Another Look at Natural Sleep Aids

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

20 Nov 2007 09:41 PM

Despite being really tired, I slept very poorly last night. I knew I had to get up early for a conference call and was worried that I would oversleep or miss my alarm. Instead, I spent the night dozing lightly and tossing and turning. I must have looked at the clock a hundred times! At least... that's what it felt like.

My bad luck -- I have another early morning call tomorrow. I'm hoping I'll sleep easier tonight, but I wouldn't mind some help, either. And I'm sure I wasn't alone in my sleeplessness last night -- insomnia is a common problem. For example, approximately forty percent of women over forty have trouble sleeping three nights a week or more.

Here are some tips to get more sleep without turning to drugs.

• Restrict your time in bed. I'm not good at this one, myself -- I tend to lounge in bed to watch TV and even bring my laptop into the bedroom to work. But spending less time in bed can actually encourage you to sleep better. If you learn to associate bed ONLY with sleep, you'll start to toss less and snore more.
• Tire yourself out. Work out in the early evening, a few hours before you plan to hit the sack. A few hours after your workout, your body will slow your heart and breathing rates and lower your blood pressure -- signals that you're ready for sleep. Try to get at least thirty minutes of exercise for best results.
• Try a magnesium supplement. Magnesium helps the body make serotonin and serotonin produces melatonin -- the chemical in the brain that sets your body's circadian rhythm. Between 200 and 300 milligrams of magnesium citrate taken with dinner can help. Add a calcium supplement at lunch to help your body absorb the magnesium.

Here's hoping we all have sweet dreams tonight!

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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