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Not being able to sleep soundly or all through the night without waking several times is one of the worst feelings ..especially when it happens night after night. It can really make you feel terrible and isn’t good for you either. So, I’ve been trying to research some natural solutions for how to stay asleep all night. I never had trouble sleeping up until the past few months. I started waking up every night at 2am and 4am. Then, my sleeping trouble got worse, because after it hit 4am, I couldn’t get back to sleep at all and I would lie there wide awake until 9am.
I’ve been looking into every possible thing I can do to try to get some better sleep without resorting to getting a prescription. I was so desperate, I considered using Benadryl to knock myself out, but I can’t take that because it dries my throat out too much. To try and find the answer, I made a list of everything I could do to help me get a good sound night’s sleep. Luckily, I never had trouble falling asleep…it was just that I couldn’t stay asleep!
SO… I combined three methods I found online when I was researching how to stay asleep all night to get the most benefit and to make a “magic mixture” I could take to get a good night’s sleep.
How to Stay Asleep All Night with 3 Natural Ingredients:
I take a mixed spoonful of coconut oil, raw honey, and sea salt right before I go to bed every night.
The three components of fat from the coconut oil, sugar from the honey, and the salt all work to help your body be sustained throughout the night. This mixture helps you stay a sleep throughout the night and also helps reduce the impact of spikes in stress hormones or cortisol, which can often cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.
Why Does this Magic Mixture of Ingredients Work?
This magic mixture for how to stay asleep all night has been like a miracle for me!
The fat in coconut is beneficial right before bed because the fat gives your body sustained energy throughout the night. Having it before bed will prevent you from waking up hungry. Also, coconut oil fats prevent your blood sugar/insulin from spiking which is often a cause of sleeping troubles. Coconut oil provides your body with nutrients that allow your body to manufacture optimal amounts of sleep hormones.
You may be wondering why you would want to have honey that contains sugar before bed? And you’re thinking, “Doesn’t that cause blood sugar spikes that will make it even harder to sleep?” Actually, no, it’s going to help you sleep better. This is because the honey ensures an adequate amount of storage of liver glycogen for your brain. During sleep your brain uses energy and primarily gets this energy from the glycogen (sugar) stored in your liver. When you don’t have enough liver glycogen to provide energy for the brain, your adrenal glands pump out more of the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol. If you have high amounts of these stress hormones, they can cause you to have difficulty sleeping. According to this site, raw honey is 22% better at producing liver glycogen compared to processed honey you’ll typically find in the food store.
Having some sea salt right before bed is another important component as it helps lower the stress hormones as well. Salt aids in energy production so your energy can be sustained throughout the night. When you have adequate sodium in your bloodstream, your stress response is reduced and your body won’t pump out as much adrenaline or cortisol. Salt helps your body stay in a homeostatic state so that your adrenaline won’t spike during the night and cause you to wake up, at horrible times like 2am and 4am. There is even some evidence that salt raises your oxytocin level, which is a hormone that helps you feel calm and relaxed.
By combining all three ingredients, you get the benefits of all of them helping you to get to sleep and stay asleep through the night.
What You Need for the Magic Mixture
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of raw honey (make sure it’s raw, unprocessed)
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
How to Use the Magic Mixture:
I keep jars of coconut oil and raw honey on a table near my bed at night along with a bag of sea salt and glass of warm water.
The main goal is just to take all three ingredients right before you go to bed. So you can do it however you feel most comfortable.
Option 1: Mix the coconut oil, raw honey, in a dish and sprinkle some sea salt on it. Mix up the ingredients a little. Put it on a spoon and swallow, then chase with water.
Option 2: Take the coconut oil, raw honey separately and chase with water. Then, you could add the sea salt to a small cup of water and drink it.
If You Wake Up in the Middle of the Night
Just take the mixture again anytime you wake up and you should be able to fall back asleep much easier, in about 30 minutes or less.
If you’ve been trying to find a solution for how to stay asleep all night, you have to give this mixture of ingredients a try! So many have commented on this post that it has really helped them.
Have you tried any of these ingredients to help you stay sleep all night? If any other remedies have worked for you, I would love to hear them in the comments.
Emmah
Hi Lori have also started taking coconut oil organic ,pink salt and honey I do sleep but not all the way how long will it kicks in to my system
Lori
Did you try it before going to bed? I saw an improvement from the first night taking it.
Ellen
I just want to let you know that I tried it and IT WORKS. I’ve been oil pulling now twice a day because of two teeth infections but it also helped me with my sleep. Once a day didn’t do the job and I found out through process of elimination of one oil pulling. So I do kinesiology and tested myself with the equivilancy of the ingredients of the oil, honey, & salt. The only difference was I needed two tbl. of the oil and I used Himalayan salt instead of sea salt. Can’t wait to see the difference in the rest of me. Thank you for giving out your information.
