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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.
Some helpful suggestions for the commenters:
If you’re a small person then maybe the amount of honey is ok, maybe a bit more depending on your last meal.
If you’re a medium to large person try upping the quantity of honey to a max of 2 tablespoons (yes, tablespoons). This is maybe why some didn’t get the desired effect.
If that’s too sweet too soon try spacing it out over the hour or two before bed. Try in warm (not hot) milk.
If you don’t take oil regularly then start very, very slowly with the oil. Too much too soon will make you sick, or skip it.
If you’re overweight then skip the oil and let your body use your fat for fuel, I do.
Take a teaspoon first thing in the morning for a quick start to the day ( safe for kids as young as 2 ish )
Don’t think of honey as sugar, in this case it acts opposite of what you would expect from sugar.
Try sourcing local unheated raw honey for maximum effect.
Honey is slightly acidic so rinse your mouth before brushing your teeth.
Take it ½ hour before you want to be asleep, not bedtime but asleep.
Sleep in a completely dark room ( tape over those led lights )
Alcohol is a priority over honey in your liver so skip the alcohol before bed
Good night!
Thanks Doug!
will use the coconut oil,but the salt i hve elevated bp
Lori,
Can I just use the Honey and sea salt and leave
Out the coconut oil?
You can, but I would add some type of fat with it such as eating an avocado etc.
I tried this and it made me super sick 😢
Oh no, sorry to hear that. Did you have it with food? I would take it with a small snack.
Hi I have fibro CFS Arthritis, I could go on, plus menopause flushes I can’t remember having a full nights sleep, I also have big trouble falling asleep sometimes being awake all night more than 1 night it is killing me I am desperate, I tried this paste for the first time last night and found it so hard to take it was the coconut oil I hah to add a sweet to take taste away I have a sensitive gag reflects at the best of time. I am on a lot of meds including morphine patches for pain but still can’t sleep, or stay asleep. Do you have to chase it down with water or can I use squash / juice added to the water, my 13 yr old know how desperate I am to sleep he told me to do the water as stated just in case it’s part of it lol, he’s so invested bless him as it effects him cause I am so tired all the time, but then can’t sleep, I have tried sleep hypno tapes to no avail. It didn’t work for me first night I did fall asleep at 2 but woke up at 5 with RLS so that put paid to that.
I have also started taking sage and red clover for the menopause in the morning and then menopace night at night I also have started using 5-htp capsules to help plus badgers balm for my pulse points for sleep to relax. So I am praying that with all this I can fix my sleep issues as of right now if someone said if we cut of a limb but you can sleep properly again and wake up rested and able to function I would do it drastic but this is how desperate I am. Sleep might not sound like a big thing to someone who gets it but to those that don’t it’s hell.
Hope it works for you!
Can we substitute coconut milks for the oil. I really don’t think i can swallow the oik. I use coconut oil foe a carrier for my essential oils.
It has similar nutrients, so you can definitely give it a try.
Thank you for this post and interesting comments … but has anyone mentioned brushing teeth after the honey ingestion at night?
For a few years now, I have been having a tablespoon of peanut butter (more tasty that coconut oil) along with a teaspoon of raw honey plus a sprinkle of Pink Himalayan salt, and this has worked well for me. I may try coconut oil instead though.
First thing in the morning … its two tablespoons of ACV plus one of raw honey, in 8 oz of warm water, about an hour before breakfast. Feeling good on that.
I brush my teeth after taking it at night.
Try 2 table spoons of raw Apple cider vinger, 1/8th teaspoon of hymilan pink salt, two table spoons of raw unfiltered honey, 1 tablespoon of mct oil, mix in San paligrino water. Then take 500mgs of l-tryptophan, and 400mgs of asportate magnesium. It will knock you out in thirty mins, put you into a deep sleep and wake up well rested.
Thanks for sharing!
WHAT IS MCT OIL ?
