Sleep is vital for maintaining good physical and mental health – getting just an extra 60 minutes of sleep per night will make you feel so much better in yourself. So when you’re struggling to sleep, it can feel frustrating. It definitely has an impact on your mood, memory and day-to-day abilities! Reaching for prescription sleeping tablets can be tempting, but these often come with negative side effects: natural sleep aids are a fantastic alternative, helping you sleep more soundly without any damage to your body.

How important is sleep?

Your body needs sleep for many reasons – resting gives you a chance to heal aches and pains, and sufficient sleep helps prevent health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. If you get a good night’s sleep, you’ll see an improvement in your mood; not only that, but you’ll notice an improvement in your cognitive function. Your memory and recall will improve, and you’ll function better at work.

On the other hand, sleep deprivation is terrible for our health. A lack of sleep can lead to health conditions, such as those above, alongside kidney disease and obesity. You won’t be able to function as well as you could, meaning there is an increased risk of accidents, and you’ll perform poorly in daily tasks. Mood swings and depression are common in people who struggle to sleep, and your immune system is naturally lower when you’re not getting enough rest. As you can see, sleep is incredibly important!

What are the most common sleep problems?

There are many problems which come alongside trying to sleep. For example, being too hot or cold at night can put the brakes on a good night’s slumber – as can sharing a bed with somebody who snores! Restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea are examples of diagnosable medical issues which prevent you from drifting off, along with narcolepsy, bruxism (grinding your teeth), and of course, insomnia. These are some of the most common sleep problems plaguing the population and keeping us up at night – insomnia being the most common. It is thought to affect 1 in 3 people in the UK alone!

What are the most common causes of insomnia?

The chronic inability to sleep is known as insomnia; about 10% of the global population suffers from medically diagnosed insomnia. Experts aren’t sure exactly what causes the problem, but there are some common causes to consider…

Genetics

Insomnia can be a genetic issue; these sleep problems are known to run in families. Your genes affect how much sleep you need to function well, so it isn’t too surprising that insomnia can be a hereditary issue!

Lifestyle factors

Your lifestyle can also stop you from being able to drift off. Excessive alcohol and caffeine consumption will keep you awake for hours – and a lack of exercise will also make it harder to sleep.

What are the best natural sleep aids?

There are definitely some ways in which you can improve your chances of a good night’s sleep without resorting to the use of prescription sleep aids. With plenty of natural options available, you should be sleeping soundly in no time. Some of the best natural sleep aids include:

• Lavender (scented candles lit for a while before sleeping, oils in a diffuser, or a scented pillow spray for example)

• Valerian root (available to make as tea to drink before bed)

• CBD (to be taken in gummy form or as an oil which you can drop underneath your tongue)

• Melatonin (available in gummy or capsule form, as well as present naturally in the body – foods like chicken, turkey, and pumpkin seeds will enhance production)

All of these natural sleep aids are available to purchase in supermarkets and health food stores. They are much better for you than prescription drugs, with fewer side effects.

Some other natural sleep aids come from switching up your bed and bedding. Making your bed more comfortable will help you fall asleep quickly (and stay asleep!) at night. Adding a bamboo mattress topper to your bed, for example, is more affordable than buying a new mattress, but it truly increases comfort levels. By helping to align your body and support you as you drift off, you’ll notice a difference. Picking up some breathable bamboo bedding, which is softer than silk and just as luxurious as cashmere, will also help you maintain the perfect comfort levels all night long!

Sleepy Girl Mocktail: A Trendy Natural Sleep Aid

In the realm of home remedies and wellness trends, the Sleepy Girl Mocktail has emerged as a popular choice for those seeking a natural aid to enhance sleep quality. This non-alcoholic beverage, which combines 1/2 cup of tart cherry juice with a tablespoon of magnesium powder, topped off with a fizzy drink like sparkling water, has been lauded for its potential sleep-inducing properties. The key to its appeal lies in its primary ingredients: tart cherry juice and magnesium. Tart cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating our sleep-wake cycles, while magnesium is renowned for its relaxation benefits, often used to alleviate muscle tension and stress.

When these elements are combined in the Sleepy Girl Mocktail, they create a drink that not only promises to soothe the body into a restful state but also offers a refreshing taste, especially when enhanced with optional additions like elderberry syrup, ginger-lime soda, or ice cubes infused with lemon and berries. Despite its growing popularity, it’s crucial to approach this bedtime concoction with a balanced perspective. While each ingredient individually supports sleep, the overall effectiveness of the Sleepy Girl Mocktail in improving sleep has yet to be validated by clinical studies.

