Lights Out Lotion Natural Sleep Cream

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

Known as an adaptogen, Ashwagandha helps reduce cortisol levels, helping your body to manage stress which is a common barrier to good sleep. Its calming effect can promote relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep. Did you know that ‘somnifera’ means ‘sleep inducing’ in latin? Ashwagandha is rich in phytochemicals including withanolides, which is responsible for the medicinal properties it is very well known for and is thought too induce sleep through the GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) activity it promotes, making you feel more relaxed. An added benefit of Ashwagandha is waking more alert in the morning. 

Hops (Humulus lupulus)

We can hear what you’re thinking…Hops is in beer isn’t it? Yes, you are correct! Traditionally Hops are used for a good brew (making you sleepy after a few bevies!) but Hops also has a long history as a natural remedy for insomnia and sleep disturbances. Their sedative properties can help to calm the nervous system, reduce restlessness & irritability and pave the way to a more serene sleep. Hops have been found to effectively decrease nocturnal activity in your circadian rhythm due to its sedative action, leading to better sleep quality overall. Another benefit of Hops is its cooling ability, helping if you feel hot and restless at night. Cool!

Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma lingzhi)

Used for thousands of years, Reishi Mushrooms are renowned in traditional Chinese medicine for their ability to promote relaxation and support your body's natural sleep cycles. They may help you fall asleep faster, improve your sleep quality and the adaptogenic properties may lead to long-term increased states of deep sleep. 

And if you don’t like the taste of a good mushy, then transdermal application, via the skin, is a perfect way to get the benefits! 

Vastly studied for the wide range of health benefits, they are thought to help regulate the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that play a key role in mood regulation. When you are in fight-or-flight mode with cortisol running amok through your system, Reishi may support your parasympathetic nervous system, helping bring you back into a much preferred relaxed state of rest-and-digest with a slower heart rate, slower breathing and relaxation of your muscles. 

And to top it all off (and get a bit technical) the unique, bioactive compounds, including triterpenes and beta-d-glucans, in Reishi may be the very thing that creates a sedative quality, helping to soothe your nerves for better sleep, and the adaptogenic properties can lead to long-term increased states of deep sleep. 

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)

Passionflower has been traditionally used in herbal remedies and as natures sedative to treat insomnia naturally. It quickly gained popularity in folk medicine for aiding the relief of mental stress, anxiety and sleep disorders and is still widely used today. As a nervine, calming the nervous system, it helps ease nervousness and is often preferred as a natural alternative to chemical antidepressants. It’s believed passionflower works by increasing levels of a neurotransmitter in the brain, called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which lowers the activity of some brain cells, making you feel more relaxed and ready to unwind for bed. Perfect!

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

Valerian root is famously known as a natural sleep aid and for treating insomnia naturally and after centuries if use, its still widely used today as a natural remedy for insomnia and common sleep conditions.

Just like Passionflower, Valerian works similarly by increasing the amount of GABA in the brain, which helps reduce anxiety, has a calming effect and can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. There are many biological benefits of Valerian including a slower heart rate which is needed for a restful sleep.  Through extensive research into the benefits of Valerian for sleep, it is thought to be just as effective when compared to chemically made substitutes. 

Another great benefit of Valerian are the phytoestrogens it contains.  This is a plant based oestrogen that when used, provides your body with building blocks needed for good function. So if you are deficient in oestrogen your body will take what to needs to assist with hormone balance, especially those pesky menopause symptoms! 

Magnesium  

Magnesium is a vital mineral that plays a key role in many bodily functions, including the regulation of sleep and relaxation of muscle tension. It helps to calm the nervous system, making it easier to relax and fall asleep. Magnesium has been found to regulate timekeeping in our cells which benefits the maintenance of normal circadian rhythms, leading to better quality sleep and improving insomnia symptoms. 

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)

An unusual looking citrus fruit known for its calming aroma, Bergamot essential oil is often used in aromatherapy for sleep, to help alleviate stress and anxiety, reduce your heart rate and help lower blood pressure. Its soothing scent can help to create a peaceful mindset, perfect for a good nights sleep! Bergamot is thought to maintain the neural pathways in the brain, helping to quieten all the chit-chatter in your mind that may leave you awake during the night. 

Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia)

When Gran was popping lavender bags into the nightie draw, she was onto something! 

With about 20 different species available, Lavender is one of the most well-known herbs for treating insomnia naturally, promoting quality sleep, relaxation and increasing the time spent in the fabulously restorative slow-wave deep sleep mode.  Lavender assists with relieving restlessness and negative emotions and helping you to feel fabulous when you wake up in the morning!

We have chosen English Lavender for its fresh, gentle scent that blends perfectly with our unique Lights Out™ Lotion slept cream blend. Lavender has been shown to help reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality, making it an essential ingredient in our Lights Out™ Lotion.

Clary Sage

Clary Sage is a herb with natural sleep enhancing abilities as it contains linalyl acetate and germacrene-D, which have sedative and anxiolytic properties. It’s perfect to prep your body for a solid night’s sleep. Clary Sage essential oil is known for its ability to help treat insomnia naturally and ease anxiety, stress and fear by reducing stress hormones such as cortisol via stimulation of GABA release. This helps to calm the mind and promote a sense of tranquility and as a bonus, it also aids in the reduction of menstrual cramps and acts as a natural antidepressant.

