Falling Asleep Naturally

 

Welcome to the February 2013 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Addressing Sleep Challenges. This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. This month our members have written posts about how they address sleep challenges in their homes.

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Often times we believe in the "I want it now" approach and try to turn to the easiest way to get what we want.  When it comes to our health, we think it should be easy to erase years of poor habits with a simple pill.  We think a magic pill should be the instant cure. 

So when it comes to sleepless nights, as well as any other health issue, I strive to address what the underlying problem may be.  This might mean I need to change things, put in a little effort and even give up what I really don't want to give up.

So what's the answer?  Maybe it's as simple as returning to nature.   

• Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible (the way that they were created - ogranic, fresh, raw when possible and unprocessed.)
• Drink purified water, the fluid that was put on earth for all creatures to drink.
• Live a lifestyle that minimizes negative, toxic and damaging effects on the body.
• Provide your body with all the necessary raw materials that are required by your body to function, grow, repair and heal.
• Balance physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and energetic aspects of life.

Beneficial for our bodies to improve sleep:

• Omega-3 essential fats required for nerves
• Stress relief/relaxation techniques
• Consider herbs such as Chamomile and valerian
• Deep breathing techniques
• Exercise, activity, sunshine, outdoors and fresh air
• Sleep in complete darkness; no night light, etc.  This promotes melatonin

Strive to decrease or eliminate to improve sleep: 

• Blood sugar fluctuations / hypoglycemic tendencies
• Possible triggers, allergies, sensitivities
• Toxic household cleaning, laundry and personal care products and/or poor air quality
• Sugar and chemical laden processed foods
• Caffeine, alcohol and tobacco
• Do not watch or read upsetting TV shows/books before bed
• Avoid eating in the 2-3 hours before bed
• Avoid exercise before bed

 Supplements essential to better sleep:

• Multivitamins and protein is a basic foundation
• Calcium / Magnesium / VitalMag: Taken before bed improves absorption, promotes relaxation and restful sleep.
• Gentle Sleep Complex: a unique blend of valerian, passion flower and chamomile flower to promote restful sleep.
• Stress Relief Complex: nutritional support to help you relax and stay calm.
• DTX, Herb-Lax: the gut lining houses over half the immune system and half the detoxification system.  If the gut isn't perfectly healthy, you are at a standstill in terms of healing any other condition, regardless of how remotely unconnected to the gut it may appear.
• Alfalfa 

Our family has worked hard at researching the best supplements for us.  What we found was that not all supplements are created equal.  Many supplements may be more harmful then good because they contain artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives and even Lead: FDA Survey Data on Lead in Women and Children's Vitamins 

For every symptom is a God-given opportunity to find and fix what is broken, versus sentencing the innocent patient to a lifetime of some expensive and damaging drug.  For with drugs, the sick get sicker quicker. - Why Do I Feel This Way

What are your natural sleep solutions?

 

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Visit Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival! Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed: