You’ve probably heard it said before, but have you been paying attention?

Sleep is crucial for your health and well-being!

If you don’t get enough sleep, if it’s broken up or if it’s shallow, you’re going to have problems sooner or later. It can cause physical illness as well as psychological issues in the long run. Personally, I’m fortunate enough to sleep well when I do sleep. But I’m guilty or staying up too late, and not just on rare occasions. I also get woken up quite frequently by my daughter waking up, and my husband going to work. Not to mention the alarm 🙂

Taking a nap works, but isn’t the best solution, so I too need to get better at this. There are lots of things you can do to sleep better, even if you have small kids waking you up and a husband that makes noise when he gets up in the morning. The first thing you can do is get to bed on time. You should also try to establish a bedtime routine which helps you unwind, so you can get to sleep faster and easier. Your bedroom should be dark and cool, but not cold. Changing dirty sheets and brushing off the breadcrumbs also helps 🙂

Don’t drink coffee, tea or cola (unless it’s decaf) in the evening, and keep your evening meals light and protein heavy instead of carbs. Don’t read books that are exciting or make you think too much just before bedtime. You should also finish your planning for the next day before you go to bed. If you’re still having problems relaxing enough to get to sleep, there are a number of herbs that might help. None of these are as bad as your typical sleeping pill; they just help you relax.

• Chamomile Tea is a classic for relaxing and getting to sleep, but it’s not for those who struggle with insomnia.
• Valerian Root is a widely accepted sleep aid. There are supplements made with this herb in regular pharmacies, sometimes combined with Hops.
• Lavender also has a relaxing effect but works best as an odor, in a hot bath or similar.
• Lemon Balm can be used as tea or supplement, and is both relaxing and a mild anti-depressant.

There are others as well, of course, but any of the ones I’ve mentioned above should be relatively easy to get hold of. Please, if you’re on any prescription medication of any kind, talk to your doctor before trying any herbs.

If you want a lot more info on herbs, head on over to The Library right now!