How To Sleep Better During The Longest Night Of The Year

The Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, is on December 21st. This is because this day has fewer hours of sunlight than any other day of the year.  It also marks the first official day of the winter season which makes it the perfect night for regeneration, reflection, and renewal. It also signifies the end of shorter nights and of months with warmer weather. Because the night is so long during the Winter Solstice, people tend to sleep much better on this day. 

But for a lot of people, it might be harder to get good rest on the 21st – or any day for that matter. In fact, about 30-40% of Americans suffer from insomnia in some way. If you suffer from stress or insomnia, then you understand that getting better sleep is more difficult than simply putting your head on a pillow.

Here’s why:

What prevents you from getting better sleep?

One of the main contributors (and reactions) to insomnia is extreme fatigue. In Traditional Eastern Medicine, mental fatigue is rooted in the yin-yang imbalance of the liver meridian system. This type of fatigue causes “wandering of the heart spirit,” which can keep people up at night. In other words, when someone has a lot on their mind, their body can enter a perpetual state of restlessness that detracts from better sleep. In fact, it can often keep a person from falling asleep altogether.

If this sounds familiar to you, then you’re likely already trying to find out how you can get better sleep. While there are pharmacological ways to combat insomnia, there are a handful of other methods you can use to sleep better, including:

Aromatherapy 

Experiencing a plethora of wonderful scents that can supply a number of different sensations, including calming and relaxing ones. When you’re looking for a good night's sleep on the longest night of the year, there are some scents that help produce a calming effect. These scents will put you in a relaxed state and help prepare your mind for good sleep. Here are some examples: 

• Lavender
• A scent that helps to calm nerves and decrease feelings of anxiety and depression.
• Chamomile
• This scent promotes feelings of calmness while also improving sleep
• Clary sage
• This scent is known to reduce stress while also being favored by women for its ability to reduce menstrual cramps and alleviate menopause symptoms.
• Valerian
• This earthy scent contains compounds that make it easier to sleep and calm your nerves.
• Patchouli
• In addition to relieving depression and anxiety, this woody, sweet scent can also ease cold and headache symptoms as well.
• Sandalwood
• Like the other scents listed, sandalwood can promote calmness, lower stress, and help you get better sleep. However, research has shown that it can also help your mood and boost your attentiveness.
• Jasmine
• In many cultures, Jasmine is used as a natural sedative that can calm your nerves and ease anxiety.

A special mention goes to scents such as pine, frankincense, myrrh, and cedarwood as these scents are commonly associated with winter.

Candle therapy

This is the practice of lighting specific candles to emit different emotions. Candles can differ in both color and scent, and both can affect your sleep. When choosing candles, you should consider earth tones such as dark blue, brown, and dark green as these can help you get better sleep. Shades of light blue, a peaceful color, can also help your sleep as well. This is because viewing certain colors as you’re about to sleep can help your mind relax and prepare for a good night’s rest. 

For the scent of the candles, we recommend you choose from the list above but also be open to options like neroli, mandarin, and vanilla. Just like the scents listed above, these scents can put the mind in a relaxing state, making it much easier to sleep. To get better sleep during the Winter Solstice, many go with the colors that symbolize Yule, such as red, green, gold, silver, and white.

Meditation

Life can be hectic, especially in these times, that’s why many people turn to meditation. The practice of meditation finds its roots in Eastern cultures, specifically China and India. The practice is as simple as getting into a relaxed position, closing your eyes, and allowing your mind to wander. It is a calming sensory experience as while meditating, you tend to focus more on what you feel, hear, and smell.

A lot of people enjoy meditation and it has become quite popular in recent years. As a result, there are a myriad of specialty meditation podcasts, stations, and live streams for people who want to try the practice. These guided meditations usually feature a narrator that will lead the listener through a series of creative visualizations.

If you're having trouble sleeping, then meditating before bedtime can be a good idea. Additionally, if your schedule is packed, just a few minutes’ worth of quiet time to completely clear your mind can do wonders. For those who have a difficult time sleeping, meditation could just be the thing to help quiet your mind and help you sleep. If nothing else, it can help you collect and categorize your thoughts, so that you're ready for the next morning.

Learn how to sleep better with Zizyphus

However, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to sleep problems. If you’re experiencing insomnia, then you might want to try consuming Zizyphus. This is an herbal extract that helps counteract restless nights from fatigue and other lifestyle-induced problems.

Zizyphus has been used for thousands of years in Eastern countries. Primarily, it is used to help counteract occasional insomnia by nourishing the blood of the heart and liver meridian systems, while also calming the spirit. This helps promote welcoming conditions for serene sleep. The herbal extract can also produce a relaxing effect which would make it easier for you to sleep better if consumed during the Winter Solstice.

At Balance Blends, this calming herbal extract is one of many found in Quiet Please, the Extrapolent™ that helps you get more shut-eye on a regular basis. Learn more about Quiet Please here. And for more information about the high-quality ingredients found in our products, read here.

With these remedies, you’ll be able to get a wonderful sleep during the Winter Solstice. If you want more ideas on how to sleep better and get quality rest, check out our other blog posts on the topic:

The Ancient Chinese Secret to Better Sleep

Digging Deeper Into the Quiet Please Capsules

L-Theanine for Stress Relief and Help Sleeping