleep hacks aren’t enough to help you put revenge to bed, we’ve got some other suggestions that may help.
Here we have compiled some of our favourite ingredients to support sleep health. These ingredients may help support restful sleep, and together with consulting a health professional, may help you increase your sleeping hours, so you feel more rested and ready to tackle your day.
1. Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral that can be found in foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, legumes and wholegrains, to name a few.
When taken as a supplement, magnesium has a range of potential benefits, one of which is related to sleep health. Magnesium plays a role in sleep regulation in the body.
Some research shows that magnesium may help support restful sleep and may support calming the mind to help support sleep health.
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2. Valerian
The effects of valerian on sleep have been recognised for over 2000 years. In traditional western herbal medicine, valerian has been shown to:
- help reduce the time to fall asleep
- help support a refreshing sleep
- reduce restless sleep
- help with mind relaxation
3. Lemon balm
Lemon balm is an ancient herb that is commonly used to induce a sense of calm, which may help promote a night of restful sleep.
4. Lavender
Lavender...who doesn’t love the smell! Lavender is an aromatic plant that people often use as a mist on their pillow before bed or by adding a few drops of essential oil to a burner to fill the house with a beautiful scent.
You might be surprised to discover that lavender extract can be found in sleep supplements as it has been researched for several therapeutic actions.
Lavender has a long history of traditional use as a sleeping aid and may help to have a calming and soothing effect on the body.
5. Ziziphus
Ziziphus (Ziziphus jujuba var spinosa) seeds have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a sleeping aid.
6. Passionflower
Passionflower is a traditional herbal product that is commonly used as a sleep aid. Limited research shows that this herb may assist with sleep in people who are experiencing mild sleeping problems. In traditional western herbal medicine passion flower is used to induce sleep and reduce sleeplessness and the time it takes to fall asleep.
7. Sour cherry
There has been some research to assess the effectiveness of sour cherry juice to help with sleep quality. It has also been used in traditional western herbal medicine as a sleep aid.
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Always read the label. Follow the directions for use.
There are a variety of potential causes of sleeping problems, and some could be more serious than others. Be sure to connect with your health professional if you are having trouble sleeping, as they will be able to provide tailored advice that will work best for you.
Dr David Cunnington is a specialist sleep physician who helps his clients to treat their complex sleep problems while also promoting sleep health through education, research and advocacy.
Reviewed by the healthylife Advisory Board August 2021
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