Moreover, those considering this mocktail should be mindful of dietary restrictions and potential health implications, particularly when introducing supplements like magnesium powder into their diet

How can changing your lifestyle lead to better sleep?

There are many lifestyle improvements you can make to encourage a better night’s sleep. For the most part, they’re pretty simple too. Reducing alcohol and caffeine is a great way to feel healthier in general – and it can also help you sleep more soundly. Eating better and exercising more will help, too, as will getting into a good bedtime routine. Doing the same thing each night before you get in bed will show your brain that it’s time to drift off!

And finally, having less screen time in the evening is key. Tablets, phones, laptops and TVs emit a harsh light that can cause disruptions in the melatonin surge needed to help you sleep. Turning them off around 2 hours before you go to bed is easier said than done for many of us, but it really will help. Instead, read a book or play a board game.

Getting a good night’s sleep is so important to protect your mental and physical health – and with the natural sleep aids and lifestyle changes suggested in this article, you’re definitely on the way to sleeping much better. Sleep hygiene is crucial too! Hopefully, with all of this advice, you’ll be drifting off before you know it…

FAQ

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Bamboo pillow cases, expertly made from fabric created from this incredible wonder plant, are an amazing way to bring a hint of sustainable luxury into your bedroom. Kind to the skin and made without harming the environment, bamboo pillow cases can help you sleep better and wake up feeling fresher.

Understanding bamboo pillow cases

Bamboo pillow cases are made from sustainable and super soft bamboo fabric, which is spun from sheets of dried bamboo pulp created from chopped-up bamboo stalks. Some are combined with other materials like French Linen, giving them a slightly different texture but with all the positives of bamboo!

Is a bamboo pillow case different from a regular one? Yes, in that they feel much more luxurious and have many more benefits – which you’ll read about below. Bamboo is much easier (and more eco-friendly) to grow than cotton, for example, and your pillow case will get softer the more you wash it. This makes it a long-lasting option, so you won’t need to replace your bedding as often; this prevents pillows cases ending up in landfill!

What are the benefits of bamboo pillow cases?

There are plenty of environmental benefits to bamboo pillow cases, as outlined above, but it doesn’t stop there. The bamboo fabric itself is hypoallergenic, making it perfect for people with sensitive skin or allergies; you can sleep soundly knowing you and your family can lie your head on a pillow which won’t cause irritation as you snooze. On top of this, bamboo pillow cases are antimicrobial and odour-resistant, meaning a fresher and cleaner sleep!

How do you care for a bamboo pillow case?

When it comes to buying products for your home, you want to look after them as best as possible so you can really get the best out of them. This means it is really important to follow any care instructions that come alongside your bamboo pillow case: they’re generally super easy! Wash at a low temperature, preferably with natural and eco-friendly detergents and never bleach. Drying on the line is ideal; you’ll get that lovely fresh air smell flowing through the pillow case, and it’s easier on the environment than using a tumble dryer or putting the heating on.

There are, of course, some things *not* to do. Alongside avoiding bleach, don’t use fabric softener either. Not only are bamboo ones soft enough on their own, but the chemicals in a fabric softener can really damage those delicate fibres. You should also avoid washing any of your sustainable bamboo bedding with clothes or other items made of different materials – any fabrics that shed lint could damage bamboo fabric, as could zips and plastic buttons.

How do you choose the right bamboo pillow case?

There are other ways to help you choose the right bamboo pillow case for you, including reading reviews from existing customers who are already loving their purchase… Some examples of the fantastic things people have to say about their pillow cases include raving about the softness, sharing an improvement in their eczema symptoms, and commenting on how they are better valued for money than silk alternatives! 

Bamboo pillow cases are an ideal choice thanks to their kind-to-skin properties: helping to regulate your temperature, repelling germs and dust, and so on. The environmental benefits are also amazing, too – no nasty side effects to the planet, completely non-toxic, helping to provide jobs in rural areas. There are so many reasons to choose bamboo for your new pillow cases, not least because you’ll get the best night’s sleep every night. If you want to improve the way you snooze, then why not try bamboo and see how lush it feels?