Lori
So happy to hear it helps you!
Maxine
My hubby takes Valerian Root (aka stinky weed per him) to help him sleep and it does seem to work. I’ve used it occasionally and I do seem to sleep more soundly. I will have to give the others a try.
I snore as well. I didn’t about 40 lbs ago ;-(
Lori
Glad he found something that helps 🙂
Anonymous
Tried this last night, worked like a charm!
Lori
So happy it works for you! 🙂
Kennet McCoy
I was always having a hard time falling asleep, and constantly would wake through the night.
I started taking 1tsp of Himalayan pink salt with 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar mixed in about 6-8 ounces of warm water.
Now I am asleep within 5-10 minutes. An seldom wake up throughout the night.
I feel so much better when I wake up and through the day.
Lori
That’s amazing! So glad you can sleep better through the night.
Laurie
HI Lori, well I tried the nighttime mix…I usually eat only a couple of hours before bed (not by choice) and wondered if this mixture would still work? I do have salt in my food, so was thinking for people that are able to eat way earlier than bedtime, maybe the salt and fats would help sustain them thru the night,,,but I eat salt and fats (avocado for potassium, cheese for calcium & D unable to drink milk..(stomach issues) .a little worried to add more??
I was so excited to try it, to be honest I felt more relaxed, still takes a while to get to sleep, but did sleep good.
Another question on the coconut oil pulling, I understand you spit it out, but would that work just like mouthwash that kills bacteria and germs etc.? I swish that in my mouth after brushing in am & pm, but the coconut oil will “pull” more stuff out of my mouth?
Thanks for your information!!
Lori
It should still work. It may even bet better to take the mixture with food. For oil pulling, yes you swish if for about 20 minutes then spit it out.
Laurie
I am so excited to try this!!! I have severe sleep apnea and have the CPAP mask on every night-I cannot sleep-even with ear plugs!! I have tried melatonin 5mg chews, with no results,,then I tried Midnite-a chewable with other proprieties which seem to really help, and the melatonin strength is less than the 5 mg. which is weird that it works better for me. I am just not able to stay asleep and am tired everyday-so tired of being tired!!! I am going to give this a try tonight and really praying for a good night’s sleep!!! thank you Lori for sharing this. Also I have read a little about the oil pulling. I have the solid coconut in the can…is pulling just eating a teaspoon of it daily? And how does that benefit our body? I’ve read that people lose wright, but not sure why that work. do you know?
Thanks for your help!
Laurie
Lori
Glad it is helpful! Keep us updated! Oil pulling is where you take a teaspoon or so of coconut oil, swish it in your mouth for 20 minutes and then spit it out. My post has more details on it here: https://www.treasuredtips.com/oil-pulling-benefits/
Gary
I tried this but still waking up at 2:00am BUT!!!! what does work for me is Sunflower Lecithin added to this mix and using the 4, 7, 8, method for quick entry back to sleep the 4, 7, 8 method I thought would Never work It is To simple, Google it. the 4 is a 4 second count for breathing in through Nose for 4 seconds, the 7 is hold breath for 7 seconds, (1 one thousand two one thousand count no cheating) the 8 second is for breathing out through the mouth for 8 seconds slowly. I tried this during the day and was very relaxed after, I woke up at 2 am and tried it, I went back to sleep very fast, it does something with your rhythms and stress hormones as well as your energy hormones.
the Sunflower Lecithin has Sleep substances in it like inositol and a few others, it also removes Fat on the cellular level and works like a Smart Pill for your Brain
Gary
I tired this still waking up at 2:00am BUT!!!! what does work is Sunflower Lecithin added to this and using the 4, 7, 8, method for quick entry back to sleep the 4, 7, 8 method I thought would Never work It is To simple, Google it. the 4 is a 4 second count for breathing in through Nose for 4 seconds, the 7 is hold breath for 7 seconds, (1 one thousand two one thousand count no cheating) the 8 second is for breathing out through the mouth for 8 seconds slowly. I tried this during the day and was very relaxed after, I woke up at 2 am and tried it, I went back to sleep very fast, it does something with your rhythms and stress hormones as well as your energy hormones.
the Sunflower Lecithin has Sleep substances in it like inositol and a few others, it also removes Fat on the cellular level and works like a Smart Pill for your Brain
Lori
Thanks for sharing!
Ellen
Lecithin has B vitamins in it so for some people that would keep them awake. I know I can’t take anything like that after 1:00 in the afternoon. Then there’s some people who that doesn’t bother.
