We spend almost a third of our lives sleeping – or at least we should be.
A lot goes on behind closed eyes – our bodies are actually quite busy when we’re not awake.
Throughout a night’s sleep the body performs key functions related to growth, development, hormone balance, cardiovascular system repair, emotional and cognitive brain functioning, and regulating the immune system’s ability to respond to foreign invaders. Sleep is one of our body’s essential natural rhythms, and cultivating healthy slumber is just as important as cultivating your health habits during waking hours.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night, but a recent survey found that a third of adult Canadians aren’t meeting these recommendations, with 43% of men and 55% of women reported trouble going to sleep or staying asleep. The report also notes that serious health issues can arise from inadequate sleep, stating “insufficient sleep (short duration and poor quality) is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, injuries, all-cause mortality, depression, irritability, and reduced well-being.”
So, what’s getting between us and restorative sleep? Habits like screen exposure close to bedtime, alcohol consumption, excessive caffeine intake and unsupportive sleep environments can disrupt the body’s natural rhythms and hormone patterns, resulting in inadequate sleep. But while steps can be taken to change these factors, others – like high stress lifestyles – can’t be changed or controlled so quickly or easily.
The Stress-Sleep Connection
Stress, worry, anxiety and “busy minds” are often responsible for keeping us awake, or wake us up throughout the night, and unlike an iPad – these cannot simply be “switched off”. Today, stress levels and anxiety are higher than ever and can seriously impact healthy sleep, creating a vicious cycle of greater stress and less quality sleep.
Over the counter, or prescription medications are sometimes used for sleep disorders but can come with side effects that carry over into the following day or have addictive qualities for some people. Fortunately, there are natural solutions.
Various parts of plants have been used for thousands of years across cultures for their calming, sedative effects and can effectively and safely help to quell anxiety and encourage the body to reach a state of relaxation for healthier, restorative sleep. The powerful, soothing benefits of these herbs come together in a synergistic, natural herbal sleep support formula – ValeriCalm®!
ValeriCalm® – Natural Sleep Support
ValeriCalm® offers unique calming effects with a blend of 6 sleep-supporting herbs, including:
- Passionflower
- Valerian
- California Poppy
- Chamomile
- Hops
- Motherwort
These traditional herbs work synergistically, complementing each other’s unique benefits in a holistic sleep-supportive tonic that addresses many factors that often compromise quality sleep in today’s world.
Not only that, ValeriCalm® also supports a health “sleep architecture” – how the body progresses through the different stages/phases of sleep.
Both valerian and passionflower are herbs that ease you into a restful sleep more quickly and allow you to move into and stay in the first stage of sleep longer. Furthermore, valerian helps to increase REM sleep, an essential stage of sleep for helping to consolidate learning and memory, while passionflower works on our internal daily rhythms to maintain a natural sleep-wake cycle. Complementary herbs including analgesic California poppy and calming chamomile that help to soothe and relax the nervous system and muscles, for sleep support that never results in a “drugged-like” state or grogginess the next morning.
Tension and stress affect us all, but they don’t have to impact your sleep! Use our ValeriCalm® tincture before bed for an all-natural calming, sedative formula to help calm and relax you and ease you into a peaceful, restorative sleep.
ValeriCalm® is certified organic and carefully crafted in Ontario.
Learn more about the sleep-stress Connection and how to Sleep More and Stress Less – Naturally!
