TIP ONE

Mag phos, ‘the miracle worker’ is a *tissue salt, and after herbs, is the most used remedy in my clinic and personal life. It is especially wonderful for promoting a deeper and more restorative sleep for all - from babies to elders. Mag phos relaxes both the muscles and nerves and has helped many of my patients, and myself, enjoy better sleep. It’s not habit forming and can be used long term.

Dose: can vary widely but for sleep it’s best to take between 1 and 5 every night before bed, Eg. Children – start with ½ to 1 before bed; Adults – start with 2 before bed. Increase the dose if needed.

* Tissue salts are safe for all stages and ages in life and are easy to take especially for fussy children. You simply allow them to dissolve in the mouth.  They’re available from many natural health practitioners, your local health food shop, pharmacy, or online.

TIP TWO

Another of my personal sleep remedies is music and when all else has failed me for sleep – that awful 4am waking up with a busy mind, I listen to 528Hz Solfeggio frequencies. I have it downloaded on Spotify, so can play it on my phone while it’s in aeroplane mode. I recommend this to lots of my patients who all find it helpful when going through times of extra stress.

TIP THREE

I also have a favourite deep sleep meditation, again I listen to it on Spotify, for when I don’t feel like listening to music. I find Steven Webb’s voice very calming 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fryyQmLtVtLcgbf17TAwq?si=BBao9Fg2Q1mZ2PkVXd7iKQ

Jess:

I genuinely believe a cup of tea can fix many a problem. I also find the process of making a pot of herbal tea before bed a meditative and calming step in your night time routine. Blending teas is a fun and creative process.  There are many beautiful herbs that can help to calm the nervous system and improve sleep quality and quantity.  The recipe below is a favourite of mine, different ratios of the herbs can be mixed up depending on personal taste preference. Have fun with it!

TIP FOUR

Floral Dreams - Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) - 3 teaspoons

• Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) - 2 teaspoons

• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) - 1 teaspoon

• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) - 1 teaspoon

• Rose (Rosa Sp.) - 1 teaspoon

The above recipe is based on using dried herbs, and makes 2 cups but you can use fresh herbs from your garden if you have them. As dried herbs do not contain water, you will require less by volume than when using fresh herbs. Dried herbs can be purchased from some health food stores or online.

NOTE: If pregnant, leave out the passionflower (this herb is contraindicated during pregnancy) or substitute with oat straw.

Instructions:

1. An hour before bed add your chosen herbs to a teapot.

2. Add boiling water (2 cups of water will make 2 cups of tea).

3. Steep for 10-15 minutes (covering will maximise the effects as it keeps in all the beneficial elements).

4. Strain tea into your favourite mug and enjoy!

TIP FIVE

Another tip I recommend to people, is using a weighted blanket. It’s not for everyone but some people find adding a weighted blanket to their sleep routine helps to reduce stress and promote calm. In the same way as a hug or a baby’s swaddle, the gentle pressure of a weighted blanket may help to improve sleep for some people.

Potential Benefits:

• Improving sleep quality by reducing cortisol (our awake hormone) and increasing melatonin (our sleep hormone).

• Calming the nervous system by downregulating the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous response and activating the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous response in preparation for sleep.

Jane:

TIP SIX

Achieving restful sleep for me has always been relatively easy, until I started experiencing hormonal night sweats of recent times.

A new venture for achieving better sleep at this stage in my life is to do some sweat-inducing exercise, as many days in the week that I can manage.  Although the research doesn’t say that it needs to be enjoyable to be beneficial for the reduction of hot flushes, I personally find sustainability of exercise practice is greater when it’s something that brings me joy.

I took up squash recently and this is proving to be great for both exercise and stress management.  That little black ball gets quite the wollop!!!

My sleep is significantly improved on the nights that I exercise, and just my general thermostat seems improved for the 24 hours afterwards.