Do you sometimes lie awake half the night and can’t go back to sleep? These cheap home remedies help quickly and effectively: From cheap secret tricks to homeopathy.
Do you suffer from insomnia?
Or do you get up early in the morning and feel exhausted because your body has not come to rest?
Sleep disorders are widespread, but only rarely chronic.
What home remedies are there that can help you with insomnia and what else you can do to sleep better, that’s what the following post is about.
The table of contents shows that sleep disorders are an extensive topic.
Tip: You can find out more about the process in the guide to sleep disorders .
Before I go into more detail about recommended home remedies , I would like to start with a few general information (which can help you avoid insomnia altogether).
Index
When do we speak of sleep disorders?
Not every sleep problem is directly a sleep disorder.
Experts and doctors talk about a sleep disorder when sleep disorders occur at least three times a week for a period of at least two months.
A sleepless night or restless sleep for a few days, on the other hand, are not a sleep disorder, but rather normal sleep problems that each person can have at different times.
Info: 20 percent of all Germans sometimes have problems sleeping well.
Sleep disorders manifest themselves through regular and frequent awakenings during the night (so-called sleep maintenance problems ), and by difficulty falling asleep at night.
Around six percent of the population suffers from chronic sleep disorders.
How much sleep does the human need?
There is no general answer to this question as there are many factors responsible for how energetic and productive a person is.
- While some people are early risers who wake up fully after a few hours, others go to bed very late and sleep well into the day.
- The ideal length of sleep per day should be between six and eight hours, but there are also many people who get by with less (or more) sleep.
Too much sleep can also be unhealthy – and is often an indicator of reduced sleep quality (e.g. due to alcohol or late eating before bed ).
A nap or power napping during the day can also shorten the night’s sleep.
Ultimately, everyone can feel best how much sleep the body and mind function best.
Reading tip: In this article I will go into more detail on this topic: How much sleep do people need?
It can also be helpful to monitor your own sleep – just a few weeks are enough to identify harmful habits.
What Causes Sleep Problems?
One of the most common causes of sleep problems and disturbed sleep phases is persistent stress and unresolved problems.
- The head cannot switch off and the body cannot find rest.
- However, positive things can also cause sleep problems.
Travel preparations or important events that are pending, such as a wedding or an anniversary, also very often ensure that people cannot sleep and have problems falling asleep.
- Sometimes illnesses can also cause disturbances in normal sleep behavior.
- Unfamiliar surroundings and noises ( snoring ) are other factors that can affect sleep.
- The wrong pillow or a mattress that is too hard can also rob you of sleep.
Most of the reasons mentioned are temporary and should not be taken too seriously.
When the illness subsides or the important event is over, most people will sleep just as well as before.
Tip: Here you will find the best sleep aids .
However, if your sleep problems are chronic and have been dragging on for months, you should seek professional help from a doctor in addition to the home remedies that I present to you below.
The sooner you seek treatment for chronic insomnia, the more likely it will be a quick recovery.
Consequences of insomnia
Typical consequences of a chronic sleep disorder are a lack of sleep , reduced performance and a constant feeling of tiredness .
The longer the sleep disorder lasts, the more nerves and the body can be affected.
What can you do about insomnia?
The first thing to do is determine whether you have temporary sleep problems or whether you actually have a chronic sleep disorder.
To determine this, it is helpful to keep a sleep diary . Make a note of when you fall asleep, when you wake up, and anything that happened during your normal nighttime rest.
Fact: A sleep diary over several weeks clearly shows whether a chronic sleep disorder is present. Of course, you can also use apps that monitor sleep .
The best home remedies for insomnia
Since many sleep problems are based on stress and restlessness, the best prevention is a healthy lifestyle and behavior that promotes the waking and sleeping phases of the body.
That sounds very simple, of course, but it is often very difficult to implement.
In the following I have listed some of the best home remedies for you which you can do something about your sleep disorders:
Bedtime routine
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same times each day if possible.
In this way, the body is trained to have fixed phases of waking and resting. Shift work, weekends with nights of dancing or even time differences due to flights are known triggers for sleep disorders.
Incidentally, this also means the weekend!
Note: Avoid delaying getting up in the morning. In this way you put your natural inner rhythm to the test and in the end do not make getting up any easier!
Relaxing sleeping ritual
Take a bath, listen to your favorite music or read a book.
