By Myleigh Amrhein
It can be frustrating for teenagers to fall asleep when thoughts flood into their mind. With a few natural tips, anyone can go to sleep faster and more efficiently. Every teenager has experienced lack of sleep one day before, with these few tips everybody can try to stop the lack of sleep.
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the controls of your sleep cycle, it can be taken in pill or gummy form to aid in falling asleep. People take this supplement before bed to get the full effect when going to bed. Melatonin can also be found in some types of fruits and vegetables such as tart cherries, corn, asparagus, tomatoes, pomegranates, olives, broccoli and cucumber according to Alaska sleep. Melatonin is made in the pineal gland in the brain, but physical melatonin supplements can be purchased. Anxiety, a main component in sleep issues. Melatonin may also help with anxiety.
“I use melatonin oils to sleep better,” Tyler Freed, sophomore said. “I drop a few drops underneath my tongue. It only takes around fifteen minutes top to start working and make me fall asleep. Another thing that never fails is a cold fan.”
Another method proven to help fall asleep faster is the ‘4-7-8 breathing method.’ Although many people have not heard of this method, you can practice this technique by breathing in for four seconds and then hold your breath for eight seconds. This method is often forgotten, but it is completely natural and cost free. The ‘4-7-8’ breathing technique is a pattern developed by Dr Andrew Weil to help with stress and getting your breathing on track.
“To go to sleep quickly I usually focus on my breathing and my heart beats so that I can pay less attention to my surroundings.” Courtney Norwood sophomore said. “It really helps because after doing it for so many nights it makes sleeping easier.”
Having a cup of hot tea just before bed can greatly impact your quality of sleep. The options of tea are endless, but make sure it is a non-caffeinated tea. Particularly good teas for falling asleep include chamomile, green tea, lavender tea, passionflower tea, peppermint tea, sleeptime, etc. Chamomile, which helps to calm you down, is good for anxiety and insomnia. The calming effects come from an antioxidant called apigenin. Green tea is also a great tea to drink before bed because it has many vitamins like L-theanine, an amino acid that helps to relax and reduce anxiety. On the other hand, some teas have caffeine in them so you have to read the ingredients before drinking.
Lavender is a plant that people use for different things and reasons. Whether the lavender is grown in a local garden or bought at the store, lavender can be easily accessible. One thing lavender can be used for is better sleep. There are lavender oils, sprays, tea, application roller, lotion, inhalers and more. With a spray pillows can be coated in and sheets. There are many lavender oils that can be used as well without the scent but still the extract. Smelling lavender triggers chemicals in the brain to calm down and help falling asleep.
With these few natural tips to help get a better night’s rest. Some remedies can be used in many different ways. Everyone knows the counted sheep trick, but give these few tricks a try.
