Simple Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep
A good night’s sleep can be the solution to many things, from better physical health to feeling more relaxed to sleeping on problems, to knowing what to do the next day. Many of the world’s worst disasters (from oil spills to plane crashes to space shuttle disasters) have all been caused due to lack of sleep.
The average cat sleeps 15 hours a day (kittens up to 20 hours). Like lions, this is due to ancestors reserving energy for dawn/dusk hunting (a reason to keep them inside during this time, when birds are feeding). Avoid wood-based tables, as cats can claw up them.
Set a regular schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time, this helps to settle into a rhythm, so like animals, you start to sleep and wake up at the same time, as your body clock adjusts.
Create a bedroom heaven. Use blackout curtains and avoid noise like TV, and ensure the bedroom is cool enough, but not too warm or cold. Invest in a quality mattress and nice cotton or linen sheets.
Never use aromatherapy oils (including diffusers) if pregnant/nursing, nor if pets sleep on beds (cats can’t break down essential oils in their livers). If used, air rooms before allowing them back in.
Don’t eat too late or drink caffeine/alcohol. Although booze helps you sleep, it’s not ‘proper sleep’ and you’re likely to wake up very early. A small banana contains the same ingredients as sleeping pills.
Don’t read horror novels or watch horror films. If you want to read or watch TV, choose something relaxing. Or don’t do either, and have a relaxing bath instead.
Get some daylight exercise. Going for a walk or workout earlier in the day, will help to tire your body enough for sleep, in the evening.
If you work shifts, take naps when possible, and minimise exposure to light after finishing evening shifts. If it really affects you, look for a daytime job.
If screaming babies are keeping you awake, The Baby Sleep Guide offers 100 simple tips by a maternity nanny and sleep consultant. Read more on safe natural nurseries.
Tart cherry juice an hour or two before bed. This helps the body increase production of melatonin, so is like a ‘natural sleeping pill’.
Some people should avoid cherry juice (or talk to your GP first) – diabetes, kidney disease, IBS and acid reflux, allergies or on certain medications. Only drink pasteurised juice for pregnancy/nursing, children and weak immunity.
Panda Bamboo Eye Mask (for light sleepers)
Panda Bamboo Eye Mask is ideal for light sleepers, those who have to contend with light pollution nearby, or for sleeping on planes. Made from the world’s fastest-growing grass, it’s tested to ensure there are no traces of harmful substances, and even the thread, zipper, button and dyes are eco-friendly.
Designed to block out light, this eye mask is nonetheless designed not to put pressure on your eyelids, so you can quickly place it over your face, and still be comfortable enough to sleep deeply.
Bamboo is also naturally moisture-wicking, so an ideal solution for ‘hot sleepers’ who feel they would be uncomfortable wearing an eye mask in bed, on warm nights.
It also features an elasticated strap, so it stays on comfortably while you sleep, to avoid waking you up. Choose from black, grey or vintage pink. Sold with a 1-year guarantee.
Feel (sustainable magnesium & calcium supplement)
Feel Magnesium & Calcium is a quality nutritional supplement formulated by experts, and sold in zero waste sustainable packaging. All their products are vegan and not tested on animals.
Use code partner20 for 20% discount (not bundles or subscriptions). If you subscribe, sign up for an account to earn discount rewards.
Always check with your GP before taking supplements if on medication (also for women if pregnant or nursing). Keep them away from children and pets, and recycle unused supplements and medicines at pharmacies (never flush them down the loo).
This supplement is mostly for healthy bones, but a good side effect is a good night’s sleep (magnesium is known as ‘the sleep vitamin’) with added benefits for relaxation and nerve function.
Using plant-based minerals from the seawaters of the Irish and Atlantic seabed around the Atlantic coast and 72 trace minerals, this is backed by over 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications. This mineral complex is 250% more effective than regular calcium, and many times better than regular magnesium.
When to expect improvements?
- 1 month (more vitamin D should mean efficient use of calcium and phosphorus for better bone health, and silica to improve bone mineral density, and improve hair, skin and nails.