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting as much information as possible is key to making the right purchase – this is true of any bedroom products including sustainable and breathable bamboo pillow cases. Here are some frequently asked questions – with answers to put your mind at ease.

If you want to know even more about bamboo bedroom products, here are a few things you might find interesting!

• Unusual Ways to Keep Your Bamboo Bedding Clean
• What is Bamboo Fabric?
• 7 Best Bamboo Bedding Options

As parents, ensuring babies and toddlers’ healthy growth and development is a top priority. Choosing gentle, breathable fabrics for their skin is one of the best things you can do to protect against allergies and irritation, especially at bedtime. Read on to discover why bamboo makes a great choice to keep them cosy and sleeping comfortably.

What is bamboo?

Mums and Dads deserve a medal. Keeping little ones protected from the tops of their tiny heads to cute little toes is exhausting. The good news is bamboo sleep products can help. New to bamboo? The wonder plant grows in tropical forests, predominantly in South East Asia relying on little more than sunshine and water to grow. The versatile plant is being used to produce many of the products we use in our homes and has been hailed as the trending fabric of the 21st Century. And it’s no wonder. It hosts many amazing benefits, some of which make it perfect for creating snuggly, soft and skin-friendly sleep products for kids.

Why should children sleep on bamboo?

When it comes to bedtime, keeping children’s skin comfortable will help them drift off sooner and prevent waking in the night. Here are some common questions parents have about why children should sleep on bamboo.

Is bamboo hypoallergenic?

Children’s skin can be very delicate, when it comes to their bedding, duvet, and clothes you want to make sure they are made from a fabric that will be kind and gentle. Bamboo is naturally hypoallergenic which plays a vital role in keeping sensitive kids’ skin healthy and comfortable. Irritation can keep them up at night and prevent them from going to sleep, the natural fabric will soothe skin so they drift off wrapped in comfort.

Does bamboo keep kids cool at night?

Another reason parents love this bedding is the fabric is naturally thermoregulating. It will keep kids cool in the hot summer nights and cosy in the winter, reacting intuitively to their body temperature so they stay at ‘just right’ degrees. Overheating can cause a lot of tears and tantrums, leading to not-so-bright mornings. The fabric is beautifully breathable keeping them sleeping soundly all night through.

Are bamboo products non-toxic and safe?

Does bamboo absorb heat?

The soft, smooth fabric is naturally moisture-wicking, it wicks away heat and moisture to keep children’s skin cool and comfortable. The fabric is also antibacterial and odour-resistant keeping bedtime ultra-fresh. This helps keep little one’s skin healthy, fending off any bacteria and smells that can lead to irritation. They will be comfy and snug from the bedtime story till morning.

What sleep products are made from bamboo?

You can find an abundance of bamboo sleep products to keep your kids all wrapped up and resting in natural comfort. From supportive, breathable pillows to the cosiest duvets.

Here are some of parents’ top picks.

Kids’ Memory Foam Pillows

Bamboo kid’s pillows are a bedtime favourite for many reasons. Not only does third-generation memory foam keep little spines and necks in perfect alignment, but the breathable cover also prevents overheating. It is removable, washable, and gently protects against irritation for healthy, refreshing sleep.

Kids Duvets

A kid’s bamboo duvet is the perfect way to keep children wrapped up and cosy all year round. The thermoregulating fabric can be used for the filling and the cover, feeling light-as-air and soft and fluffy as a cloud for the dreamiest sleep.

Baby Muslins

Baby muslins are every parent’s best friend, the larger swaddles make the perfect comforters and blankets to keep them wrapped up and snug at bedtime. The fabric is anti-bacterial, super absorbent, and easy to wash (even getting softer with every wash Opting for an eco-friendly detergent and drying naturally is the best way to take care of your muslins and the planet.

Final Thoughts

You can rest assured, Panda’s kids sleep products will keep bedtime healthy and comfy which can help them settle into a more consistent sleeping pattern. Hoorah!

Good sleep is magic for little ones and parents. However, one of the biggest challenges for new mums and dads is keeping them sleeping throughout the night. Looking for ways to optimise their rest with safe products that are skin-friendly can help. The challenge of getting children into a consistent sleeping routine can take its toll. Over time broken sleep can cause stress and even impact your immune system. Go easy on yourself and try and take naps when you can to stay energised.

With a good night’s kip you and your little cuties will be ready for more fun and cuddles.

Sweet Dreams