How To Naturally Fall Asleep

Good morning, people of the earth. I hope you all slept well and are having a wonderful day. Now, today, we are going to discuss how to fall asleep naturally. This means falling asleep without Melatonin pills, Benadryl, etc. This post was inspired by my personal experience with Melatonin. Ever since I was a kid, I've had insomnia. At first, I thought it was because I was on my phone right before bed (it was). But after I stopped scrolling through social media at nighttime, my insomnia was better, but still there. I tried melatonin, which worked for years. However, I discovered that it was giving me intense mood swings and making it even harder to wake up in the morning. It was also suppressing my appetite, and I already don't eat a lot, so that needed to be fixed ASAP. Luckily, I found several ways to fall asleep naturally, and I've felt better ever since. So without further ado, here are 5 ways to fall asleep naturally.



1) Bedtime Tea

This is what I've been using for about a week, and it's worked really well for me. I usually use the Yogi Bedtime tea, but I also use Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea. These teas have certain herbs in them that promote restful sleep. These include chamomile, lavender, nutmeg, lemon balm, kava, valerian, and passion flower. Some teas also include blends of mint (peppermint, spearmint) to soothe an upset stomach. Try drinking a cup or two of bedtime tea an hour before bedtime and see if it helps you fall into a restful sleep.

2) Restorative Yoga

If the tea isn't quite doing it for you, try a relaxing, restorative yoga routine. Yoga lowers stress levels, relieves bodily tension, and allows you to focus on yourself and your body, and is excellent for us insomniacs (hence why I started doing it in the first place) Include these poses:

• Child's Pose (Balasana)
• Legs Up the Wall
• Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
• Plow Pose (Viparita Karani)
• Supine Spinal Twist
• Corpse Pose (Savasana)

These poses relax the body and promote sleep after a stressful day, or if you have a lot going through your head.

3) Exercise

This is more of a long term solution. Exercise has been proven to aid insomnia, if done at the right time of day. Insomnia is usually linked with anxiety or depressive symptoms, which certain exercises can reduce. Try going for a walk or run every day for a few weeks and see if your sleep improves, you are able to fall asleep quicker, or you sleep longer. However, exercise late in the day can increase insomnia, so try a walk or run in the morning.

4) Meditation

This is my favorite way to fall asleep. Just doing a short meditation practice while trying to fall asleep has tremendous effects on the mind and ability to fall asleep. Meditation relaxes the mind and can naturally boost melatonin, making falling asleep much easier not just right away, but in the long run as well. Developing a meditation practice is also beneficial to the mind overall, so you're kind of hitting two birds with one stone here. Try a meditation app (there are several good free ones) or just spend 5-10 minutes thinking about what you are grateful for.

5) Breathing Exercises

Certain breathing exercises have been proven to promote sleep faster. The most popular one is the 4-7-8 breathing exercise, which is arguably the most popular sleep breathing exercise. Also try it if you're in a stressful situation to promote relaxation.

1. Put the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth.
2. Exhale through the mouth.
3. Close your mouth and inhale through your nose, counting to four.
4. Hold your breath for seven seconds.
5. Exhale completely through your mouth for eight counts.
6. Repeat 3 times.

I hope you've found something to help you fall asleep faster and better. 

Namaste, 

Hannah