- 3 months (good body serum levels of fat-soluble vitamin D, for better immunity, bone health and muscle function)
- 1 year (bone turnover supported by nutrients for better structure and stability, and enhanced bone strength)
Join the transparent label campaign
The Transparent Label Campaign is a worldwide movement set up by US supplement company Terraseed, to demand that supplement companies list full ingredients, so people can avoid ones with gelatine, fish, collagen, creatine and magnesium stearate (mostly in vitamin D and omega 3 supplements – which cause the death of 24 billion creatures each year).
Also boycott krill supplements (you can easily get omega 3 fatty acids from nuts, seeds or algae supplements). Krill is an important food for whales, seals, penguins and fish, and removal causes by-catch of other creatures.
Simple tips for good calcium
You would think from the media and dairy companies that if you gave up drinking dairy milk, your bones would crumble away and you would fall over. Not so. Many cultures drink no or little dairy (in fact, it’s the dairy-guzzling nations like the UK, USA and Scandinavian ones that get osteoporosis, due to lack of exercise and more dairy.
Dairy does give calcium, but it also acidifies bones, which means bones release calcium to compensate. This is why the countries that drink the most milk get worse bones, than those that don’t. If we need dairy, why do Asian women have stronger bones than us?
Many people of African descents are also lactose-intolerant, which is why there are calls for NHS Healthy Start to offer something other than vouchers for dairy milk for children in low-income families.
Of course there are vested interests. And in a country of 60 million people, we simply don’t have enough land for everyone to drink milk from free-range cows, which means most milk is coming from factory farms.
How to get calcium, without dairy milk
It’s pretty easy. The highest sources are dark green leafy veggies (check medication due to vitamin K interaction). That doesn’t mean you can’t have a bit of broccoli, just don’t chug down smoothies made with a ton of spinach!
Figs are also high in calcium, as are beans, peas, pulses, nuts and seeds. And if you eat vitamin C rich foods, these help the body to absorb calcium well. Smoking does the opposite. Regular weight-bearing exercise is also a great way to keep bones strong and healthy. You can even buy calcium-fortified foods like tofu.
So in short, if you follow a well-balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, you should have no problems at all getting your calcium intake.
Dr.Vegan Nights is a quality supplement, the first order is sold in a refillable metal tin, then you just order refills in eco-pouches thereafter. You can buy once, or get a free pill tin, then subscribe for bigger savings.
Designed to help create healthy sleep patterns, 80% of people find this helpful. It’s an advanced plant-based nootropic, which includes magnesium, zinc and calming amino acids, to help insomnia.
Before taking supplements, check with GP if pregnant/nursing or on medication. Keep them away from young children and pets, and recycle unused supplements at pharmacies.
Take 1 to 2 capsules (30 minutes to 2 hours before you go to bed). Can be taken with or without food.
When to expect improvements
- 1 week (expect up to a week to start to take effect)
- 2 weeks (also helps to get back to sleep, less groggy mornings)
- 1 month (better mood and focus, more relaxed)
Nothing Much Happens (bedtime stories for insomnia)
Nothing Much Happens is kind of like a US equivalent of a podcast version of BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime. It offers free (and subscription) relaxing bedtime stories that you can listen to, if you can’t sleep.
Offered by the ‘village of nothing much’, it offers relaxing stories by people with nice relaxing voices, to send you off to the land of nod. A ‘soft landing’ rather than checking social media accounts. Then after you feel comfortable and feel good, you can fall asleep.
Of course, reading a real book always helps. But if you do prefer to listen, then this is one good option, with free offerings. And if you want to combine the best of both worlds, Kathryn Nicolai has a book Nothing Much Happens, to get all the benefits, while being offline. With beautiful illustrations throughout.
A charming collection of short almost-stories, intended as an antidote to insomnia and restlessness. Nicolai accomplishes what no other author would want to hear: these stories can put people to sleep. Publishers Weekly
Kathryn is a yoga and meditation teacher, who specialises in good mental health. Audio engineer Bob is the one who manages to create the podcasts, while siphoning out snorts, laughs, growls and barks! He lives in Michigan, where he sleeps very well!
Each month, a portion of subscriptions from the podcasts are given to a small charity, to do good for communities. From helping homeless people to helping crisis projects abroad.
