Achieving a peaceful and restful night’s sleep can be a challenge in today’s high strung world. Yet greater fitness and energy depends on good sleep. So how do we go about achieving that good night’s rest? We need to identify our sources of nutritional, physical and mental stimulants and curb them as much as possible.

From all the caffeine and sugar in our diets to all the different communication methods at our finger tips, it can be hard to turn off our brains and settle into bed. One of the first natural therapies you can use is to simply eliminate specific items from your diet.

While I don’t expect people reading this to be capable of dropping all caffeinated beverages from their daily routine, I strongly urge you to reduce their intake. Start slow and set goals. As you minimize caffeine, you will find yourself gaining energy through better sleep. One effective night sweats treatment, for example, is simply to eliminate caffeine and alcohol from your diet.

In addition, I also urge you to reduce the number of simple sugars you consume, especially the sort which come served with your caffeine. This includes sodas (or pop, depending on where you’re from) and those expensive coffee drinks from Starbucks.

The next simple rule will be to not eat anything whatsoever for at least an hour before you head to bed. Some sips of liquid are okay, but don’t overdo the drinks either.

Now let us add some things to help you out. Valerian is a natural and safe herbal remedy that can help you relax. Chamomile, a primary ingredient in on of America’s most popular teas (Celestial Seasoning’s Sleepytime), is also an excellent relaxant to consume close to bedtime. If you have it in tea form, try to have most of it down more than 30 minutes before you hit the sack.

The last remedy I suggest is melatonin. Sometimes when I mention hormones, people grow concerned about night sweats in men or menopause night sweats as these phenomena often result from hormonal imbalances. But melatonin is not a hormone closely related to estrogen or testosterone.

However melatonin is a safe, natural hormone our bodies normally produce late in the day when we are exposed to less light. Our modern diet and modern schedules have made our melatonin production less consistent and reliable. If you can find it, I suggest taking it sublingually. This means you find a version that dissolves under your tongue. This gets it into your bloodstream faster and makes it easier to time its use with your bed time.

I hope this combination of eliminating some key sleep-inhibiting factors and adding some new sleep-inducing ingredients can help you rest your head down on your pillow and obtain greater comfort and peace.