Find an activity that is not supposed to be exciting, but has a calming effect on you.
An entry in your sleep diary can also be your sleep routine and signal to the body that it can “downshift”.
nutrition
If you have trouble sleeping, avoid ingesting stimulating drinks and foods.
Coffee, black tea, cola, alcohol and sugary or difficult to digest foods should be avoided from the afternoon onwards.
Tip: Take a special sleep & nerve tea and make it part of your sleep ritual.
Be active outdoors
One of the most important things that can help you sleep well at night is your body’s natural release of the hormone melatonin.
Melatonin is produced in the brain and sends signals to regulate the sleep-wake cycle in the body – and thus leads to deeper sleep phases .
- The production of this hormone is strongly related to the influence of light.
- Sunlight provides the right spectrum of light to support the melatonin production cycle.
Tip: If you ensure that you get enough light during the day and avoid it in the evening, this also improves sleep.
Light movement in the evening
It is also extremely helpful to take a long walk or other non-strenuous exercise before bed.
The body is easily stressed and then comes to rest better. On the other hand, you should avoid heavy training before bed , as it has a stimulating effect.
Meditation
Autogenic training or meditation are other very good tools to calm the mind and body. Sometimes reading or listening to relaxing music is enough to prepare the body for sleep.
Darkness and temperature while sleeping
Most importantly, you should be comfortable with the temperature in the bedroom. Make sure, however, that the room is cooler.
The temperature should be around 17-18 degrees.
- Scientists were able to show how important a dark room is for the quality of sleep.
- Even very small light sources, such as the glow of a clock or LEDs from an electronic device, can have negative effects.
Tip: Use opaque curtains. Noise protection curtains not only ensure darkness, but also silence.
Herbal remedies
Purely herbal products such as valerian and hops help the body to relax and come to rest.
Little herbalism
The best known are the herbs chamomile, hops and valerian root.
- Valerian has a calming effect and is also used for anxiety
- Chamomile is one of the oldest remedies that is particularly good at helping you fall asleep.
- Hops calms the nerves and promotes relaxation, which can also be due to the sedative effect.
It’s not for nothing that this tea is called SleepDeep ! It helps to fall asleep faster and deeper.
The tea contains 10 medicinal plants, including valerian root, lavender and hops (and is 100% caffeine-free!).
Magnesium
Many people suffer from magnesium deficiency – it is an essential mineral that plays a central role in calming your nervous system.
Most of the time, a magnesium deficiency is related to a poor diet.
- Only when our body absorbs sufficient magnesium can we relax in the evening.
- The best way to ensure this is of course to eat a balanced diet.
If in doubt, a dietary supplement can also help.
Homeopathy for sleep disorders
There are also a variety of different homeopathic remedies for better sleep.
Calmalera is used, for example, for stress, tension and sleep disorders.
Even if you don’t believe in such means, it may be worth trying. Homeopathy does not work through the ingredients, but through the placebo effect.
Note: However, such agents are never a substitute for professional treatment by a doctor.
Perfect sleeping environment
The better your sleeping environment adapts to your needs, the better you sleep.
A comfortable mattress is just as important as suitable bedding, a good neck pillow , perfect lighting and plenty of rest.
Tip: Here are more tips for setting up your bedroom .
No electrical appliances in the bedroom
Cell phones and tablets have no place next to the bed .
Notification tones as well as the display can disrupt the night’s sleep.
You will see how easy and relaxing it is to go eight hours without news.
The classic
A glass of warm milk with honey has been a secret recipe for healthy sleep for decades, and not for nothing. The amino acid tryptophan contained in milk is said to calm the body and produce the sleep hormone melatonin.
Beware of sleeping pills
Many people tend to take sleeping pills when they first have trouble sleeping.
- However, these have a lasting effect on the natural sleep behavior and change it.
- With many sleeping pills, it can take a long time to stop taking them and sleep naturally again.
Note: Always talk to a doctor first before starting to take sleeping pills. Under no circumstances should you take sleeping pills over a long period of time.
I hope this overview helps you to interpret your sleep problems and to get them under control. There is nothing healthier and more relaxing for the body than a good night’s sleep.
And if it should come to a restless night do not worry, a little nap will help you quickly through the subsequent daytime sleepiness .
Tip: There are even more guides for a healthy night’s sleep in the section Sleep better .
I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.