Spring Forward Toward Restful Sleep

Why is good quality sleep a priority? Beyond the obvious reasons—feeling refreshed and able to be productive—there are other reasons you might not have thought about.

Lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes; decrease your immune system’s defences; and contribute to chronic headaches, depression, mental anxiety, and obesity.

Impaired sleep has even been linked to erectile dysfunction and low libido in both men and women.

What can be done to help?

For people experiencing sleep problems, conventional short-term treatments may involve sedative/hypnotics, such as benzodiazepines. However, these are not without their potential problems, including dizziness, drowsiness, constipation, muscle weakness, and the risk of dependency.

Before considering a pharmaceutical therapy, consider these natural recommendations to help you catch those much needed ZZZs.

• Make your bedroom sleep friendly: create a cool, dark, relaxing environment and unplug electronic gadgets such as tablets and TVs.
• Try relaxation techniques such as listening to soothing music and practising progressive muscle relaxation or bedtime meditation to ease you into sleep.
• Refrain from engaging in mentally stimulating activities before bed and also avoid consuming stimulants such as caffeine, cigarettes, or alcohol.
• Exercise regularly.
• Limit napping during the daytime to 30 minutes or less.
• Consider using natural remedies made from hops and valerian.

Is the secret to better sleep in beer?

It was anecdotal evidence that brought the sedative properties of hops to light. Field workers harvesting the plant would often literally fall asleep on the job.

While early scientific studies found no solid evidence to support claims of hops’ sleep-inducing potential, several recent scientific studies suggest that hops do have sedative effects, particularly when combined with valerian.

Recent research has shown positive results for the combination of these fresh, organic plants in tincture form as a fast-acting remedy with the ability to increase the quality and time spent in deep (REM) sleep.