Drink Up, Wind Down: Naturally Healthy Drinks to Help With Sleep
If you’re struggling to get to sleep at night, it can be frustrating to find out what’s causing it, and often medications can be habit-forming or have terrible side effects. Making healthy lifestyle changes like exercising more, reducing stress, and eating nutritious foods all help contribute to better sleep, but sometimes you just want a quick fix that will help immediately.
If you’re struggling with insomnia, try some of the following drinks to help you relax, unwind, and get ready to sleep. They’re especially effective if you make them a part of your nightly routine that could also include skincare, stretching or yoga, meditation, or even just a moment of stillness and reflection. If your body realizes that you’re going through your ‘sleep routine’ it will be much more ready to fall asleep as soon as you lie down.
The Old Classics
The ultimate drink that helps with sleep is a classic: water. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will help your body maintain its biorhythms, and keep you from waking up thirsty in the middle of the night. Herbal tea is also a common drink to help people get to sleep. Herbal tea doesn’t have caffeine, and the warmth of the beverage can soothe your throat and chest. Chamomile and passionfruit tea are both recommended by sleep therapists for their relaxing properties. Make sure you check that any tea you’re drinking is caffeine free, rather than a decaf option. Decaffeinated teas can still contain caffeine in small amounts, which won’t help with sleep at all.
Some New Ideas
Another drink that has shown to be effective in experiments is sour cherry juice. Drinking a glass before bed, or even a glass in the morning as well has helped many people get to sleep when tested by sleep scientists. It’s important that you get unsweetened tart cherry juice, though, and not a sugary cocktail drink with cherry juice in it, because the sugar will keep you awake and have the opposite effect!
Some other drinks that have demonstrated results include coconut water, which is high in magnesium, a mineral that helps regulate sleep. Hot water with lemon and ginger is another old wives tale that can help if you have a sore throat or cough that might wake you in the night. On the other hand, you should make sure to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and ice cold drinks before trying to sleep. Caffeine will keep you awake, alcohol might make you sleepy but will reduce your quality of sleep, and ice cold drinks will keep your digestive system active and make it hard to fall asleep.
As a part of a healthy lifestyle, adding any or all of these drinks to your day can help you get the restful sleep your body needs to be happy and healthy. Most importantly, they should fit into a routine that helps you de-stress, wind down, and prepare to sleep. Taking these steps towards better sleep has so many health benefits, so why not give it a try? You have nothing to lose!