I started writing this post when Vienna was just a few months old and it’s been in my “drafts” for well over a year! Sleep is something I value and when I began this post originally, it was pretty ironic because I was a little sleep deprived.
Whether you’re a new mama or not, the tips I’m about to share will help you get a more restful sleep.
First let’s discuss the importance of sleep. If you’re not getting enough sleep you will definitely notice the effects both short-term and long-term. Let’s look at some of them.
Increases your appetite
Lack of sleep leads to an increase in appetite (mainly for sugars and carbs). It increases ghrelin, your “I’m hungry” hormone and decreases your “I’m full” hormone, called leptin. Research has found that those who sleep less than 8 hours per night have an increased BMI proportional to a decrease in sleep.
This hormonal pattern of increased ghrelin and decreased leptin, has been found to be consistent with decreased energy expenditure and increased appetite and obesity.
Boosts inflammatory chemicals and shortens lifespan
Inflammatory chemicals are elevated in those individuals who sleep less than 8 hours per night. However, the same is true for people who sleep too long. These inflammatory chemicals are detrimental to health and have been found to shorten one’s lifespan.
reduces cognitive function to that of a drunk person
You’ve likely experienced that “drunk” feeling when you’re sleep deprived yet you’ve not had a sip of alcohol. That’s because lack of sleep impairs simple functions such as attention, learning, and a range of cognitive functions.
And that’s not all! Research has shown that insufficient sleep has negative impacts on endocrine, metabolic, cardiovascular, immune, bone, stress, and neurological health and function!!
In this video, I’m going to share with you some of my favourite natural ways to get a good night’s sleep.
I’m a huge fan of sleep. I feel my best, look my best and I’m on top of my game when I’ve had a good night’s sleep. I make it a priority, especially now that Vienna is sleeping through the night – yay!
Any questions or great sleep tips you’ve come across? Comment below.
Wishing you a joyous sleep tonight,
Joy
61 thoughts on “10 Natural Solutions for Sleep”
Great ideas! It is rare I sleep well. When I wake I never ever feel rested. I will give these a try.
Hi there,
Can you tell me what brand of mattress and pillow you use?
Hi Joy,
What is the brand of pillow and mattress that you use. I have been trying to find the right pillow!
Thanks 🙂
Great parenting book for you … Raising Happiness, by Christine Carter. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Joy,
Where did you get your sleep mask?
Thanks!
Hi Joy!
What brand is your pillow? I like thin pillows and find it hard to find a good brand.
Fantastic and inspiring
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Will try these tips
I’d love more info on the mattress/ pillows you recommend please.
Hey Marsha! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂 Sweet dreams! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Felicitas! Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll be sure to pass this along to Joy! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Stephanie, This should help wonders! If not, feel free to send us a note at hello@joyoushealth.com and we can connect you with a natural health care practitioner that would be able to help you with this! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Julie! Joy has an Essentia mattress and has a natural rubber pillow from Sleep Country, but Essentia makes them too! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Shenelle! You can get a nice natural bamboo-based eye mask from Ecotools 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Joanna! Joy has a natural rubber pillow from Sleep Country, but Essentia makes them too! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Alexandra! Joy has an Essentia mattress and has a natural rubber pillow from Sleep Country, but Essentia makes them too! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Jennifer! Joy has an Essentia mattress and has a natural rubber pillow from Sleep Country, but Essentia makes them too! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Great Advice….So true and real…Many thanks for bringing them up
So glad I watched this video. Some great information and really great tips. I suffer from a very difficult time sleeping (am more wide awake at 10pm then any other time throughout the day) and rarely sleep through the night (up every hour or two hours usually). I am looking forward to trying these tips … my latest sleep aid is Lemon Balm and Magnesium.
Thanks for the post! I do many of these things in my routine. I also find that essential oils create a relaxing atmosphere before bed.
Hi Joy. I was wondering what is the name of the pillow you are talking about in the video. Looking for a comfortable pillow. I am a side sleeper. Thank you
Note: I have your cookbook and I am already a Joyous Member. receiving your email.
Angie
Hey Angie! The pillow is a natural rubber pillow from Sleep Country 🙂 Hope that helps (and hope you’re enjoying Joy’s books and the Joyous Collective!) Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Saskia! Totally – we love doing that too! 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Julie, Those sound like great natural options to help support sleep! I would also recommend avoiding any stimulants past 3pm in the day (coffee, caffeinated tea, chocolate) and sleeping in a super dark room with black out blinds or an eye mask. Hope that helps 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Isam! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hi Joy, love the video. Do you have other ideas for blood sugar balancing snacks? I find I sleep much better if I have a tiny snack about 1 hour before bed. Thanks Kymberli.
Excellent sleep video, thanks. Popped on line to see where the narural latex pillows with no offgassing are available in Canada and read that some companies say their product is natural but actually thry only have a very small amount of truely natural latex in them.
Where did you buy and what is the model of your pillows that you “love”?
What a wonderful video – lots to think about. What do you think about clocks in the bedroom!
Thanks for the video of sleep. Really good
Tips to better sleep these times are IMP!
Is there away to soundproof from neighbors
And a better8to10hours sleep nightly?
What type of mattress do you use? Is it endy?
