Rest better by removing anxiety and stress in a natural way
Today’s rhythms are very hectic for everyone: there is work, children, school and their daily activities. Being able to do everything becomes almost impossible. The thought of having so many commitments and the fear of not being able to manage them could have a negative impact on sleep and the ability to fall asleep. Together we will see how to remove the tensions of everyday life. Let’s find out how to be able to sleep well again, peacefully, by directly acting on the causes of sleep disorders.
For most people who have problems with insomnia, the cause is emotional and psychological.
It is linked to forms of prolonged stress that occur not only at bedtime but also during the day.
Let’s see together how to get rid of these burdens and go to bed without worries.
What is stress and why it makes it difficult to fall asleep
Stress is a widely used term today, would dare to say almost abused. On many occasions it seems like a real scapegoat for all evils. Turn that turns you around when someone is sick the fault is always his!
When our resistance to external pressures decreases, our body “collapses” and this also affects the ability to relax and sleep.
On a physical level, a stressful situation keeps cortisol levels in the blood high even in the evening, altering the normal sleep-wake cycle and making it impossible to rest. It is not for nothing that cortisol is defined just as the stress hormone.
But be careful not to rush into sums, a certain amount of stress is not always something negative, quite the contrary.
There is a part of stress called good or eustress that is even useful for successfully facing and overcoming daily challenges. Such as what it feels like before taking an important exam or the first time you fill a new position in the workplace, and that pushes us to give our best.
We are interested in acting on distress, ie negative stress, which makes it impossible to carry out normal daily activities with serenity; it is what makes us distracted and prevents us from falling asleep, creating a real vicious circle.
One of the consequences of stress is certainly the feeling of almost paralyzed.
Managing daily activities becomes a real business. Time never seems to be enough. The hours of the day pass by leaving you with the feeling of not having done anything good or profitable.
As difficult as it may be, especially in the beginning, the advice is to regain some time for yourself without feeling guilty, and try natural remedies to sleep better.
The little habits for living and sleeping well
Think back to what made you or what makes you happy and incorporate it into your days.
When was the last time you read a book and let yourself be carried away by its texture and the intoxicating scent of the paper pages? Or the last time you played sports?
Reading, and especially reading novels, would help to overcome anxiety, the most common reaction to stress, by lowering the heart rate and relieving muscle tension quickly. 6 minutes of reading can lower stress by up to 60%.
According to some studies reading is much more effective against tension than music or a walk.
Physical activity is also very important for lowering stress levels.
Sport if practiced regularly:
- It increases the levels of endorphins, chemicals present in the brain similar to real natural calmers
- Relieve muscle tension
- It helps to stay focused on what you are doing
- Promotes sleep
The best time to play sports is a luxury for many, but the advice if you suffer from insomnia is to avoid aerobic activity or overexertion after 7pm, as it could make the situation worse.
If you only have time to train in the evening, consider overcoming insomnia by practicing yoga.
Before going to bed you can try this exercise: in bed on your back, inhale deeply and slowly three times, each time making sure to exhale fully. After the third time, inhale, holding your breath as long as you can. Repeat this breathing exercise 5 times before returning to normal breathing. It will most likely help you relax and fall asleep.
What to take for sleep as an alternative to drugs?
When the situation becomes chronic, it is also possible to let yourself be helped by nature, which like an affectionate and caring mother always offers precious solutions to her children’s problems. Natural remedies for sleep exist. If taken consistently and in the right way, they give appreciable results even in the long term.
They can also prove to be more effective than drugs and without their side effects. Among the most effective plants for relaxing and sleeping, a special mention goes to Valeriana, Escolzia, Luppolo and Lime.
Let’s see together how each of these plants acts on our body, giving us a feeling of well-being and helping us to rest.
- Valerian: introduced in Europe for the first time in the 9th century by an Egyptian doctor, today this plant is used for its relaxing properties against nervousness.
- Escolzia: Do you know that the second name of the escolzia is California poppy? Yes, because it was there that it was first collected by Adalbert Von Chamisso, near San Francisco. Its main property is precisely that of promoting sleep, reducing the time needed to fall asleep.
- Hops: this plant is also a natural sedative, its effectiveness in fighting anxiety and stress has been confirmed by studies authorizing phytotherapeutic products containing hops in bloom.
- Linden: for the people this tree was considered sacred. In phytotherapy its inflorescences are used against nervousness, insomnia and tachycardia.
You can use these plants alone, in the form of infusion and mother tincture or in synergy in the form of titrated dry extracts. Recommend the last one, because it is the extraction form of the plant that ensures the highest percentage of active ingredients. It is also always supplied accompanied by the necessary quality certificates.
What about melatonin then?
Melatonin, considered such a natural remedy that it can also be given to children, has the property of regulating the sleep-wake rhythm, so it is useful for those people who have difficulty falling asleep at night and who feel fatigued upon awakening, especially in case of jet lag.
On the other hand, it is not recommended to combat real insomnia or eliminate the tensions accumulated during the day. Prolonged use could also cause side effects such as headache, dizziness and addiction.