5 Tips to Help You Sleep Better and Fall Asleep Faster

Have you ever heard that you need less sleep as you age?

This is a LIE that we’ve been sold to help us feel better about the lack of sleep older adults get over time.

In this episode, I’m busting the myth and telling you how you can sleep better and fall asleep faster no matter what your age.

Let’s dive in!

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Sleep deprivation has probably been the subject of horror movies since the beginning and it’s not hard to see why. In real life, it is responsible for both the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

A better night sleep could have potentially changed the course of history in some cases!

Our waking hours riddle our blood and brain with toxins that buildup the longer we are awake. Sleep is an important function of the body that allows it to complete critical processes that keep our bodies running smoothly.

Good sleep is responsible for cellular repair, cleansing mechanisms, increased wound healing and fighting off infections, memory consolidation, problem solving, and emotional processing.

And as we age, some of these critical processes slow down. Studies show there is a decrease in melatonin production with age, the hormone that helps you sleep and maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. There is also evidence of degradation in neuronal signaling in the aging brain.

Neuron signaling is how different parts of the body talk to each other. Its breakdown inevitably leads to dis-ease.

How we age and our sleep quality is so interconnected that one study showed that when SCN tissue (suprachiasmatic nucleus located in the hypothalamus that regulates circadian rhythms in the body) from young hamsters was transplanted into old hamsters, the old hamsters actually lived longer.

Knowing that better sleep is absolutely imperative to a healthy functioning body is only half the battle. If a lack of sleep is affecting your life, you need to know the best ways to sleep better and fall asleep faster.

Let’s dive into these 5 natural tips next!

We are all addicted to the screen. Whether it’s Netflix, Instagram, or checking email, we are constantly on our phones or looking at some type of screen at all hours of the day. And it doesn’t stop at night.

How many people unwind at night by watching their favorite TV show or scrolling social media? We are all guilty. But that excess blue light is killing our circadian rhythm.

Sunlight is our greatest natural source of blue light. So, it should come as no surprise that our body uses it to determine whether or not it is time to get some sleep.

However, if you are looking at a screen well into the late evening hours, your body is going to think it should be awake, triggering poor sleep or difficulty even falling asleep.

Blue light suppresses our natural production of melatonin in the body.

Wearing blue light glasses while working on the computer or scrolling on your phone, especially in the evening, can help to maintain your appropriate circadian rhythms. These glasses work by reflecting the incoming blue light, thereby allowing the body to maintain its natural melatonin production and keeping your sleep cycle intact.

Timewise Nutrient Delivery is the delivery of the right nutrients to the body in the right amounts at the right time.

The body uses different vitamins and minerals at different times of the day for different functions. Most multi-vitamins do not account for this fact.

So, when you take your multi-vitamin in the morning, nutrients that aid in the various functions of sleep are not used to their greatest potential.

You can look for a multi-vitamin taken at night that promotes better sleep and relaxation or you can check out my favorite one HERE.

Stress is another common trigger for poor sleep. Have you ever laid in bed and tried to sleep while a million thoughts start racing through your mind?

It is normal to run through the events of the day or to plan out tomorrow. It’s normal to start processing emotions and triggers the minute you have time to relax.

Unfortunately, this increase in mental activity can put a serious strain on your restful night sleep.

Journaling before bed can help you unload the stresses of your day so that you can sleep better. It’s like telling a friend about your problems. Sometimes you just need to talk about it in order to let it go. And sometimes putting your problems on paper can even help you find a solution.

When I am really struggling with sleep, using a mediation app has been extremely helpful.

There are a number of apps you can download (Insight Timer, Headspace, Calm) that have multiple methods to help you relax.

Sleep meditations guide you through muscle relaxation and help you slow down and direct your thoughts with intention. I also love bedtime stories, which work similarly to meditations. However, I find it easier to disregard my own thoughts while listening to a story.

Most apps also have sleep music or nature sounds that you can listen to as you drift off to sleep. Studies have shown that listening to music prior to going to bed led to better sleep quality and falling asleep faster.

Breathing exercises are another great method to help you sleep better because they help to reduce anxiety.

So, again, if you are feeling stressed or amped up and not entirely ready for bed, a breathing exercise can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system – or the rest-and-digest system.

Try this 4-7-8 exercise the next time you are restless:

Ideally, these will be long, slow breaths but you should do them at a pace that is comfortable to you. Speed up your counting if necessary. And remember that your belly should expand on inhalation and go back down on exhalation.

Getting better sleep is absolutely essential for a long, healthy life. Whether outside factors like stress or screen time are affecting your sleep cycle or it’s more internal like aging, there are so many things you can do naturally that will help you sleep better and fall asleep faster.

If decreasing your nighttime screentime doesn’t sound like a pleasant option, try getting a pair of blue light glasses to block these high energy rays.

Taking the right nutrients at the right time can help the body properly utilize them for better sleep.

If stress and a busy mind are keeping you up at night, try journaling before bed to get your thoughts out. Or utilize the 4-7-8 breathing practice to activate your parasympathetics and ease anxiety.

You can also utilize one of the many meditation apps, some of which are free to use.

Regardless of which method you choose, a more restful night sleep is at hand. And as the body’s most powerful mechanism for healing and rejuvenation, better sleep will positively impact your long-term health.

And as our bodies start to break down with age, sleep isn't the only thing that goes to hell. There are at least seven processes in the body that slow down and cause dysfunction with age.

Luckily, there is something you can do about it!

If you want to slow down the aging process and increase the length of healthy life that you get to live, you will definitely want to check out my free guide – The Healthy Girl’s Guide to Aging in Reverse: 14 All-Natural Tips to Turn Back the Clock and Start Aging with Grace Without Injections, Surgery, or Fad Tools.

In this free guide, I discuss the seven hallmarks of aging and natural ways you can effectively slow them down so that you can live a stronger life for longer. Interested? Just click the orange button below!

This natural supplement is packed with antioxidants, nutrients, and carotenoids that support eye and brain health. This formulation not only protects the eye from the effects of blue light, but it also reduces eye fatigue and promotes macular and retinal health. If your eye health is important to you, you should definitely check this supplement out HERE.

This multi-vitamin system delivers the right nutrients in the right amounts at the right times so that your body can function at its best. Science shows that a complete days’ worth of vitamins and minerals all at once is not optimal for health. This system was designed to align with the natural rhythms of your body. You can get it HERE.

If pain is keeping you up at night, then you have to check out my Pain Relief Tip Sheet. I created this for my patients because I was constantly asked, “What can I do at home?” You’ll get my tip sheet, as well as a few extras to help you on your pain-free journey. You can grab my free tips HERE.