Natural Sleep Support

A fast-paced lifestyle, late-night exercise or meals and exposure to blue light in the evenings all impact our ability to wind down well before we head to bed and can contribute to a poor night's sleep.

If you find it hard to fall asleep and/or stay asleep, there are a few simple and natural strategies you can incorporate into your day to optimise your sleep and physical health.

The four phases of sleep are light, deep, REM and awake time.

Our deep sleep should make up around 15% and REM sleep around 20% for ideal reparative and restorative benefits.  The average person wakes 10-15 times per night!

Firstly, let's address the following points to reduce sleep pressure:

• There is no right or wrong time to go to sleep and/or wake up.  If possible, practice Sleep Synching – this is simply adjusting your sleep and waking times with your body’s natural windows of wakefulness and drowsiness.
• We all have different circadian rhythms and it’s about respecting our individual bodies and keeping it as consistent as possible while taking into consideration our own body clock.
• “Trying” to fall asleep can heighten stress and anxiety and simply have the opposite affect.
• Paradoxical Intention is a psychological therapy used to treat insomnia.  By intentionally removing yourself from your bed and staying awake instead of forcing sleep, stress is reduced, relaxation generally follows and people feel sleepy faster.  Physically going to bed only when you feel tired is key.
• Those who do shift work, or living on broken sleep because of external factors such as babies, illness, various life stages or other stressors will face challenges.
• Sleep debt is real and most of us will experience it at some point in our lives.

Good sleep hygiene prepares your body and mind for success in falling and staying asleep (or if you wake, falling back to sleep easily).  

There are some key lifestyle choices that will impact your sleep, and they start in the morning!

• Try to get direct exposure to sunlight on waking to stimulate serotonin production and again at sunset to release melatonin.
• Move your body every day.  This can be walking, yoga, pilates, strength, conditioning, resistance, cardio - choose one and do it for 20-40 minutes a day or find a gym, PT or team that can keep you accountable.  Mix it up but avoid high intensity exercise within 4 hours of bedtime.
• Eat nutrient dense foods and avoid inflammatory foods.
• Hydration with quality filtered water at a cellular level needs to include essential minerals sodium, potassium and magnesium.  Ask me about quality Electrolytes/Redmond Salts, Home Water Filtration and Hydrogen Water!
• Eliminate toxins such as aerosols, fragrance, cleaning sprays etc. to improve your air quality and reduce endocrine disruption.  A reputable air purifier can help improve your air quality.  
• Avoid eating heavy meals late at night - a nutrient dense low-protein snack can help you sleep however!  For example, some apple with almond butter or avocado and berries!
• Aim to have your last caffeinated drink by around 2pm, earlier if possible!  Half of the caffeine we consume stays in our bloodstream up to six hours after consumption.  Ideally, don't drink coffee on an empty stomach, or add some heavy cream, raw milk and collagen to make it a good-fat, high-protein start to your day!
• Avoid screen time within 2 hours of bedtime and eliminate blue light exposure from devices, TV and your light sources as much as possible.
• Invest in a basic red light globe, salt lamp or swap out your cool lights for warm lights in your living areas.  Blue light glasses can help.
• Don’t use your bedroom for entertainment, study, work or eating meals.
• If possible, turn off wi-fi and remove all devices from the bedroom or put in airplane mode.
• Incorporate grounding in your daily life by either spending time barefoot in nature or investing in an earthing mat while you work or earthing sheets for sleep.
• Regulate your nervous system and manage stress using breath work techniques, essential oils, quality supplements, meditation, journaling, creating and making time for your emotional and spiritual health.

To create a regular bedtime routine try incorporating the following 1-2 hours before bed:

• Run a diffuser with pure, therapeutic essential oils – they are proven to improve mood, lower heart rate and calm the nervous system almost instantly.  Our sense of smell is directly linked to our limbic system which controls emotion and memory.  My absolute favourite oils for unwinding and sleep are Frankincense, Spruce, Lavender, Bergamot, Cedarwood and Roman Chamomile.  Suggestions for a diffuser blend and linen spray are included below.
• Optimise your room temperature (around 16-19 degrees C).
• An excessively humid room can impact sleep,  Invest in a dehumidifier if this affects you.
• Make your bedroom as dark as possible - darkness stimulates melatonin production.
• Listen to music known for its calming effects and improving deep sleep –  particularly 432 Hz, 528 Hz.
• Use heat therapy to warm your skin and drop your core temperature – for example a 20 minute magnesium chloride bath or sauna session.
• Take Ashwagandha to manage cortisol, Reishi to calm the nervous system and improve deep sleep, Shen to support a calm mind.
• Drink herbal tea such as Organic Egyptian Blue Lotus known for it’s calming properties and improving deep sleep.

