Written by Jennifer Morreale
Do you wake up in the morning feeling as though you tossed and turned, and aren’t quite ready to wake up? This could be a form of insomnia, a common plague to people’s lives. It is estimated that about 50 to 70 million Americans have some form of diagnosable sleep disorder or suffer from chronic sleep loss. While insomnia is often thought of as being completely unable to sleep, it is not measured by how many or few hours of sleep you get, but as restlessness or unfulfilling sleep. Stress, medication and the body lacking its ability to cool itself are some causes of insomnia, all of which can lead to physical and psychological issues if prolonged. Here are 5 natural ways to help you get a better night sleep.
One of the common causes of chronic insomnia is the body’s inability to go through its natural cooling, sending heat to the hands and feet to be released. Stretching can help the body with this process, allowing the heat to flow properly and be released. It will also give a more relaxed sleep because the muscles will be tension free.
Some people have a very active mind at night, stressing and thinking about all of the tasks that went unfinished or worrying about having time to finish things the following day. Making a list of all the unfinished projects and scheduling time to finish them may help put your mind at ease. If you do this each day before bed, it will help to quiet the mind and keep the stress of unfinished tasks from keeping you awake.
Also avoid any caffeine within six hours before bed; your body may still be on caffeine high. If you have a post-dinner coffee at 7pm and are not falling asleep until midnight or 1am, this may be the cause. It is also a common misconception that consuming alcohol will help you sleep, while it may help you to fall asleep, it can lead to a restless night.
Because each person needs a different amount of sleep each night it may help to change sleep schedules by going to bed later and getting up earlier, while this will give you a shorter time for sleep it may promote a deeper more relaxing sleep. Listen to your body and figure out what your body’s natural sleep patterns are.
A great alternative to prescription medications are herbal supplements such as passionflower and valerian root. Both of these herbs act as a natural muscle relaxant and have helped in many sleep deprivation and insomnia cases. They help to relax the body and mind to allow yourself to drift off to sleep.
On nights when I have trouble sleeping I go through this list, and more often than not am able to quiet my mind and fall asleep once I organize my tasks and stretch.
Jennifer Morreale’s passion is running. It’s a passion she shares with anyone and anything she encounters, including her Italian Greyhound puppy Sprocket who can often be seen running alongside her. Jennifer believes that anyone can be a runner and has devoted her life to teaching others the joys and benefits of running and how running can help promote overall health.
As founder of Runner’s Realm, Jennifer inspires and motivates others to run through both words and actions. Jennifer leads by example and has completed many races including the Walt Disney World Marathon, the Iron Girl Half Marathon, the Tri-angle Duathlon and many smaller races. Never slowing down, Jennifer will soon compete in the Hero-thon in San Antonio, Texas, the Tough Mudder in Tampa, Florida, the Walt Disney World Goofy 39.3 miles in two days and the Runner’s World Half Marathon in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Combining her love of running with her desire to help others she has lent her talents to helping organizations meet their fundraising goals. She is currently working with Team in Training in advance of the Hero-thon to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in their efforts to raise funds to fight blood cancer and recently adding her name to the bone marrow registry hoping to be a match. Jennifer also works with various other non-profit organizations that promote health, such as World Wellness Education, Relay for Life and Walk 4 Animals helping raise thousands of dollars.
Originally from Upstate New York, Jennifer has lived in six states across the US and now resides in Central Florida where she helps her husband Dr. Joseph Morreale manage his business, The Chiropractic Center. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in alternative medicine from Everglades University, is a certified chiropractic assistant, has written for and been published in numerous health and nutrition publications. She also sits on the Board of the World Wellness Education and the Early Learning Coalition of Lake County. In addition to running Jennifer enjoys yoga, stand up paddle boarding, scuba diving, boating, fishing and just about any other outdoor activity.
This information is not meant to be medical advice. No action or inaction should be taken solely on the contents of this information. Instead, you should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to your health and well-being.