Hey Mel! Joy has an Essentia mattress 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Cheryl, So glad you enjoyed the video! Hmm that’s a tricky one. Without spending too much on insulating your home better, ear plugs might be your best bet! If you’re waking up in the night and having trouble sleeping consistently, I would recommend to stop eating around 7/8pm as your body cannot produce melatonin as long as your brain detects there is food in the stomach and digestion to be done, implementing some calming bedtime rituals (deep breathing, chamomile tea, avoiding technology 1 hour before bed, reading a book). Hope that helps 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Nancy, Clocks in the bedroom are okay as long as they aren’t shining into your eye or making your room too bright. If you choose to have a digital clock, make sure it’s not too bright and has a red/orange tint to it versus the blue light which prevents melatonin production and will keep you from getting a good night’s sleep! 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
👍🏼It was.very informative
Great video on tips for sleeping, thank you Joy!!
Hey Sandra, So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for watching! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Susan, Amazing! Happy to hear you enjoyed it! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hello Joy,
I enjoy your tips and enthusiasm on living a healthy lifestyle. I was wondering what you think of diffusing essential oils. Do you believe they can help with moods, sleeping and be good for your health?
Keep up your great work,
Linda
Awesome info as always, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it, Maria! Thanks for reading 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hey Linda, Thanks so much! We’re so happy to hear you’re enjoying all things Joyous Health 🙂 For sure, they can definitely be helpful! It’s said that even by inhaling things like rosemary oil can help improve memory, so you can just imagine what various essential oils can do for our health! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Joy, please help me! I have a 6 week old baby at home, and everything feels upside down lately, I haven’t get much sleep, because I’m breastfeeding on demand, and I also want to start creating a routine for my baby; I feel so overwhelm right now, and I don’t even find the time to do must of what’s on this list. Can you share me how you did it?
Xoxo
Hi Alessandra, first of all, congratulations!! It’s totally normal to fee. like life is upside down because you’re caring for a human being which is around the clock! But you don’t need to worry about getting your babe into a sleep routine yet. Research shows that most babies aren’t really receptive to sleep training until around 5 or 6 months so you’ve got some breathing room mama! 😉 There were definitely times I felt overwhelmed too and I just reminded myself what my grandmother would say “this too shall pass”. I find that the difficult times never last forever, so maybe by the time you’re reading this things will feel a bit easier. Be kind to yourself, you’re doing an amazing job and your to-do list can wait. Hope that helps!
Thank you very much, thanks for cheering me up; I really need to be kind to myself every second of my life, no matter what, I’ll work on that for sure!
And thank you so much for sharing your grandma’s wisdom and love.
Xoxo
Hey Alessandra! So happy we could help turn your day around 🙂 Continue giving yourself lots of self-love and appreciating yourself because you are truly AMAZING! Rachel – Joyous Health Team
I dont have a tv or my phone, iPad in bedroom! I can’t read in bed either. I listen to jazz music
That’s amazing! Way better than the TV or phone before bed 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Best father’s day gift ever may be the new pillow I plan to get my hubby — organic wool on one side, organic rubber on the other. Good-bye dust mites! Anything else I should consider?
Hey Carmen, Great idea! That sounds like an awesome pillow and such a perfect gift. He will love it 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
What is the value (i.e. how important is it) for a pillow to be made of organic materials (rubber or wool)?
Hey Carmen, Well we have to consider that we’re laying our head on a pillow 8 hours a night (1/3 of our life!) and if our pillows are treated with formaldehyde or made with polyurethane, they could potentially release VOCs (volatile organic compounds) so it’s preferred to seek out a non-toxic alternative 🙂 Rachel – Joyous Health Team
Hi Joy, I’m currently looking for a comfortable/supportive pillow, with no chemicals would you mind telling me the brand you have and where you bought it from?
I LOVE my pillow! It’s natural latex and never loses it’s shape. It’s dust and mildew resistant, antimicrobial and super comfy. Here are a couple of options: https://www.amazon.com/Natura-World-Latex-Pillow-Standard/dp/B0054WUHD4 and https://www.sleepcountry.ca/lavish-latex-pillow-2 Hope that helps! My mattress is from Essentia so maybe check there too they may have pillows.
For those of you suffering from chronic insomnia, I just finished a very helpful book, Say Goodnight to Insomnia, by Jacobs and Benson. ALL of Joy’s tips are in this book! For those of us who need a little extra sleep TLC, the book addresses negative thoughts around sleep, breaking the cycle of insomnia, etc. It is broken down into 6 steps or chapters. Thank you, Joy, for bringing attention to this frustrating and very common problem! xoxo
That’s great! I need to check out this book. Thanks for your comment Mary! 🙂
Hi joy, been following you for a long time… enjoy your recipes and tips for living g with joy…. we are I. The process of buying a new mattress and would love to know what kind you have as well as your pillow. It does look super cozy.
Thank you so much Jan! I appreciate it. We have an Essentia brand mattress that I absolutely LOVE. https://myessentia.ca/pages/sale?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0_LIiMfy5wIVhsVkCh1KwAeKEAAYASAAEgKC6PD_BwE
Hi there,
I am looking for a sleep mask made of natural/organic materials to block out light. I am a side sleeper, so something that stays put and has an adjustable strap would be great. Do you have any recommendations? I am currently having a hard time finding one.
Hmm, I do not have a suggestion but I know what you mean, they don’t stay on very well if you move around.
Hi Joy, just wondering if you could share more details about the pillow you use? Where is it from? What exactly is it made from? Is it a cooling or heat producing? Any other info would be great. Thanks so much!
Our pillows are 100% latex rubber so they are hypoallergenic and dust mite repellent. Another natural fibre that people buy for pillows is wool but I find wool too hot. My daughter has an organic wool pillow but I find the latex pillows cooler – basically they don’t absorb the heat of your body. We’ve had them for quite a few years so you could check Sleep Country Canada to see if they still sell latex pillows. Good luck!
Thank u for your beautiful information.