Sleep. It’s something you spend roughly a third of your life doing. But how much time do you spend thinking about your sleep hygiene?
If you’re one of the 1 in 3 Americans who doesn’t get enough sleep, there’s a good chance you’ve tried to figure out why your sleep is subpar and taken steps to improve your rest. Perhaps one of those steps has been to explore a holistic approach, which may explain why you’re reading this very article about Moringa oleifera.
Well, we have good news for you! Evidence suggests that moringa actually helps multiple systems of your body at the molecular level, which can result in better, more restful sleep that leaves you waking refreshed and renewed. That means incorporating moringa into your daily routine can lead to better, healthier sleep. Who doesn’t need that?
Keep reading to learn how a plant like Moringa oleifera may actually help to support your body’s quest for sleep. We’ll also give you an in-depth understanding about all things sleep-related, so you can do a complete sleep hygiene inventory of your lifestyle. Finally, we’ll give you some recommendations based on solid scientific research for some basic steps you can take to start catching more zzzz’s.
Seeking Super Sleep: The Basics
Good sleep hygiene is essential for more than just feeling well rested. Numerous medical studies show that insufficient sleep can cause both physical and mental health problems.
For example, regular periods of disrupted or insufficient sleep may increase your risk of:
- A weakened immune system
- Weight gain
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease and heart attacks
- Impulsive, risky behavior
- Hypertension
- Cancer
- Premature death
- Memory
It might not be surprising that sleep deprivation can affect reaction time when driving or even decision-making abilities, but did you know that long-term sleep deprivation has been shown to severely impair moral reasoning capacity? Sleep affects our body’s and mind’s ability to do almost everything!
The amount of quality sleep you need each night depends on your age: babies need more sleep than adults, of course. In general, the CDC recommends an adult get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. However, if you consistently wake up tired or look forward to a nap, you simply might not be getting enough high quality sleep. And if you consistently get fewer than 6 hours of restorative sleep per night, you may be heading down the path to some very serious long-term health consequences.
The Usual Suspects
It’s clear that good sleep is necessary for a healthy lifestyle. (And honestly, who doesn’t just plain enjoy a high quality, refreshing slumber?) So how do you know if you’re doing “that sleep thing” right?
THE SLEEP STEALERS
First things first: look for elements of your lifestyle that are leading to poor sleep, and try to correct or remove those Zzz’s-zappers.
- Put all electronic devices (phones, tablets, and computers) away 1-2 hours before bedtime, and keep them out of the bedroom altogether. The mental stimulation, blue light, and electronic hum combine to transform these devices into superpowered sleep stealers.
- Turn bedroom clocks around so you’re not checking the time every time you wake up. When you wake up and check the time, you start calculating total possible sleep hours left, sleep hours lost, number of items on the “to do” list…What you don’t do is immediately fall back asleep.
- Don’t eat large meals, drink alcohol, or consume caffeine or sugar close to bedtime. These things can disrupt sleep as your body processes them.
THE SLEEP HEROES
Once you’ve removed any obstacles between you and a good snooze, bolster your sleep routine with these changes that can lead to more restful sleep.
- Keep a consistent bedtime and wake schedule (even on your days off). This routine will train your body to sleep when it should.
- Get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day (although not too close to bedtime).
- Calm your nervous system and decrease stress and anxiety levels by incorporating some of our soothing and sleep-promoting Elderberry & Holy Basil Moringa Vinga after your last meal of the day.
- Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. Body temperature drops while you sleep, and keeping the room cool helps your body transition to rest.
- Try a bedtime routine. 30-60 minutes before bedtime, start your routine. It should be something calming, like taking a warm bath, reading a book, or enjoying a cup of herbal tea.
Symptoms of Insomnia
If you’ve tried the basic tips listed above and still struggle with good, consistent sleep, you might have insomnia. One of the most common sleep disorders, insomnia refers to difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or waking too early and being unable to return to sleep. A bout with insomnia leaves you feeling tired when you wake up, with your energy depleted and your mood unpleasant.
Almost every adult will experience short-term or acute insomnia, which typically lasts for days or a few weeks. Less common is long-term or chronic insomnia, which lasts more than a month. Sometimes the cause of insomnia can be traced to a specific life event (grief or stress), medication, food (sugar or caffeine), or health condition (like sleep apnea). However, sometimes the direct cause is not immediately apparent, and trying to “fix” the problem can lead to even more distress and frustration.
Are you experiencing insomnia? Insomnia symptoms may include:
- Fatigue or sleepiness during the day
- Irritability or depression
- Trouble falling asleep at night
- Waking up at night
- Waking up too early and struggling to resume sleeping
- Feeling tired even after a night’s sleep
- Attention or memory problems
A Simple Solution — with Scary Side Effects
Sometimes, despite our best efforts and diligent adherence to good sleep hygiene, a good night’s rest continues to elude us. At this point, some people seek help from a medical professional. However, many doctors and organizations would have you believe the quickest fix for insomnia or other sleep problems is a sleeping pill. It’s easy, right? Simply swallow a pill and let yourself float gently off to dreamland.
The problem with that solution is that it’s addressing the symptom, but it’s completely ignoring the cause (or causes). Like sticking a bandage on an unstaunched wound: You won’t be able to hide the problem for long.
And sleeping pills come with their own host of problems. Benzodiazepines and Nonbenzodiazepines are the two most common categories of sleep medication prescribed in America. Both categories of pills can have unpleasant side effects:
- Daytime sleepiness
- Mental fog or grogginess
- Sleepwalking
- Memory loss
- Strange behavior, like eating while sleeping
- Headaches
- Gastrointestinal distress
- Increased risk of motor vehicle crash
Moreover, both categories of medicines can lead to dependency or addiction, and stopping the drugs can lead to a rebound effect, where the sleeplessness actually worsens before it improves. Ultimately, you end up right back where you started — or worse off.