Victoria Matsunaga
Can I just say that I love your website? I have sleeping issues but once I started oil pulling in the morning I’d feel better instantly. Definitely going to try swallowing before bed! Thank you!
Lori
Thank you so much Victoria! So glad you’ve seen an improvement from oil pulling 🙂
Wendy Humphrey
How do you do the oil pulling exactly, do I just put a spoonful in my mouth and swill it round for a bit, or does just having a spoonful on a morning have the same affect? 🙂
My Boyfriend found an article today that shows all the benefits from using coconut oil in diiferent ways, I think we may need to buy shares in the companies producing it as so many more people are seeing the benefits 😀
Looking forward to investigating it 🙂 x
Lori
Hi Wendy, here’s my post on how to do oil pulling: https://www.treasuredtips.com/oil-pulling-benefits/
Anonymous
Thank you x
Wendy Humphrey
Tried again last 2 nights, more relaxed nights, not particularly more sleep but not waking feeling like death so slowly making a change to my life, using just the oil and honey in half a cup of warm milk, changing my attitude to other things in life is also helping. ☺ Thank you
Lori
Glad you’ve seen some improvement 🙂
Gary
I have not slept more Tha 4 hours per night in 20 years been trying to get away from using unisom by using natural sleep formula but that doesnt work nothing seems to work reliably so I’m back to 4 hours a night thats on a good night I will be trying this tonight and hope it works
Lori
Hope it works for you!
Wendy Humphrey
I tried last night without any success at all, I felt quite on edge to be honest, not sure if related but needed to go to he toilet when my stomach started grumbling, sat for a little to get calm and tried the mixture again but still nothing! Going to try and get more melatonin inducing foods in my diet on an evening and try lighting and music to see if that helps & try just the oil & honey, no salt! Been meaning for a while to discuss my melatonin levels with my doctor so will get round to that! I have suffered for years with no sleep and the vicious circle of not being able to get motivated so not getting naturally tired, it’s a year since I had a full hysterectomy and was hoping that seeing as I wasn’t suffering 2-3 wks out of 4 with our delightful burden that things would improve but it hasn’t so time to step it up a gear ? Try try again is a favourite saying ? Thanks
Lori
Thanks for sharing how it worked. Hope you find something that works for you really soon!
Terri Bolt
I just tried fir the first time. I used the solid coconut oil and dissolved in microwave with honey and salt. Will work?
Lori
Yes, you can mix it when the coconut oil is hard or melted.
Anonymous
can you buy the mixture ready made anywhere (UK)?
Lori
No. I think it would be better fresh anyways! 🙂
JANE
I am excited to try your suggestions! Your logic makes good sense to me. I typically take chewable melatonin 6-9 mg and Bach Rescue Sleep liquid melts. I also take sufficient magnesium in the form of body spray after my morning shower and magnesium before bedtime. I take Advanced Magnesium from Innovix Labs, it is highly absorbable bioavailable glycinate and Malate sources. This magnesium will not give you lose stools as most other varieties will, otherwise you might be getting up in the middle of the night with diarrhea. I also take another liquid melt if I awaken at 4am. They are a natural sleep aid, non-habit forming and can be purchased at your local health food store. Please try the Bach Rescue Sleep melts or the spray, they work wonders. I hope this is helpful!
Lori
Thanks! I’ll definitely look into that too.
Kurt
Thanks for this information. So simple and I like all three. I only wake up to go pee since I’ve been drinking A LOT of water with a little unrefined salt. Which brings me to my next point: make SURE the salt is UNREFINED like a Celtic sea salt, Redmond Real salt, Icelandic Flake salt or similar. I just learned this week after watching a lecture by Dr. David Brownstein, how vital unrefined salt is in our diet.
Amanda
I tried this last night and it was more of a colon cleanse than a sleep aid!! I was up all night in the bathroom!! I think it was the salt! I used pink salt and bring that Epsom salt is a natural laxative I’m thinking it was the salt! I sure did not sleep!!! Good luck to those of you who do this lol!
Lori
Interesting. I’ve never had that experience with sea salt. Did you consume Epsom salt too? I know Epsom salt is a powerful laxative, but haven’t heard of sea salt having the same effect.
Angela
If you’re not use to ingesting coconut oil, it may have a laxative effect. I’d start with just a little.
Ann
Excited to try this. Will it work just as well if I mix all three ingredients in a cup of decaffeinated tea?
