Approximately 10% of the adult population suffers from severe insomnia and regularly takes medication to help them sleep. In nursing homes or care homes, these figures reach as high as 20 to 50%. Yet, natural solutions are readily available. Natural, meaning they don't contain additives, addiction, or side effects. Because yes, it is possible to (re)find your balance by breaking the vicious cycle of taking sedatives in the evening and stimulants in the morning. Want to learn more about healthy, restful sleep?

A quick reminder about the phases of sleep

We are well aware of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep , which corresponds to the dream phase. This is THE time for recovering from nervous fatigue and allowing us to organize the information accumulated during the day. At the same time, slow-wave sleep is divided into phases of increasing depth: falling asleep, light sleep, and deep sleep, a particularly important time for physical recovery. These phases therefore each have their own specific interest and must be respected to observe truly restorative sleep.

Do you suffer from insomnia?

Insomnia is described as poor or insufficient sleep quality, which has a detrimental effect on daytime functioning. But you already knew that. Specifically, it results in typical symptoms, such as:

• Taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep;
• Suffer from frequent night awakenings;
• Suffer from waking up too early.

Why me?

Secondary insomnia can often be explained by: poor lifestyle, stress, an environment that interferes with sleep (noise, light), depression, somatic disorders (cough, gastroesophageal reflux), typical sleep disorders (apnea, restless leg syndrome), medication use, circadian rhythm disorders (jet lag, shift work, etc.). These are all factors that can prevent peaceful sleep. If you recognize yourself in these causes, you know what you need to do to improve your nights.

If you've already ruled out all of these potential factors, you may be suffering from primary insomnia , which is insomnia for which no etiology can be identified. Rest assured, there are solutions for this too.

Natural remedies for insomnia

There are solutions to sleep disorders. Here are a few:

Prepare for sleep with relaxation techniques

Good sleep requires preparation! It's essential to control your thoughts and emotions. The ideal is to learn how to manage this with stress management techniques. There are many methods, but yoga, relaxation, and sophrology are often the most popular.

Acupuncture

Among alternative medicines, acupuncture helps with relaxation. Needle therapy is particularly recommended for expectant mothers suffering from sleep disorders.

Establish a bedtime ritual

And yes, this practice is not just for children, adults can also benefit from the benefits of the bedtime ritual.

Once you're settled into bed, breathe in and out deeply for 5 minutes to completely disconnect! To enhance the benefits of breathing, don't hesitate to put on some background music.

Banish screens and, in general, all devices with magnetic waves from your sight ! Instead of your cell phone or television, opt for reading a good book or magazine before going to sleep.

Our Pranarôm solutions: aromatherapy

As you may know, essential oils can be real allies for healthy and restorative sleep.

When diffusing , create an atmosphere conducive to relaxation before bedtime by diffusing essential oils in your room (30 minutes before going to sleep, do not diffuse while children are asleep).

The essential oils to favor are: Mandarin , Sweet Orange , True Lavender or even Noble Chamomile .

The Pranarōm laboratory has also developed a complete range with diversified galenics: AROMANOCTIS . This range has been designed based on several essential oils to promote healthy and restorative sleep without addiction or side effects.

AROMANOCTIS organic FORTE capsules:

“I want to fall asleep quickly and peacefully!”

FORTE capsules are made from essential oils and dry extract of Passionflower : 

• True Lavender Oil : anxiolytic and sleep-inducing effect thanks to linalool and serotonin reuptake inhibitor;
• Spearmint essential oil : Anxiolytic effect thanks to carvone and limonene molecules;
• Lemon Essence : Calming and soothing effect thanks to limonene.
• Passionflower dry extract: Targets GABA A and/or B receptors : Sleep-inducing effect thanks to its GABA-mimetic action on these receptors.

Taking Aromanoctis FORTE capsules is a natural alternative to taking traditional sleeping pills. In short, they are used in cases of difficulty falling asleep, disturbed sleep or nighttime awakenings .

AROMANOCTIS Organic Sleep Grog:

“I feel relaxed and at ease when I have my Grog before going to sleep!”

The Sleep Grog is made from essential oils of True Lavender , Mandarin , Vanilla and Roman Chamomile as well as acacia honey. It is ideal to take in a hot drink (e.g. herbal tea) to promote relaxation and unwinding before going to bed. Thanks to its composition, this grog promotes relaxation and unwinding.

We chose to enrich its composition with acacia honey because its glycemic index is lower than that of other honeys. In addition, its smooth and homogeneous texture allows for greater dispersion of essential oils.

AROMANOCTIS Organic sleep roller:

“My solution when I wake up in the middle of the night!”

The AROMANOCTIS Sleep Roller has been designed with several essential oils such as: Noble Chamomile , True Lavender , Petitgrain Bigarade and Shell Marjoram . Thanks to its super-practical nomadic format , you always have it at hand and also when you go on a trip.

If you wake up at night, it's easy to use: apply the roller to the inside of your wrists, then breathe deeply, bringing your wrists up to your nose. You can also take it just before going to bed to promote relaxation. In short, it's a must-have on your nightstand at night.

AROMANOCTIS Organic sleep and relaxation spray:

“I diffuse it in my room a few minutes before bed!”

One of our natural solutions that you may already know is the AROMANOCTIS organic sleep and relaxation spray . This spray developed for the atmosphere was designed with essential oils of Sweet Orange , True Lavender , Bergamot , and Noble Chamomile to induce healthy and restorative sleep.

This spray can be used in the atmosphere and on fabrics a few minutes before bedtime, from a very young age (+1 year).

Want to know more about our new Aromanoctis range?

Cécile Adant, Director of the Training Department, tells you about our products specially designed for quality sleep naturally.

References

• Fragopoulou AF Brain proteome response following whole body exposure of mice to mobile phone of wireless DECT base radiation, Electromagn Biol Med. 2012 Dec; 31(4):250-74. Epub 2012 Jan 20.
• Ethnopharmacological studies on antispasmodic and antiplatelet activities of Ficus carica Gilani AH, ehmood MH, Janbaz KH, Khan AU, Saeed SA. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008 Sep 2; 119(1):1-5
• Inder Kumar Makhija et al Annals of Biological Research, 2010, 1 (4): 171-180