According to Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert. If this were true, wouldn’t we all be sleep experts?
Instead, The American Sleep Association says that up to 70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder and roughly 30% of U.S. adults experience insomnia. We live in a chronically sleep-deprived society, and we’re all paying the price.
In last month’s issue of The Harvest, we learned just how important it is to get the right kind of sleep. But what if you’re just trying to get some sleep, any sleep, let alone enough sleep? Here are three tried and tested natural sleep remedies and treatments for insomnia that actually work.
1. Drink this Tea Blend.
Tim Ferris shares a recipe from his friend, the late, great, champion self-experimenter and psychologist Seth Roberts:
“This is a tip borrowed from my late friend Seth Roberts — amazing guy — and I’m not 100% sure on the biochemistry behind why this works, but it knocks you out like THAT. Many of my friends who are chronic insomniacs have credited this with better sleep than even prescription medication.”
Drink this sleep tea an hour before bed:
- 1 cup decaffeinated tea
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon unfiltered honey
We like to add a dose of Ned and it works like a dream!
2. Listen to these Bedtime Stories.
Drew Ackerman, the creator and host of the podcast Sleep With Me, is a masterfully boring storyteller. Yep, such a thing exists. He tells ingeniously boring bedtime stories to help you fall asleep naturally. He describes his work as “the podcast the sheep listen to when they get tired of counting themselves” and has amassed a huge following with over a million downloads a month. According to Dr. Nitun Verma, a national spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the ideal bedtime story “doesn’t build on itself, with a lot of parallel stories that don’t connect in the end.” Ackerman delivers on this and then some with each of the more than 800 episodes clocking it at over an hour — but most people fall asleep within 20 minutes!
3. Do this Relaxation Technique.
Developed by the U.S. Army, this decades old technique was created to help people sleep in the most uncomfortable circumstance. It only takes two minutes and is said to work for 96% of people after six weeks of practice.
Do this right before you want to go to sleep:
Sit in the dark on the edge of your bed.
Relax all the muscles in your face.
Drop your shoulders and let your arms dangle
Clear your mind for 10 seconds by repeating “don’t think.”
Picture yourself lying in a canoe on a calm lake with clear blue sky above you.
4. Try Ned Sleep Blend.
Scientists have established a clear link between full spectrum CBD and sleep. Studies suggest that Cannabidiol, or CBD rich hemp oils may be a useful natural sleep remedy with few to no negative side effects.
Although CBD has been shown to have wakeful effects in low doses, in higher doses it appears to act as a sedative. These sedative properties are what make it a target for sleep researchers.
One study published by Carlini and Cunha in 1981 showed significant effects of 160mg/day CBD on improving total sleep time and decreasing frequency of night time arousals. A subsequent 2004 study by Nicholson et al showed high doses of CBD resulted in sleep improvements without eliciting next day mood changes or memory impairment. Several other notable studies have had similar findings.
5. Take a Dose of Oil with CBN
Often used as a natural sleep remedy, CBN or cannabinol is a hemp derived cannabinoid that is formed when outdoor grown cannabis plants are exposed to UV light from the sun. Preliminary studies suggest that small doses of CBN may have powerful effects on sleep.
Once thought of as a throwaway byproduct, CBN oil has more recently been recognized for its potential therapeutic properties in relation to sleep, pain, seizures, and inflammation.
CBN research is in its infancy, so everything we currently think we know about it must be taken with a grain of salt, but anecdotal evidence and user reports suggest that CBN helps individuals fall and stay asleep.
Early reports suggest that like CBD, CBN is dose dependent. The effect appears to be opposite however, as low doses of CBN have been shown to increase sedation, while higher doses increase alertness. With CBD, low doses increase alertness, while higher doses act as sedatives.
Ned's new hemp oil for sleep blends CBD rich full spectrum hemp, CBN oil, and a blend of organic and wildcrafted botanicals known for being natural sleep remedies. These include Oatstraw, Nettles, Valerian, Lemon Balm, Passionflower, Skullcap, Chamomile, Licorice, and Calendula.
Still Having Trouble Sleeping?
Ned’s Full Spectrum Hemp Oil with CBN just might give you the best night’s sleep of your life.
"It’s the best, cleanest full-spectrum hemp oil! It definitely helps me relax and helps me fall asleep! 10/10 game changer!" by Kara L
