Three all-natural tips for fighting insomnia

Getting a good night's rest is important for your physical and mental health.

The average person requires seven to nine hours of sleep, but some insomniacs use up many of those hours trying to fall asleep! 

People who suffer with insomnia have trouble falling a sleep or have problems maintaining their sleep. 

The condition can be brought on by stress, anxiety, and depression.

Here are three tips which may help put an end to your insomnia:

Watch what you eat

What you eat can affect your sleep cycle. Foods like bananas, pineapples, oranges, tart cherries, sweet corn, tomatoes, and oats help boost melatonin in your body. Your brain's pineal gland naturally secretes the hormone, which helps you regulate your sleep and wake cycle. Fish like tuna and salmon contain the vitamin B6, which helps your body make melatonin. Things you need to avoid consuming before bedtime include coffee, because of its high caffeine levels, fatty fast foods, which could lead to heart burn, and spicy meals, which could give you indigestion, and keep you awake. 

Here are a list of other foods that could help you fall asleep:

Chamomile tea
Shrimp 
Chickpeas
Whole grains
Walnuts 

ALSO READ: Five foods that are good for your skin

Music

Moms have been putting their babies to sleep by singing them lullabies for centuries. Music can also help sooth adults who are trying to catch some z's. Relaxing music can help you clear your mind, and send you to La La Land in no time. Marconi Union's 'Weightless' has been described as one of the best songs to fall asleep to. 

Spotify released a list of 'Top 20 Most-Streamed Songs For Sleep' in 2015. Here's the Top 5:

1. Thinking Out Aloud - Ed Sheeran
2. Earned It - The Weeknd
3. Let Her Go - Passenger
4. Lay Me Down - Sam Smith
5. Tenerife Sea - Ed Sheeran

Change your lifestyle

Simple changes to your lifestyle may help you get a peaceful night's sleep. A Mental Health and Physical Activity study found that people who exercised for at least 150-minutes a week were were able to sleep better at night, and felt less sleepy during the daytime. Feeling tired during the day can lead to some people taking afternoon naps. But doing this can make it harder for you to sleep at night. Taking a power nap has its benefits, some people need to avoid afternoon naps in order to sleep better at bedtime. Try to stick to a similar sleep patterns every day, as sleeping at different times of the night could confuse your body, and disrupt its sleep cycle.