What keeps you up at night, instead of sleeping like a baby?

Do you have trouble sleeping – on a regular basis?

Or is it only occasionally that you lay awake and stare at the ceiling, wondering why these kinds of nights drag on forever when all the nights you sleep soundly seem over in a flash?

Personally, if I was writing this three years ago, I would have said that I don’t have much trouble sleeping. My biggest complaint was that I would stay up too late and don’t like to get out of bed in the morning.

*This post contains affiliate products from a brand I have personally used for 38 years.

Menopause

And then menopause happened. And wow has my sleep ever changed. I went from sleeping well pretty much my entire life, including through 4 pregnancies, nursing 4 babies, and all the years of motherhood – until now.

It’s not all bad. I would sleep well some nights, and I hated complaining about it because I thought it would be a short-lived problem.

Even with all the healthy things I thought I was doing, it wasn’t getting any better and I started looking for help.

Most of the time when I struggle with anything in my body, I look for natural help. I don’t like meds – my body does not like meds – especially for something that isn’t life threatening.

This was, however, very annoying. I did mostly still feel rested every day, and I attributed that to the good nutrition that I am faithful to each day.

I eat well but far from perfect and I take a lot of supplements that are targeted to my current needs – these are insurance because I know that I don’t get enough nutrition from my food, and targeted nutrition supplements bridge that gap. At least the brand I take does because they are 100% guaranteed to work.

Insomnia

Your sleep problem, or lack of sleep problem, may not be menopause related. There are so many seasons in our lives where we can struggle to sleep.

The problem with putting up with not getting enough sleep is that other health issues start to creep into your life. Things like:

Decreased alertness

Memory or cognitive problems

Poor quality of life

Injury (including occupational or automobile)

Relationship stress

Depression or other mental health problems

It is no fun to lay awake at night when everyone else is sleeping and you really want to be sleeping also – but yet you are wide awake and unable to sleep.

How do you struggle with sleep?

Either first falling asleep when you go to bed. Or waking in the middle of the night – and feeling wide awake and unable to go back to sleep?

Maybe you can finally fall into a deep sleep in the early morning – and then you don’t want to get up when the alarm goes off to signal you need to wake up.

And do you feel rested in the morning?

What Keeps You Awake At Night?

Do you know what is causing your sleeping issues? Are you under a lot of pressure or stress during the day? Have you changed your diet or used a new medication? Are you going through a life change such as menopause?

If you are looking for natural solutions to help you sleep better, identify your trigger and check out the suggestions we have for you.

3 suggestions to help you relax before bed:

It can be difficult to properly wind down from a busy, stressful day. Relaxation techniques can help you transition into a more relaxed state and prepare you for sleep.

1. Meditation. You can practice this in bed before you sleep and it will help you drift off. You’ll be able to forget about your day and allow your mind to fully unwind.?
2. Yoga. There are a number of gentle yoga styles that focus on light stretching and breathing techniques. These only take 10-15 minutes and can be done just before bed.?
3. Relaxation Music. You can also listen to relaxation music to help you get to sleep. These range from soothing music tracks to the sounds of ocean waves. These sounds have a particularly relaxing effect and will also help you sleep more soundly.

Is your lifestyle during your evening hours affecting your sleep?  Certain food, drinks and other factors can be associated with you being stimulated instead of relaxed before you go to bed.

3 quick changes to help you get a better night’s sleep:

1. Avoid eating too close to bedtime. Your body needs ample time to digest your food before you sleep. The best time to eat your dinner is about 4 hours before your bedtime.?
2. Avoid caffeine. Tea, coffee, and most sodas are full of caffeine, so avoid these drinks after lunch.?
3. Avoid television and video games before bed. These are far too stimulating and you’ll find it much harder to fall to sleep afterwards.

Next look at your sleep environment. Do you go to bed in a quiet bedroom, away from any other activity in the house? If not, this could be your answer.

Creating a relaxing environment where you sleep is very important. You may need to transform your room into a more relaxing environment to help you sleep better.

3 Tips to help you relax

1. Keep your room uncluttered with minimal distractions. Don’t watch TV or work in your bedroom. Instead, assign another room in your house for these activities.?
2. If you have a ticking clock or an alarm with a light up display, get rid of it. Rid your bedroom of as many electrical items as possible or switch them off.
3. Set your thermostat for a comfortable temperature that’s conducive for sleep, and wear comfortable, loose fitting bedclothes.

A good night’s sleep helps to keep you healthy by giving your mind and body time to replenish.

If you are dealing with stress and/or anxiety that is keeping you from getting restful sleep, we have some tools on our page where we share what we are learning about the brain and how it can help you overcome challenges that are caused by stress.  You can check that out here:  Train Your Brain.

One last idea:  It’s best to sleep in a quiet, dark room, but this isn’t always easy to achieve. If light and noise are an issue, a quick fix is to sleep with earplugs and a sleeping mask.

Natural Sleep Aids – Nutritional Support

Sometimes you try everything and still need a little more help. When that happens to me, I look at my choices for natural supplements that can either help to resolve a problem or aid in a temporary solution.

Here are 2 choices from the #1 Natural Nutrition Company in America – the only brand that I trust to build better health!

Menopause Balancing Complex – is specifically designed to create hormonal balance and one of the things that is thrown off during the hormonal imbalance of menopause is sleep. Sleeplessness during menopause is very common, and when I began using Menopause Balancing Complex, it helped so much that I became a fast believer. I did not have hot flashes but it also helps with those as well as mood swings.

It contains Black Cohosh, the soy isolfavones genistein and daidzein, and a patented blend of Dong Quai, Red Clover and Licorice root that help enhance symptom relief. This unique supplement was the first to combine all five of the most effective natural remedies for menopause.

Stress Relief Complex – if it is stress that is keeping you awake, taking a Stress Relief Complex tablet every day keeps the calming ingredients working in your system both day and night. It is designed to reduce the impact of stress on our health. I love this product because, 1) it works really fast to relieve stress – within 30 minutes – so it is great for day time use as well as keeping you relaxed at night, and 2) it’s got healthy ingredients that give you side benefits for better health.

It is another ‘complex’ supplement because it contains multiple ingredients that all work together better than any one on their own. Stress Relief Complex contains a unique combination of ingredients proven to reduce the stress reaction in your body by blunting excessive cortisol release:  L-theanine, ashwagandha, beta sisterol, and L-tyrosine. They don’t make you feel drowsy during the day as they help manage your stress, and each is sold separately but Shaklee combines all 4 for the best natural solution.

Gentle Sleep Complex – a unique blend of natural ingredients that work well together to promote more restful sleep:  passion flower, German chamomile, and valerian extract.

Valerian has been used for over a thousand years to help maintain a calm state, promote relaxation and restful sleep. There have been studies on passion flower where participants experienced improved sleep quality, and chamomile tea has been used for many years for help with insomnia. Gentle Sleep Complex combines all 3 for the best natural sleep aid.