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Natural sleep aids

amiablePeace77 November 5th

You may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep for a number of reasons, and these issues could arise at any time of the year. There are many problems that may prevent someone from falling and staying asleep such as worries, room temperature, caffeine and alcohol to mention just a few. However, a major issue can also be a melatonin deficiency (sleep hormone). The production of melatonin generally decreases with age but can be also influenced by too little light exposure. 


Common signs of melatonin deficiency


  • Excessive daytime sleepiness

  • Nocturnal awakenings

  • Circadian rhythm disruptions


Some research says that adding melatonin to your diet such as tart cherries or walnuts may improve sleep. 



Participation question

How often do you have trouble sleeping? How long has the problem lasted?


Helpful Videos:

Melatonin: ANTI-AGING BENEFITS BEYOND JUST SLEEP


Helpful Resources:

6 Foods High in Melatonin and Why You Need It

Walnuts and Sleep: Exploring Their Potential as a Natural Sleep Aid

Coping With Time Changes: Daylight Savings Time



Seeking Help 

Mental stress can cause us not to be able to see the good things in life and lead to excessive rumination or worries which can result in serious health problems. If you have serious, long-term problems with negative thinking and feeling depressed, see your doctor or talk to a therapist if they are related to any mental challenges. 

Are you looking for a therapist? 7 Cups has online, certified therapists with a paid option. For more information on what happens in online therapy at 7 Cups, Read Lisa’s (a therapist and director of therapy) explanation 

https://www.7cups.com/forum/therapy/General_2432/WeveLaunchedTalkTherapyon7Cups_319430/

To apply for 7 Cups online therapy, click on this link (must be logged into member account) https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/?ob=1


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amiablePeace77 OP November 5th

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alysianna November 6th

@amiablePeace77

How often do you have trouble sleeping? all the time 

How long has the problem lasted? since I was around 8 I think 


1 reply
amiablePeace77 OP November 6th

@alysianna

I can only imagine how difficult it was and still is for you to get through the day with not enough good sleep and also the anxiety you might have at night knowing falling and staying asleep is difficult. Is there anything that helps?

You might have seen this self-help-guide already but if not here is the link for sleeping well.

I hope the resources in this thread will help you.

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BlueDarkAurora November 6th

@amiablePeace77 Definitely better now ^-^ but my sleep issues usually revolve around nightmares and sleep paralysis. Improving the state of mind in which I fall asleep helped a lot. Sleep affirmations, mindfulness meditations and relaxing lights are some things that help. If the whole day felt like passing through a hurricane, I try to calm the mind before falling asleep.

3 replies
amiablePeace77 OP November 6th

@BlueDarkAurora

Our minds need to be calm at night so we can sleep. Nice that this is something you pay particular attention to!

Tinywhisper11 November 7th

@BlueDarkAurora I'm glad you got it a bit more under control now ❤ nightmares are horrible🙁 bless you ❤

1 reply
BlueDarkAurora November 7th

@Tinywhisper11 aw <3 

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soulsings November 6th

@amiablePeace77  

How often do you have trouble sleeping? How long has the problem lasted?

I try to meditate if I have trouble falling asleep. In the winter I am more tired with less light and I sometimes struggle to stay awake. Sleeping 6 hours I find it easy to take a nap in the afternoon for 30 minutes. 

2 replies
amiablePeace77 OP November 6th

@soulsings

It seems your body does not need that much sleep at night. I wish I could be okay with 6 hours but my body needs a few hours more. 😊 It's good that you can take a snooze in the afternoon to rejuvenate.

Tinywhisper11 November 7th

@soulsings only 6 hours😮😮😮 I add on a few more hours than that, yep! I could outdo a sloth😁❤

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akunknown November 6th

@amiablePeace77

How often do you have trouble sleeping? 

I don’t have trouble sleeping/falling or staying asleep every night of the year but it does happen sometimes during the year. 

How long has the problem lasted?

Sometimes it’s just one night. Sometimes it’s more than one night in a row. It began 19 or 20 years ago. 

Regarding melatonin, while you may be correct about everything you said about it, there’s a downside to it too that made me stop using it. That downside is it ruins your circadian rhythm and sleep schedule. At least that’s my resulting experience when I took it during my teens but once I saw the results I stopped to see if things would improve without it which it did so it’s been out of my life before my teen years ended. 

To anyone to uses or is thinking/considering using it, please be very careful and use it minimally or only as/when it’s needed. Please do not overuse it thinking the more you use the better your sleep will be. That’s not what happened to me so it may not work that way for you either. 

5 replies
Tinywhisper11 November 7th

@akunknown thanks for the tip ❤ I'm glad you sleep well ❤❤

2 replies
akunknown November 7th

@Tinywhisper11

Thank you for thanking me. But you don’t have to thank me for me being my authentic self which is all I was doing ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Since you did thank me though you’re most welcome ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

1 reply
Tinywhisper11 November 7th

@akunknown 

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amiablePeace77 OP November 6th

@akunknown

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Like with many things it is very important that we do not go into extremes like overuse and observe how our bodies react to certain things. I also prefer to use natural resources whenever possible instead of supplements. 

Good that you realized when it disturbed your circadian rhythm and stopped it. May I ask if you took supplements? 

1 reply
akunknown November 7th

@amiablePeace77

No. I didn’t take supplements. Like yourself I prefer natural things. When it comes to sleep, if I’m stressed out, troubled by something, etc, I’ll journal it or journal positive things to take my mind off whatever is bothering me or have positive conversations with myself till I fall asleep. That’s natural to me instead of relying on supplements which may help and it’s good for those that are helped by taking them but they’re not natural. 

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Tinywhisper11 November 7th

@amiablePeace77 I had a lot of sleeping problems for a year or so, probably cause I was scared and confused mixed with anxiety, depression and stuff. But now I take sleeping pills every night, so I go to sleep really well, but waking up at all sorts of times is still a issue.

Bedtime relaxing tips...

have a hot shower/bath, just sit under the hot water and use some lavender shower gel 

Turn the lights down, with lamps/projectors/lava lamps

make a relaxing playlist with just music no words

If all else fails book an appointment with doctor hammer 🔨😁

2 replies
akunknown November 7th

@Tinywhisper11

I’m very sorry to hear you had trouble sleeping for a year bc of nightmares and anxiety. It sounds like the sleep pills are helping so that’s good at least. 

❤️ your tips. Thanks for sharing. Gonna add eucalyptus to your lavender tip. Eucalyptus apparently reduces stress so it’s great to use that on its own or with lavender which relaxes and calms you. 

1 reply
Tinywhisper11 November 7th

@akunknown eucalyptus also helps you breath😁

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purpleTree4652 November 7th

@amiablePeace77

Hi, Ami,

How often do you have trouble sleeping? How long has the problem lasted?  I take prescriptions to help me sleep.  I've had problems sleeping since I was a teenager.

1 reply
amiablePeace77 OP November 7th

@purpleTree4652

Sorry to hear that you've been facing sleep problems for such a long time already! I hope your meds help. 

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daydreammemories November 7th

@amiablePeace77

Good info! I may have to apply that to my diet. 

1 reply
amiablePeace77 OP November 7th

@daydreammemories

I hope it helps!

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AffyAvo November 7th

I've been sleeping pretty well lately. Symptoms interfere with my sleep sometimes. When I was younger I had a lot more issues falling asleep but also managed much better on little sleep. 

1 reply
amiablePeace77 OP November 7th

@AffyAvo

Nice to hear that you get good sleep now, I hope it stays like this. 

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