Lori
It should as long as there is nothing in the decaffeinated tea that might keep you up 🙂
Lisa
I just started using the raw honey and Himalayan sea salt very recently and was really surprised at how much better I slept! I was very skeptical at first. I use coconut oil for other things and will try it with the honey and salt to see if it works even better. Thank you for the information! Sleepless people everywhere need to try this!!
Lori
So glad it’s helping you sleep better! I take it every night 🙂
Nicki
I just tried this mixture last night after a hot bath. I usually have to read a book for an hour or more before I can fall asleep, but within 20 minutes, I was ready to turn out the lights!
This helped me stay asleep so soundly, like I used to sleep before having kids!
Thank you so much! My sleep patterns have been getting worse, and I refuse to take medications, so this is a really big help. Can’t wait to try this again tonight.
Lori
I’m so happy to hear it worked for you!! Thanks for keeping us updated 🙂
Donna
I have had severe insomnia for about 20 years now, been taking prescription sleeping pills for the last 10 years. Lately I’ve been taking a double dose because one doesn’t keep me asleep. I’m going to try this and pray it works. Otherwise, it’s back to the doctor to try a different pill. Really hoping this works for me. So tired of being tired. I will post in a few days with my results.
Lori
Look forward to hearing your results. Hope it works for you!
V
Sleep probs have lots to do with stress hense adrenal fatigue.
My remedies:
Magnesium w vitamin b sublement *
Eat 1 teaspoon of peanut butter bfr bed
Pergamon spray on your pillows and bedroom
Hot bath and really warm bed*
Guided meditative healing 30 min
30 to 60 min walk min every other day
Almond milk with honey and sea salt
If none of these work make sure your vitamin c levels are ok. Try some ester c in case u r not absorbing.
*the starred are strong. Watch out for too much warmth can promote inflammation.
Magnesium should be taken as needed only. If you have constipation try magnesium citrate too. Need high dosages like 1k+ a day
Lori
Thanks for sharing! These are great suggestions! I’ve been taking a bath bath before bed (about an hour before) and it’s been helping a lot too.
Juene
I use doterra oils, vetiver on the bottom of the feet, around the neck and inhale the residue on my hands in deep breaths as I go off to sleep. I also either soak my feet in warm water with Magnesium flakes (I believe it is a better form of Mag than epsom salts) or rub magnesium cream into my arms and legs. Mag cream is very relaxing. Plus I have heard about honey and salt mixed together and eaten before bed but I haven’t tried it yet. So I will be adding this to my nightime regime as well. Now I will not only sleep well but will sleep as sound as a baby. Thanks for sharing
Lori
Magnesium is fantastic! I use the magnesium flakes too. Keep us updated 🙂
Sue
WHAT BRAND OF MAGNESIUM CREAM AND HOW MUCH?
Pulsatilla
Hi Lori,
Thanks a lot for the tip! Since I am plant-based I exchange the honey with maple syrup, it works fine.
I made a video on YouTube mentioning this link of yours, if you visit it’d be great.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5UveJW1HcpY
Lori
Hope it was helpful! I’ll check it out now 🙂
Kristen
I’m new to natural remedies, but desperately need some better sleep options. I have no problem getting to sleep, but have a hard time staying asleep. When you say coconut oil, do you mean the solid form? I’m not sure what to buy. Can you post a picture or a link to where you can purchase it online? Or tell me what to look for when I go to buy it? I have recently started using the liquid coconut oil to mix with essential oils. But I’m confused as to which kind to use to help with sleeping.
Lori
You can take the coconut oil in liquid or solid form. If you take it in solid form, it will start to melt in your mouth anyways. I linked where to buy each of the ingredients above in the post. I buy unrefined coconut oil. You can get it online or from any local health food store. Hope it works for you! Keep us updated if you give it a try.
Joe Strubbachincoscow
I’m 15 & I am having trouble sleeping because of stress from school.
I tried this mixture & had success.
I now sleep actually past my alarm. My mom now has been getting really po’d because I will not get up on time anymore for school or anything else.
I want to thank you for your smarts on this & I will be grateful that you have liberated me from my sleep deprivation.
Regards,
Joe S.
Lori
I’m so happy it worked for you!! Thanks for sharing your results!
Rosalee
Hello, can’t wait to try this. I give my 8 year old melatonin, as recommended from doc, should be fine for an 8 year old right?
Lori
If it was given by your doctor, I would think it is fine.
Christine
I only have coarse Himalayan sea salt, can I use that or does it need to be fine ground?
Lori
That will work, it doesn’t have to be fine ground 🙂
Calai
My brother is on sleeping pills for years, and am worried about it. Thank you Lori for the info, am going to share it with him, hope he listens and try this remedy 🙂
Lori
Hope they work for him!