iVillage

10 Surprising Ways to Get a Better Night's Sleep

At least 63 percent of women have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Whether you have chronic insomnia or the occasional bout, these secrets will help you can the rest you need (11 Photos)

Brenda Kearns on Sep 6, 2012 at 3:41PM

chime in now

Single View
View All

1 of 11

10 Surprising Ways to Get a Better Night's Sleep

Katri Lehtola/Folio Images/Getty Images

Use a New Pillowcase, and a New Scent

Seventy-five percent of people sleep more soundly when they curl up in fresh-smelling, just-laundered sheets, according to a National Sleep Foundation study. And you can get the same effect (with a lot less effort and expense) just by changing your pillowcase as often as you can, then spritzing your sheets with a little lavender. To do: Mix 25 drops of lavender essential oil with two cups of water in a spray bottle, then give your sheets two quick pumps before you climb in for the night. The feel of a fresh new pillowcase combined with the faint aroma of lavender boosts the production of sleep-inducing alpha brain waves, making people feel relaxed and groggy within minutes, says neurologist Alan Hirsch, M.D., director of Chicago’s Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. If you have the ingredients to make your own lavender spritz, look for products similar to this Lavender Aromatherapy Mist.

Filed Under:
- insomnia,
- sleep

Comments See all

What do you do when you're having a tough time getting to sleep?