Melatonin Alternatives: Lifestyle Changes to Support Sleep

In our busy lives, sleep is more important than ever. That's why it's no surprise that many of us are looking for strategies to help support our sleep cycles to get those critical ZZZs with high-quality sleep.

An occasional sleep aid like Nature Made® Time Release Melatonin Gummies can come in handy when you need immediate sleep support, but it should not be your first resort. Is Melatonin safe? Generally, yes, but it is an occasional sleep aid, not meant to be taken every night. For more information on this sleep aid, check out “What is Melatonin?”†

Because supplement sleep aids are only for occasional sleep support, what are other ways to help you sleep? Thankfully, there are a number of easy lifestyle changes that can help support sleep in a long-term, consistent fashion.†

This lifestyle alternative to Melatonin supplements can help you in your day-to-day life by supporting falling asleep, staying asleep, and getting restful sleep, all with a few simple changes. Read on for more Melatonin alternatives!

Why is Sleep Important?

Why is sleep important? Sleep is more than just lying in bed and closing our eyes, it's a time for our body and mind to rest and recharge. Deep sleep, in particular, is when our bodies repair tissue, grow muscle and bone, and strengthen our immune systems.[1]

That's why it's essential to ensure that we're getting enough sleep and supporting our body in ways that make it easier to achieve deep, restful sleep. A lack of deep sleep can cause daytime drowsiness, sleepiness, and irritability, impacting your alertness, attention span, and motor skills.[2]

Sometimes, getting good sleep is easier said than done; challenges like difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and achieving deep, restful sleep are typical. While occasional sleep aids like Melatonin can help support your sleep by supplementing your body's natural Melatonin production, they should not be used every day; instead, lifestyle changes can work as Melatonin alternatives to support your sleep.†

Nutritional Adjustments for Your Sleep Schedule

One way to support your sleep is by adjusting when you eat, what you eat, and how much you eat before bed. Avoiding large, heavy meals in the hours right before bedtime may help reduce sleep disturbances associated with digestion.Reducing or avoiding caffeine intake in the latter half of the day is also a good idea, since caffeine can continue to impact energy levels hours after it has been consumed.

Instead of eating a large meal right before bed, try eating meals earlier in the evening and snacking on something lighter, like almonds, yogurt, or fruit if you find yourself hungry closer to bedtime. And if you're looking for a hot beverage to cozy up with, an herbal, non-caffeinated tea won't keep you up at night.

Physical Activity and Its Impact on Sleep

Regular physical exercise supports your sleep cycle by helping your body slip into a routine of exertion and rest.

Studies have found that exercise in the morning can shorten sleep latency, or the time it takes to fall asleep. Exercising an hour and a half before bedtime can increase the percentage of time you spend in the deepest sleep, the phase that contributes the most to the body's maintenance and renewal.[3]

While exercise can have positive effects on sleep, exercising too intensely directly before bed may elevate energy levels and body temperature, making it harder for some people to drift off to sleep. If this sounds like you, try some gentle yoga or stretching for more calming exercises directly before bed.

Stress Management Techniques

It's no fun trying to sleep while your brain is still racing from the day's stressors and worried about the possible stressors of tomorrow. Here's an inconvenient truth: stress can make it more difficult to get sleep, and less sleep can make it easier to feel overwhelmed by stress.

It takes some active mindfulness to break out of that cycle, and when you manage your stress before bed, you might find the next day's challenges seem a bit less difficult, armed with a good night's sleep. Try breathing exercises; slow breathing exercises and combined slow-fast breathing exercises have been studied to reduce occasional stress and anxiety.[4]

Meditation and mindfulness exercises are also popular ways to wind down at the end of the day, as are guided gentle yoga or other calming stretch routines. Find what works best for you so you can sleep with a calm mind, and face refreshed tomorrow.

Technology and Sleep

With all of the wonderful ways technology solves problems for us, there are a few things where the domain of tech can be more of a hindrance than a help. One of those is sleep: the tempting pull of the phone screen can disrupt our sleep cycles due to the blue light they project. This blue light is similar to the sky on a sunny day, which tells our body that it is still time to keep awake and active.

There are a few ways to reduce this blue light late in the day. Some screens offer a nighttime mode, which filters out the blue light or turns the screen monochrome; even better, set your phone aside for the last hour before bed. This reduces your exposure to blue light and gives you some distance from the internet's constant stimulations and provocations.

Screens aren't the only sources of blue light; certain light bulbs can give off blue light, so try to fit your bedroom with warmer lightbulbs with a dimmer so you can turn them down as you get ready for sleep. Blackout curtains can also help you reduce the light level in your room, blocking light beams from lamp posts or passing cars at night so you can cozy up and get some well-deserved sleep.

Embracing Diverse Paths to Restful Nights

If you're looking for Melatonin alternatives for sleep support supplements, Nature Made® offers Valerian Root Capsules, a plant-based clinically studied ingredient to help you fall asleep faster◆ and stay asleep longer. For some of us in today’s world, Valerian Root may not be as well-known as Melatonin, but it has been used as an herb for sleep support dating back to Ancient Greece.[5]†

Nature Made® Valerian Root is a 100% drug-free and Melatonin-free formula with triple action for sleep support. As with all supplements, consult your primary care provider or another health professional before changing your supplement routine or starting any new sleep aid.†

With Nature Made®'s Subscribe & Save program, you can get 10% off your orders and free delivery straight to your door.

◆Fall asleep faster in as little as 3 days†

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

References

1. Patel AK, Reddy V, Shumway KR, et al. Physiology, Sleep Stages. [Updated 2024 Jan 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526132/
2. Christova M, Aftenberger H, Nardone R, Gallasch E. Adult Gross Motor Learning and Sleep: Is There a Mutual Benefit?. Neural Plast. 2018;2018:3076986. Published 2018 Aug 13. doi:10.1155/2018/3076986
3. Dolezal BA, Neufeld EV, Boland DM, Martin JL, Cooper CB. Interrelationship between Sleep and Exercise: A Systematic Review [published correction appears in Adv Prev Med. 2017;2017:5979510. doi: 10.1155/2017/5979510]. Adv Prev Med. 2017;2017:1364387. doi:10.1155/2017/1364387
4. Bentley TGK, D'Andrea-Penna G, Rakic M, et al. Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature. Brain Sci. 2023;13(12):1612. Published 2023 Nov 21. doi:10.3390/brainsci13121612
5. National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements - Valerian. Nih.gov. Published 2017. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Valerian-HealthProfessional/