My Top Sleep Aids
We all know the importance of sleep, and the benefits are endless: improved cognitive function, emotional well being, physical recovery, immune support, muscle recovery, hormone regulation, blood sugar balance, appetite regulation and SO many more. It’s also no surprise that our modern day lives with near-constant access to screens and their blue light emissions, stress, poor sleep environment, and regular life things that keep us up at night (Kids! Aging parents! Job deadlines!), can make it hard to get adequate (7-9 hours), good quality (uninterrupted!) sleep.
I have a few favorite “sleep tools” I use for myself to ensure a good night of sleep, but also recommend to my clients. Without good quality sleep, it is difficult to put on muscle mass, lose weight, improve blood sugar, reduce brain fog, and more. Any of my clients will tell you that sleep is usually the first thing we work on, regardless of their goals!
I don’t go a night without my:
Eye mask - Any inexpensive eye mask will block out light in your bedroom. Even with room darkening shades, we have light from the clock, phone charger, outlets, and more, and this light can be stimulating even with your eyes closed.
Ear plugs - I get a cheap multipack from Target and always pop them in my ears before falling asleep. Despite the fact that I also use a white noise machine (see my next tool), these really block out any ambient noise like my dog snoring or my husband turning over. Many of my mom clients are worried that if they use these they won’t be able to hear their kids cry out but as a mom of 3, I can assure you I could hear my kids make noise from ten towns away, and these ear plugs have never prevented me from waking up to their calls.
White noise - Drowning out any background noise like cars passing or birds chirping in the morning helps me stay asleep. There are some great white noise machines out there, but I use an app on my phone (which means yes, my phone is in my bedroom at night, but always kept on sleep and airplane mode so I don’t get any rings or dings while I’m sleeping.
Magnesium - Magnesium has a calming effect on the nervous system, and helps with the production of melatonin (and more! See here.) I love topical magnesium right before bed in the form of lotion or oil. Our skin is our largest organ, and magnesium is absorbed efficiently and quickly through it. In fact, I like to put magnesium lotion on the soles of my feet before bed, since the skin on the bottom of our feet is so thin, the absorption is rapid. If I have time, I’ll take a bath with a cup of epsom salt (high in magnesium!) and usually can’t even keep my eyes open soon after.
Supplements - If I’m going through a stretch of poor sleep whether due to illness, stress or travel, I might tap into supplements to help kick start falling asleep, such as melatonin, l-theanine or CBN. These don’t leave me feeling groggy or hungover in the morning. It’s best to work with your healthcare provider to see which sleep supplement might be right for you.
Sunrise alarm clock - While this clock doesn’t help my sleep quality, it does make wakeups a little easier, especially this time of year when it’s still pitch black out when my alarm goes off. The clock gradually starts to turn light on, mimicking a sunrise, so that by the time your alarm goes off, your eyes have adjusted to the light change. This is so much gentler than switching on an overhead light or staring directly at my phone screen the second I wake up.
I’d love to help you improve your sleep. Click here to work together!
