Struggling to get to sleep? You’re not alone. In fact, according to a sleep survey, 2 out of 5 Australians struggle with sleep on a regular basis and around 40 per cent aren’t getting the recommended 7-9 hours. So if you’ve tried counting sheep to no avail, we’ve delved into the reasons why, plus some natural sleep remedies that may help.
After all, sleeping badly can have a domino effect on mood, productivity and even physical appearance. It’s an important part of our wellbeing, which is why there’s a whole week dedicated to it. So, why aren’t we sleeping well and what are some natural ways to sleep better? We decided to find out…
Why aren’t we sleeping well?
According to most sleep experts, there are four common factors affecting our sleep:
- Ongoing stress can impact how soundly you sleep. Stress causes a surge in adrenal hormones (like cortisol and adrenaline) that increase alertness and make falling and staying asleep difficult.
- Stimulants such as caffeine, sugar and alcohol can cause you to toss and turn throughout the night and have a restless sleep.
- Too much light at night (from using computer and TV screens and smartphones) can shift our internal clock and alter the production of melatonin which is responsible for regulating sleep, making restful and restorative sleep difficult to achieve.
- The sleep pattern of your partner or bedmate can have a significant effect on sleep, especially when your partner’s sleep and wake times vary to yours, or if they suffer from snoring or restless sleep themselves.
Natural ways to get a better sleep
When it comes to strategies for getting a better sleep, it comes down to prioritising your routine. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but generally these are some of the strategies you can adopt:
- Prioritise time to wind down and relax at night.
- Avoid food stimulants like caffeine, sugar and alcohol at least four hours before bed.
- Avoid all stimulants four hours before bed, including white light from electronics.
- Try a guided meditation. There are lots of great free apps available that help guide you through a meditation and relax your body and mind for a deeper, more restorative sleep.
- Stick to a sleep schedule and prioritise sleep. Go to bed at the same time and aim for 7-8 hours sleep a night. It’s easy to postpone bedtime for more ‘me time’ during the week, but it comes at an overall cost to your functioning and wellness the next day.
Strategies we’ve tried and recommend include:
- Drinking a nighttime specific tea such as T2 Sleep Tight ($17 for 25 pack at t2tea.com) before bed.
- Not a hot drink person? Try a sleep supplement instead. We love the INTU Sleep & Skin Renewal ($89 at intuwellness.com), which combines the benefits of magnesium with stress-reducing herbal ingredients to promote restful sleep.
- Having a bath half an hour before bed and using a lavender bath soak (one of our faves is the Dr Teal’s Foaming Bath – Soothe & Sleep With Lavender, $17.99 at drteals.com.au) or essential oils.
- Using a silk face mask like the Shhh Silk ones ($55 at shhhsilk.com.au) to block out any light (plus they help skin maintain moisture – bonus!).
- Burning essential oils like the Buckley & Phillips Chill Out Essential Oil Blend ($17.95 for 10ml at buckleyandphillips.com.au) in your bedroom for the hour before bedtime.
As for our members, here are a few products they’ve used and loved for a more restful sleep:
In Essence Lavender Pure Essential Oil
“My husband really finds it hard to relax and fall asleep and we’ve tried a few different things. So he was skeptical when we bought this Lavender Pure essential oil. But this was clearly dashed after he put drops on his pillow and some on his temples. He was in dreamland so quickly for the first time in ages. This is really a truly soothing scent that works.” –Joburkey
$22.95 at Myer
Read more In Essence Lavender Pure Essential Oil reviews
Swisse Ultiboost Sleep
“Bought these thinking that they wouldn’t really do much but needed to try something as with two kids and stressed with work and other things was really struggling to sleep. I take them nearly every night about 20 min before I go to bed and they really do help. I notice the difference on the nights I don’t take them that I toss and turn and struggle to fall asleep.” – Nicole422
$19.99 at Chemist Warehouse
Read more Swisse Ultiboost Sleep reviews
Buckley & Phillips Aromatics Pulse Point Roller – Sleep Soundly
“I found the lavender scent to put me in a calmer mood before bed, which has been great because it means I will get to sleep quicker. I do think it has helped me sleep better in that respect. Some nights my sleep is much better than others but it’s due to stress. Overall, I like that the lavender scent helps me relax before bed.” – Jessica712
$19.95 at buckleyandphillips.com.au
Read more Buckley & Phillips Aromatics Pulse Point Roller – Sleep Soundly reviews
Bodecare Calming Bath Soak
“I love this calming bath soak so much. [It comes to] my rescue whenever I get really tired and my body needs some relaxation and I cannot go for a massage. I use this every once a month and it calms me down and calms my muscles and my nervous system. And I sleep really well after usage.” – Pinkalicious
$8.95 (70g sachet) at bodecare.com
Read more Bodecare Calming Bath Soak reviews
*This article has been updated since its original publication.
What’s your number one strategy for getting a better sleep?
