8 Natural Ways for How to Treat Insomnia at Home
Do you find yourself having a hard time falling asleep at night then dragging through the following day? You’re not alone! Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, affecting an average of one in four Americans each year. Fortunately, there are an abundance of natural ways for how to treat insomnia at home with simple lifestyle adjustments!
What Causes Insomnia?
Before we hop into natural ways for how to treat insomnia at home, let’s take a quick look at some of the common causes of insomnia. Some of the most common causes of insomnia include:
- Stress from work or finances
- Poor diet or lack of exercise
- Death or illness of loved ones
- Strained personal relationships
Identifying what causes insomnia for you can be a key element of learning how to treat it. Let’s take a look at natural insomnia treatment at home that you can start today!
How to Treat Insomnia Naturally
There are many natural ways for how to treat insomnia without medication. With so many methods of insomnia treatment at home, hopefully you’ll easily find one (or more!) that works for you!
Some of our preferred natural ways for how to treat insomnia at home are:
- Practicing visualization and mindfulness meditation
- Using a zero gravity chair to treat insomnia
- Simple exercises to help you sleep
- Starting a night time routine
- Light therapy to help you sleep at night
- Changing your diet
- Drinking valerian root tea or other calming beverages
- Aromatherapy with calming scents like lavender
Visualization and Mindfulness Meditation for Insomnia
Practicing visualization and mindfulness meditation as methods for how to treat insomnia can be very effective! Studies have shown mindfulness meditation as a viable insomnia treatment at home for chronic sleep issues when compared to pharmacotherapy.
Meditation and visualization can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and elevate your mood—all beneficial for how to treat insomnia naturally. There are many ways to meditate including zero gravity meditation, combining the next item on our list!
How to Treat Insomnia Using Zero Gravity Chairs
Of the many health benefits of zero gravity chairs, improving sleep quality can positively affect your entire body both physically and mentally. The zero gravity position allows you to achieve a deeper relaxation, helping your mind unwind before bed and proving an effective insomnia treatment at home.
There are loads of activities to do while relaxing in your zero gravity chair that can ultimately be helpful in how to treat insomnia at home. These include simple exercises in your zero gravity chair, listening to your favorite music, journaling to alleviate stress, or just sitting quietly to center yourself! Zero gravity chairs also make perfect additions to bedroom makeover ideas to create a relaxed atmosphere and aid insomnia treatment at home.
Luxury zero gravity chairs also offer a variety of features that can help treat insomnia naturally like massage and heat therapy! These bonus features of zero gravity chairs relax your muscles and help you achieve a deeper state of relaxation. Furthermore, they help alleviate back pain and other aches that are common causes of insomnia.
For mommies in the making, there are loads of health benefits of zero gravity position during pregnancy. Not only do zero gravity chairs provide safe sleeping positions (even during later stages in pregnancy) that can help with pregnancy insomnia, but they also make the best nursing chairs while taking care of your body, too!
Simple Exercises for Insomnia Treatment at Home
It’s no secret that exercise and living an active lifestyle help boost your overall health naturally. Did you know, however, that increased physical activity has been shown to significantly reduce insomnia symptoms?
Moderate exercise for at least 20 minutes each day is a simple way for how to treat insomnia at home that produces results. Finding a time for exercise that works best for your sleep schedule is key. That may mean working out in the morning to create a daily ritual or working out in the evening as a way to release stress and increase endorphins before bed!
If you opt to work out at night, consider a post workout recovery routine that includes a hot shower roughly 90 minutes before bed. It helps treat muscle strain and facilitate a change in your body’s core temperature that helps you sleep better.
How to Treat Insomnia at Home With a Night Time Routine
Speaking of evening routines, having a relaxing night time routine isn’t just for kids! Adult night time routines can be effective natural ways for how to treat insomnia at home. Your routine can be anything you like, but our favorite way is to integrate using a zero gravity chair with activities like listening to calming music (under 60 BPM) or having an evening massage before bed!
Other parts of an effective night time routine for how to treat insomnia at home include limiting screen time before bed or wearing blue light blocking glasses, drinking herbal tea or another calming warm drink, or taking a hot bath.
Light Therapy for Treating Insomnia
While it may sound counterintuitive, light therapy can be an effective method for how to treat insomnia at home! Your exposure to light can have a strong effect on your regular sleep/wake cycle by helping regulate your body’s circadian rhythm of melatonin production.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of insomnia, try increasing your light exposure 30 minutes first thing in the morning. This could be with a light therapy lamp or even by simply taking a walk early in the morning. If you go for the walk, you can combine increased light exposure with your daily fitness routine for double duty insomnia treatment at home!
Treating Insomnia By Changing Your Diet
What we eat has a profound effect on our bodies. One of the most common causes of insomnia stems from an unhealthy diet that prevents your body from preparing to sleep properly.
If you’re looking at changing your diet as part of how to treat insomnia at home, try limiting your caffeine, alcohol, and sugar intake. These are drinks and foods that cause insomnia you may not have thought about before!
You may also consider adjusting your diet to include magnesium-rich foods such as legumes, seeds, some nuts, and whole grains. Magnesium rich foods may boost your insomnia treatment at home and also provide relief from other health ailments like constipation, anxiety, cramps, and irritability.
Calming Evening Beverages for Insomnia Treatment At Home
Think about how you feel as you enjoy a nice warm beverage. It’s nice, isn’t it? There’s the feelings of warmth in your hand as you hold the cup and the sensation you get as you take a drink. Having a calming evening beverage is a simple way for how to treat insomnia that you can start today!
We’ve mentioned having a warm drink as part of a night time routine, but now we want to focus on which drinks are helpful. You’ll certainly want to avoid anything with caffeine! Instead, try a hot herbal tea like chamomile or lavender to help your mind and body unwind for bed. There are also special teas available with valerian root, which has been associated with improved sleep!
Aromatherapy for Insomnia Treatment
Sometimes finding natural ways for how to treat insomnia at home is about setting the mood to calm your mind and relax your body. What better way than by engaging your sense of smell with aromatherapy insomnia treatment?
If you try aromatherapy for insomnia treatment at home, consider getting sachets or essential oils with calming scents like lavender. Not only has aromatherapy been shown to be beneficial for treating insomnia and improving sleep quality, but it has also been associated with lowering anxiety and alleviating stress.
So next time you’re trying to create a zen space at home to treat your insomnia, remember the benefits of aromatherapy and engage your sense of smell, too!
Learning natural ways for how to treat insomnia at home is as simple as making a few lifestyle adjustments. Try out a new night time routine, aim for 30 minutes of physical activity each day, or choose a zero gravity chair to combine a multitude of insomnia treatment methods! Find what works best for you and get the good night’s sleep you’ve been missing.
Pregnancy is another common cause of insomnia. For better sleep quality during your pregnancy journey, check out our 8 tips for better sleep while pregnant!
