17 Natural Remedies To Try If Your Last Good Sleep Was In The Womb

Don't underestimate the power of an evening skincare routine.

Ellie Sunakawa / BuzzFeed

This week at Goodful, we're talking sleep — why it matters, how to get more, and ways to make it better. You can find more Slumber Party posts here.

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their favorite natural sleep remedy or technique. Here are some of their responses:

Heads up: These aren’t meant to be medical recommendations, but they’re tactics that have worked for others and might work for you, too. Always check in with your doctor before trying a new sleep aid.

1. Pop an Olly Restful Sleep gummy vitamin.

amazon.com

"Knocks out my near constant anxiety and PTSD and lets me get some sleep!"

—kempermckenzie

Get it from Amazon for $12.34.

2. Tune into the Headspace meditation app.

Headspace

"There's a 10-minute sleep exercise on there that is just amazing. I usually toss and turn, but the sleep exercise has me asleep before it even finishes and I sleep through the night. I love it!"

—jessicam44c3c3e3f

3. Swig a mug of Sleepytime tea.

amazon.com

"Sleepytime tea by Celestial Seasonings. I have a cup about 20 minutes before bed and I seriously have the best sleep ever. I have tried other sleep teas but I hate the taste of chamomile. Sleepytime tea has chamomile in it but it's not overwhelming which is great, and I add a little bit of honey to sweeten it up. So good!"

—alisha1302

Get 40 tea bags from Amazon for $10.29.

4. Activate the blue light filter or night shift mode on your phone.

Alessandrophoto / Getty Images

"Lavender smell, blue light filter on your phone, and Sleepytime tea."

—a4c1ecdbc6

5. Watch the Netflix show The Story of Maths.

Netflix

"Every time I can’t fall asleep I put on an episode and I’m out like a lamp. I’ve never made it through a single episode."

—meredithe493ce91a2

6. Do some daydreaming — but, you know, at night.

Demaerre / Getty Images

"More often than not when we go to sleep we would end up overthinking and overanalyzing our day, activities and goals. For me it can sometimes spiral out of control. So I like to daydream at night. Just devise a story and picture it in my head. It can be anything, how you would want your future to look like, or a completely unrelated story. It sounds silly, but it really helps. And puts me to sleep right away."

—prashasti729

7. Give the 4-7-8 breathing technique a whirl.

Photo by Tim Goedhart on Unsplash

"I read about the 4-7-8 breathing technique, and since then I've been using it a lot. I find it works particularly well when you've been rushing around, it focuses your attention on breathing instead of life. Breathe in for four, hold for seven, and breathe out for eight. So. Good."

—georginab45f8d57a8

8. Put on a lavender-scented eye mask.

amazon.com

"I put a lavender-scented eye rest pillow over my eyes. It’s like a mini heat pack that you don’t heat up. The pressure is really relaxing and it always puts me to sleep."

—laurenmwalker22

Get it from Amazon for $17.38.

9. Try a little CBD oil to see if it works for you.

cordialorganics.com

"CBD oil. Been sleeping like a rock for weeks now!"

—erandrsn

Get it from Cordial Organics for $48.

10. Snuggle up under an anxiety-easing weighted blanket.

amazon.com

"A weighted blanket! Mine is 25 pounds and I sleep through the night much more frequently than without it. Got it on Amazon, I LOVE it. It feels so comforting to have that weight pressing on you!"

—kellyb4b856a309

Get it from Amazon for $87.90.

11. Power up a soothing sound machine.

amazon.com

"A sound machine! We got one when we had a baby and five years later, we can’t live without it. I even bring it to hotels."

—sheenaf4265800e1

Get it from Amazon for $18.97.

12. Jump in the shower before hitting the sheets.

Yogenyogeny / Getty Images

"I take a shower before bed every single night. Before I get in the shower, I get my bed ready, set my alarms, and lay my pajamas and clothes for the next day."

—ptyram7

13. Brew up a cup of golden milk.

Isabel Castillo / BuzzFeed

"Golden milk! I use milk (whichever you prefer), fresh ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, a little maple syrup, vanilla extract, voilà!"

—sunshine624

14. Start off your night with a restorative yoga class.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

"Restorative yoga class, 20 minute soak in the hot tub, melatonin, rain sounds app."

—lynnmariec

15. Create a multi-step nighttime skincare routine.

Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash

"I just started a sleep routine, and it's been wonderful. I take off my makeup and start my skincare routine, which has 10 steps. I do an oil cleanse, foaming cleanser, toner, essence, serum, aloe gel, bio-oil, lotion and then moisturizer. The best part is doing a little facial massage when applying my sleeping pack, it gets me so calm and relaxed. Then i put on rain sounds with a little extra soft music. The combo works every time."

—jabbathefluff

16. Download the Relax Melodies app for some white noise and meditation exercises.

Relax Melodies

"The Relax Melodies app. It has a bunch of white noise sounds that you can customize to something that works for you. They also have meditation exercises and a section called sleep moves for exercises to calm your body. You can set a timer to remind you to go to bed, a timer for the app to turn off, and an alarm to wake you up. I am usually asleep within 20-30 minutes of my routine."

—redmedicmama

17. And wash your feet.

Photo by Karla Alexander on Unsplash

"I like to pee and wash my feet right before bed. It completely relaxes me. Also, your feet are really dirty by the end of the day, so I don't like the idea of climbing into my bed with dirty feet."

—prashasti729

Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.