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Are you struggling to get your Zzz’s? With all the anxiety that 2020 has produced and more tumult likely on the horizon, you’re far from alone.
However, lack of adequate rest can lead to a host of adverse mental and physical health effects. How can you get more sleep without turning to potentially addictive drugs? Why not turn to Mother Nature?
Learn more about the following eight plants that help you sleep while beautifying and purifying your home:
Chamomile has a longstanding reputation for easing people into dreamland. The delicate white blooms add a touch of innocent sweetness to your bedroom or kitchen windowsill herb garden. If you plant it outdoors near your garlic, it will shoo away onion flies and protect that crop.
To dry the flowers for tea, snip them in the early morning once the dew dries. Lay them on a mesh, such as the type used for window screens, and let them rest in a warm, dry place for a week or two.
Voila! You now have homemade organic tea from this plant that helps you sleep. Pour a cuppa before bed.
Lavender is another flower with a reputation for inducing sleep. The delicate purple blooms look stunning as a backdrop to chamomile, especially if you decide to plant a moon garden where you can meditate before bed.
You can dry these blooms to add them to your tea the same way you use chamomile flowers. You can also add a few stems inside your pillow to let the scent ease you to sleep, or extract the essential oil and make a spray. Add some blossoms to your evening bath to make it even more relaxing.
Valerian is an outstanding herbal sleep aid. If you have a basement bedroom with window wells, plant these in the surrounding garden for privacy. The stems reach as tall as 5 feet when fully grown.
While this plant possesses sleep-inducing properties, it can take a while to work if you have severe insomnia. Try adding some to your evening tea and give it two to four weeks to work.
Pasqueflower is another enchanting plant to add to your moon garden. However, as it only reaches a maximum height of 12 inches, it looks every bit as lovely on your nightstand. Plants can remove toxins from indoor air, and if you have allergies, filtering out troublesome substances can result in more restful slumber.
Even though this plant is small, all of its above-ground parts have medicinal properties. Leaves, flowers and stems can all make a soothing, sleep-inducing tea.
Jasmine is a shrub, but you can grow it indoors. They grow best in cool locations between 65 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, making them an ideal addition to your bedroom. Your body temperature drops when you get ready to sleep, and lowering your thermostat may also bust insomnia.
Please don’t neglect the delicate blooms. You can use them in a tea or slip a few blossoms in your bathtub to soak away the tension keeping you awake.
If you live near a field where plants grow wild, you might stumble right over this healing variety without recognizing your wealth. This species is well-known by herbalists for natural pain relief. It goes by the nickname opium lettuce, but it isn’t in that family.
While the toothy leaves hold little aesthetic appeal, you can grow some in your outdoor garden. If your insomnia stems from chronic pain that makes it problematic to get comfy, adding the dried leaves to your evening tea might help.
Remember the scene in “The Wizard of Oz” where the Wicked Witch of the West uses poppies to lull Dorothy and her companions into dreamland? This type of poppy is one of the best plants for helping you sleep.
While it does contain trace amounts of opiates, they aren’t substantial enough to cause addiction. However, if you have reservations, you can nevertheless grace your bedroom windowsills with these pots of gold and let the aromatherapy do its magic.
Lemon balm is a member of the mint family, which contains several varieties renowned for easing tummy trouble. If your insomnia arises from the conditions listed in a Pepto-Bismol ad, adding this herb to your tea might help.
This plant grows best in full sunlight. If your kitchen has a tiny greenhouse window, your lemon balm will thrive in the sun and provide you with fresh, organic leaves to add to beverages.
Anxiety breeds insomnia, and 2020 offers ample amounts of both. Try raising these eight plants that help you sleep so you can get the rest you need and deserve.