Roman Chamomile 

Roman Chamomile has a long history of use in herbal medicine as a natural remedy for insomnia and anxiety. Its calming properties make it a perfect addition to our sleep-supporting formula for Lights Out™ Lotion natural sleep cream.

Operating as a natural mild tranquilliser and sleep inducer, Roman Chamomile has been used to calm nerves, ease headaches, and aid in relaxation for centuries. Chamomile is a remarkable natural relaxant for the nervous system as it targets the same parts of the brain and nervous system as some common anti-anxiety medications thanks to a flavonoid called apigenin. And without the side effects of synthetically made options!

It is effective and safe for children, being one of the best herbs for early childhood conditions, naturally treating difficulty sleeping and poor sleep quality. Roman Chamomile may act as an anti-inflammatory (bonus!) and as it’s hard to sleep in pain, this makes it easier for chronic pain sufferers to fall asleep.

Lemon Balm

When we think of the word balm, we think of healing and soothing and calming Lemon Balm does just that! Lemon Balm is a member of the mint family and is commonly used to promote sleep naturally and reduce anxiety. Its gentle, soothing effect helps to ease tension and prepare your body for rest. Lemon balm works as a natural sleep solution as it contains rosmarinic acid and eugenol which helps to improve mood, cognitive function and promotes relaxation by triggering the release of GABA.

What Is Sleep? 

Healthy sleep is absolutely essential! It plays a part in neural development, healing, learning, memory, optimal daily function, cardiovascular and metabolic regulation and plainly, just makes us happier to be around! 

Your sleep and wake cycle is managed by a tiny "sleep boss” (suprachiasmatic nucleus) in your brain, which makes sure everything in your body follows the right schedule. But when you don't get enough good sleep, it can mess with your body's systems, leading to the phase “I’m so tired” multiple times a day and your body not coping due to lack of energy. This can lead to all sorts of problems, like feeling groggy all day, dangerous driving (fatigue plays a large part in many car accidents with it shown to be equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05% after 17 hours of being awake), making poor food choices to get through the day, dozing off at the worst times, lack of productivity at work, involuntarily yawning, or even turning into a nighttime snorer.

After only a few nights of poor sleep, you are significantly more likely to feel fatigued, stressed, excessively sleepy and with decreased functioning overall. Everything just feels hard! So imagine if insomnia and sleep difficulty continues over a long period of your life.  Over time things in your body start to break down as the ‘rest and repair’ sleep time is reduced. Not ideal at all!

This is why it’s super important to make sleep a priority so the rest and repair can take place and your body can function at an optimal level.

Sleep Cycle 

Sleep is your brain on "Do Not Disturb" Mode. When you sleep, your brain isn't totally shut off, just less interested in what's going on around you.

We’ve all heard of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) but there’s a little more to the sleep cycle than that. 

Sleep has two main modes: NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) and REM. Think of NREM as the "getting deeper into sleep" part, and REM as the "crazy dream time" part that has you, upon taking, saying “OMG I had the weirdest dream!” 

NREM has 4 stages (stages 3 & 4 are often combined):

N1. You're just starting to drift off into sleep—super light and easy to wake up from. This generally lasts about 7 minutes and your heartbeat starts to slow down.

N2. Slightly deeper, when you're getting cozy under the blankets and the muscles are starting to relax, heartbeat slows even further, you are less likely to be awakened and your body temperate starts to drop. This stage usually lasts for about 25 minutes.

N3. Even deeper to slumber land.

N4. By this stage you are in the important restorative deep sleep zone where your body does most of its rest and repair work, and you’re out like a light. This is where slow-wave sleep happens with your brain producing very low frequency and high amplitude waves with minimal eye and muscle movement. This stage is important for helping you feel refreshed when you wake up, getting your immune system function in check, kickstart growth and development and generate muscle and tissue repair. Don’t miss out on this stage!

REM sleep is dream central.  After the deep sleep stages, approximately 90 minutes, you hit REM, where your body movements start up again, your brain becomes super active and dreams can get vividly wild! This stage is also known as paradoxical sleep as your voluntarily muscles may become temporarily effectively paralysed while your body experiences faster and irregular breathing, faster heart rate and higher blood pressure. With each sleep cycle, the REM stage gets longer, generally starting at about 10 minutes and lasting up to an hour in the final sleep cycle. REM is critical for learning, concentration, memory and mood regulation. Let’s hope the dreams are good ones!

All going well and you haven’t been awakened by the kids, cat or the neighbours dog barking all night, the sleep cycle should rinse and repeat. This NREM-REM cycle happens about 3-6 times a night. As the night goes on, you spend less time in deep sleep and more in the dream-filled REM.

Now, what did this isn’t you? You toss and turn, can’t fall asleep, get achy restless legs, finally fall asleep only to be woken by the slightest noise, start to stress over the time ticking away (how many times do you look at the clock and think ‘gawwwwd!”) and how you have to be up and functioning the next day. You finally fall asleep in the wee hours of the night and wake to a heavy body, stiff muscles, brain fog and just plain grumpiness. Ugh! 

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. But now Lights Out™ Lotion, your natural sleep remedy, can live right next to your bed for easy before-bed application and help ease your body into the sleep transition it deserves.