• Also, consider your sleep wear and bedsheets – are they made from natural, breathable materials?

Take quality supplements with no fillers:

• Magnesium glycinate is a proven relaxant.
• Magnesium threonate crosses the blood-brain barrier.  Brain health is linked to hormone health.
• L-theanine, Inositol and Glycine used in conjunction with Magnesium has been shown to support a restful sleep. 
• Vitamin C, B Vitamins, Zinc, D3 and K2 all boost your immune system but also help support cortisol levels.
• Other herbal remedies shown to have calming and sedative effects when taken internally include Passionflower, California Poppy, Valerian Root, Lemon Balm and Chamomile.

Topical magnesium is highly bioavailable and targets restless legs, cramps and all types of pain. 

Use essential oils topically.  Essential oil molecules, when pure and applied safely, will permeate our cell membrane and impact our physiology within 20 minutes of application.  The spine, soles of feet and abdomen are the three most permeable parts of the body.  Essential oils need to be diluted in a carrier oil for safety and efficacy (I use only organic, cold-pressed carrier oils in my roller bottle blends) and covering the area of application with clothing will increase absorption by up to 75%. 

Zen and Release are two of my best selling blends.  Zen contains oils that work synergistically to reduce stress, calm the mind and physiologically set your body up for a restful sleep.  Release contains anti-inflammatory oils designed to reduce pain, tension and relax the muscles.  If you grind your teeth or get tense shoulders, Release works to relax tense muscles almost instantly.

My Blue Lotus Healing Infusion is restorative and grounding and can be used day or night for hydrating dry skin and contains essential oils known to support nervous system health.

Women going through perimenopause can also try the following to help with the foundations of hormone balance and sleep health:

• 30g of protein in your first meal (no matter what time) and 30-50g protein at each meal thereafter.
• 30g fibre throughout the day.
• 3 probiotic foods per day.
• Anti-inflammatory diet and hydrogen water.
• Wild Yam Cream - shown to balance estrogen and progesterone levels.
• My favourite essential oils for hormone balance and adrenal support are Clary Calm and Frankincense. These can be applied to the anbdomen, lower back and shoulders.  Essential oils for pain include Ice Blue and AromaTouch and can be diluted and applied directly to the areas of pain.  The Ice Blue Stick contains the added benefit of Copaiba and is ready to use and portable.  I also have plenty of oils for other specific ailments relating to perimenopause - please ask for more information.

Supplements for joint health include Castor Oil, Ice Blue Capsules, Glucosamine, MSM, Collagen II and Hyaluronic Acid found in these amazing MetaPWR sachets.

Lastly... 

If you do wake up at night, refrain from checking the time or your phone.  Minimise light exposure, and consider leaving the bedroom and doing something such as having a cup of herbal tea, reading or listening to calming music or doing something mundane (such as sorting socks) until you feel tired.

A good sleep psychologist can also help with our mindset around sleep, creating good lifestyle habits and improving sleep hygiene.  

Sleep trackers such as an Oura ring, can give you valuable data and help you determine how much light, deep and REM sleep you are actually getting and give you a readiness score.  It's a very useful tool for those who are motivated by statistics!

There are also many blood biomarkers such as cortisol, magnesium, blood glucose levels and inflammation that can impact your sleep and that can be examined further.  InsideTracker is a great online tool you can use to upload your bloodwork results and get personalised recommendations.

Ask me for more information on reputable practitioners and well-researched products – I have lots of amazing contacts and have done all of the above at one point or another.  You don’t need to do all of this, start slow and build on these proven strategies for your long term health and wellbeing.

Sometimes there are unknown unknowns, and we are all physiologically different so be kind to yourself and find people who support your health journey.

Remember, sleep is optimised when our lifestyle choices are optimised!

Here is a wonderfully relaxing blend for your essential oil diffuser to help you wind down:

Diffuser Blend

2 drops Bergamot
2 drops Frankincense
2 drops Cedarwood
2 drops Lavender 

Other beautiful essential oils for restful sleep include Black Spruce, Roman Chamomile, Vetiver, Valerian and Copaiba.

Please note, as this Linen Spray is a water-based recipe, the essential oils are not bound to any fats and hence this is not suitable to use directly on the skin.  My topical recipes are always made with a carrier oil for safety.