A Holistic Approach To Sleep Hygiene
Luckily, there’s another route to restfulness. A holistic approach to sleep hygiene looks at all the different components that impact sleep — everything from nutrition to specific systems in the body. That might sound like a daunting task, but fortunately there’s a class of herbs known as adaptogens that have been known to support the body on multiple levels. Translation? Adding a few key adaptogenic herbs to your supplement routine can help your body combat stress at the molecular level — which may lead to better sleep.
Let’s take a closer look at one of these adaptogens and see how it can impact systems in the body that contribute to high quality rest.
Moringa Oleifera for Sleep Success
Sleep is a complicated beast. Something so fundamental to living things should be simple, but unfortunately that’s just not the case. There is a wide range of factors that can either hinder or support your sleep — diet, exercise, and evening routines, to name a few.
Because so many different things can affect the quality of your sleep, incorporating herbal support, like Moringa oleifera, into your routine can be a good option with positive results.
Moringa oleifera is a tree that grows in the tropics, and it’s been used medicinally for thousands of years. In fact, it can positively impact so many different parts of the body that many cultures refer to it as “the tree of life.”
Moringa oleifera is what’s known as an adaptogenic herb, and that means it supports the health of your body on several different levels and systems. For example, regularly consuming moringa may lead to improved digestion and decreased inflammation — both indigestion and inflammation are frequent contributors to sleepless nights.
Moringa has also been shown to support healthy blood sugar levels, and its high level of antioxidants may help your immune system work more effectively. Erratic blood sugar and hormone levels may contribute to insomnia, so getting these systems under control can be crucial for a quality slumber.
In addition to being a source of vitamins C, B6, and A, moringa has anti-inflammatory properties and is packed with antioxidants. How does that translate to better sleep for you?
- Moringa can help balance blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels that are too low or too high can make it difficult to sleep, so using moringa to regulate blood sugar may lead to improved sleep over time.
- Moringa has been shown to decrease inflammation in the body. A 2018 study found that inflammation can be as disruptive to sleep as shift-work or sleep disorders. Building up your body’s inflammation-fighting power with moringa may help you sleep.
- Moringa can improve digestion and gut health. Due to its anti-inflammatory nature, moringa has been shown to improve various digestive related ailments, like ulcers. If you’ve ever sat up at night with heartburn, you know that a healthy digestive system supports good sleep patterns. In fact, studies have shown that an unbalanced gut microbiome can disrupt sleep.
- Moringa has been shown to combat stress in some studies. Stress is a common disruptor of sleep, so taking moringa to better adapt to stressors may contribute to more restful sleep.
These are just a few ways that adding moringa to your routine can lead to happier, healthier sleep patterns. When you choose Moringa Vinga as your moringa source, you’ll get even more benefits. That’s because our infusions are specially formulated to feature other adaptogens, herbs, and berries that complement each other and work together for added function and health promoting properties.
How is Moringa Vinga Different?
Quality ingredients are important at Moringa Vinga. That’s why we only use USDA organic moringa leaf in our infusions. You won’t find powders, additives, or extracts here — just a very dense amount of pure moringa leaf.
Well, not just moringa leaf. That’s because we add some other thoughtfully selected and functional superfoods to the mix, too. The intact moringa leaf, along with the complementary ingredients, then undergoes a two-month fermentation and infusion process. No heat or additives are used in this process, which allows for preservation of the ingredients while also improving their bioavailability and absorption in the body.
In addition to promoting restful sleep, our infusions work to support gut and digestive health, boost the immune system, increase energy levels, manage healthy weight, and reduce bloating and inflammation.
Have a Good Morning with Moringa
If recent nights find you seriously seeking sleep, why not give Moringa Vinga a try? It’s low risk: You won’t find a long list of dangerous side effects with moringa like you do with sleeping pills. Even better: moringa and our complementary ingredients can improve other aspects of your health as well. You might experience sharper mental performance and healthier skin and hair, for example.
All of our infusions feature about 3 teaspoons of moringa leaves in each serving, so we encourage you to choose a flavor that appeals to you or that promotes other health related goals you might have. And don’t forget — the raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar (with The Mother) and raw honey (straight from the hive) in each bottle provide their own digestive benefits and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help with sleep.
-
For stress-related or general sleep problems, our Elderberry & Holy Basil blend might be helpful, as holy basil (or tulsi) can actually target the nervous system and decrease stress and anxiety levels. Less stress and anxiety may translate to more sleep! You’ll also get an immune system boost, which can help compensate for the havoc poor sleep can wreak on your immunity.
- For sleep problems related to inflammation or digestion, our Ginger & Lemongrass could be a good choice. Both ingredients battle inflammation — including inflammation in the digestive tract. Ginger has long been used as a stomach-soother, too, so you get a double gut boost with this flavor. If inflammation-related pain like arthritis keeps you awake, you might get more sleep by incorporating this into your routine.
I want to try Ginger & Lemongrass
- If you don’t think your sleep needs help but still want to try Moringa Vinga, consider our Spearmint & Rosemary flavor. With a focus on supporting hormone balance, circulation, and the mind, it’s the perfect combination of herbal support to help you feel refreshed and renewed each morning.
I want to try Spearmint & Rosemary
Ready to see for yourself how Moringa Vinga can improve your health and promote the type of sleep you wish you had? Check out our infusions and choose the one that’s right for you.
Still not sure about moringa? Reach out to us with questions or read real testimonies from other customers.