I need to try a few more of these, I have not been sleeping well at all
I use perfect potion’s range and I feel that when I pop some peppermint oil it settles me
I adore Perfect Potion!
OMG the last few weeks have been a shocker having such trouble sleeping must be the weather!
Babor is nice, I got a BB cream from them in a BH rewards room once so would love to try the relaxing lavender product
I really want to try the Babor range!
Few years back I started to use Nature's Own Complete Sleep Advanced and it a very effective help when I need it. When I use it, I wake up rested and there are no side effects. I'm not worry to share it with people with similar problems. One lady in the office listens to meditation discs before she goes to bed and she swears by it…it works
I don't enjoy hot drinks, so relaxing teas aren't my thing. But I try and wind down and nice scents help me sleep better.
…and age; I used to be such a good sleeper…
Yes that is me too !!!
This! I do find sleeping with a pillow under my knees helps.
How to sleep better…..not possible with two young kids. I do love the T2 sleep tea, just as a relaxing cuppa and makes me take down me time to sit down and drink.
Warm milk and going to bed at the same time always helps.
This is better: https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/health/study-reveals-sex-before-bed-can-nearly-double-your-rem-sleep/
I end up wide awake after sex! Loll
Better sleep is my holy grail. It's been a lifetime problem for me.
Hopefully some of the above tips will help!
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We always watch a tv show or a bit of movie to wind down before bed and I find that helps me fall asleep because my brain goes into imagination world.
I am sure hubby would be so happy to see this!
I sleep like a baby. On a switch I turn on or off my brains.
The T2 Sleep Tight Tea definitely works. I gave a cup to my insomniac & she slept 12hrs straight. She hasn’t done that in decades.
What is in it ?
My mind is always going overboard so I need to control that.
I have a lavender sprays and I never think they work but then it’s the next day. I also used Japanese heated eye masks (can comes in scents like lavender and yuzu) in winter and they REALLY work.
Sounds so simple. I’ve read articles saying that 7-8 hours sleep, isn’t the fit all, and just go for what your body needs. Stress over not sleeping recommended hours doesn’t help.
I don’t have any trouble getting to sleep. I stop eating at least 3 hours before bedtime; have a dose of Magnesium; and drink lots of water.
That’s one thing I need is to get to sleep 😴 most nights I am just awake, don’t go to sleep until my eyes cannot stay open anymore from exhaustion.
Have tried a few of these sleep assisters with no change but there are a couple of others that are new to me, so will give them a try. Thanks for these suggestions beautyheaven.
The Swisse tablets smell like dirty feet, but I have found them to be very effective
I can’t sleep with a mask, it feels too hot
I’ll try the lavender oil!!
I am one of those lucky people who usually sleeps well. Stress is a gamechanger though.
I’ve been having terrible sleep for the last couple of weeks. Probably subconscious stress. I’ll give some of these suggestions a try.
Hope things are going better for you S-P and you are sleeping better now.
that Gumleaf essentials rollon has been very effective I’ve found!
I love to have a cup of tea and watch tv in bed before I go to sleep.
I’ve got a lavender pillow spray that works nicely – as long as I don’t use it every night. I like to burn incense, too – that always helps me drop off. I don’t burn oils at bedtime. I don’t want to fall asleep while it’s burning – unsafe.
My partner coming to bed at ungodly hours definitely affects my sleep.
This is something I really struggle with.
My sleep has gotten really bad thanks to stress. I try to take magnesium and valerian root tablets at night which really help.
If I drink tea late at night I’ll be waking up to go to the bathroom
I’m somewhat of a night owl which doesn’t help my sleep but night time is when I get my me time which I really enjoy.
Super helpful thank you
I get good sleep already
Lucky Lady XX
I use some lavender oil on my pillow, a silk sleep eye mask. There’s some other good tips that I ned to try out.
If I can’t fall asleep within the 1st hour I take a Nature’s Own Sleep-Ezy Capsule.
I usually like taking magnesium sleep, and it really helps.
I have heard that magnesium is very good for restless legs which sometimes keep me awake.
yes I used to have that problem but since taking magnesium and zinc it seems to have gone away
Great article. I haven’t been sleeping good lately from stress I think.
I would love to try this essential oil.
Some good tips for those who struggle with sleep.
Great options, I find a good evening routine and wind down time helps too.
I tend to sleep reasonable well, but must admit that sometimes I just cannot get to sleep. Why only sometimes and not other times?
sometimes I think your mind is too busy and hard to wind down
I tried some of the suppliments, sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.
I also use a magnesium and zinc supplement and that seems to help
If all else fails get some Melatonin. Import it not the chemists stuff from here.
I’m one of those people that don’t like the smell of lavender. Luckily I sleep well and don’t need it. Definitely would not sleep well with Lavender essense on my pillow.
I love lavender for relaxing and use in a diffuser. I love the ideas in this article and wish I could same them on my profile as favourites