OMG! Thank you! It’s now been 4 nights in a row that I’ve slept 6 to 7 hrs. That’s incredible!!!! I’ve not had that many nights in a row in years and I usually only sleep 3 to 4 hrs a night. I may sometimes get 2 nights in a row for 6 hours in a month but that’s it. I’ve also been treated with all kinds of meds for sleeping, including natural remedies. I’ve also done a sleep study. All to no avail.
Keeping my fingers crossed that this continues! Thank you once again!
So happy you are sleeping better.
I’m eager to try this, but I’ve read that coconut oil increases metabolism and can have the effect of keeping you up. Some suggest not taking coconut oil after 7 p.m. I’m wondering if anyone has experienced this.
I made a tea out of a “heavy dose” of the ingredients given with just a bit of mint and some very hot purified water. Surprisingly it tastes wonderful — even the salted honey has a hint of the taste of salted caramel – nice bedtime treat. And I am doing self-reflexology right now to give it all a boost. Talk gently with yourself, reassure when you feel your mind wander, drink some water & imagine you are washing away troubles – start with your toes & send every care into oblivion with the water…you get the idea, wash it all away. My 2 cents and using the original recommendations to regenerate: coconut oil, raw honey & sea salt (with mint for fresh mouth). “It nourished every possible physical need before sleep, so that I rest well, wake up refreshed & renewed.” Makes for a great positive affirmation!
Sorry, didn’t work for me.
Thanks for sharing your results. Hope you find something that works for you 🙂
I don’t want to say this work and I don’t want to say it don’t work because the instructions is kind of odd. Since the honey and salt don’t melt it’s kind of hard taking this all together. I don’t want to heat up the honey either because it will lose it’s potency and all the good stuff that’s in it. So what I did was grabbed a little container that you can buy a set of at the dollar tree, made 5 batches of this concoction and placed it in the container. When I go to take it I will mix this up the best way I can, scoop a plastic spoonful making sure I get some honey with the oil and salt and will place it in my mouth and allow the salt to dissolve, swallow and then drink about 2-3oz of water.
The first two nights even though I tossed a bit I slept throughout the whole night. This morning my heavy sleep was interrupted because I have a diabetic cat and I have to check her levels sometimes in the wee hours of the morning and I had to check her @3am today. I was going to take another spoonful of the coconut oil concoction but I decided against it and was able to go back to sleep.
Is this mixture safe for a 6 year old? Also, what would be the amount of each ingredient that should be used for that age?
I would cut it down to probably a 1/4 of each ingredient.
Hi Lori,
Thanks for the great info. In your piece you mentioned waking up “at horrible times like 2am and 4am” so I wanted to pass on some info I got from my Dr. who is by the way a Naturopath. I had told her that I was always waking up at 2am and would finally go back to sleep somewhere around 4am. She told me that during those hours is when our liver is “hot” meaning that’s when it kicks in and goes to work. This often can be why we wake at those hours, I’ve found using a good turmeric supplement and chia fresca (lemon water w/chia seeds) daily has lightened my livers work load and allows me to get through those early morning hours. 🙂
Thanks Linda! I need to try more turmeric.
Can you premix a couple weeks worth at a time to make it easier to take every
night?
Absoutely!
This really works!!! I have been having hard time staying asleep, waking up in the middle of the night not being able to go back to sleep. I have been taking melatonin it helps a little but didn’t feel like I was truly getting sleep when I woke the next morning. The last couple of nights I have tried this and I fall asleep easily and sleep through the night and feel rested when I wake. I also tried this on my 10 year old son who has ADHD and his medication and has very very hard time falling asleep, due to the medication he is on. His doctor has had him on antihistamines, clonidne, melatonin and still nothing worked or knocked him out and he would sleep the whole next day. The melatonin worked but hate having to give it to him every night. I tried the honey, coconut oil, and sea salt last night and he fell asleep easily and is sleeping soundly now. Thanks for this great recipe!!! Also any natural remedies for ADHD???
I’m so happy it works for you and your son! 🙂
How do I work out an 1/8 th of a teaspoon? Us there an equivalent weight of that I can get the right amount , don’t want to od on salt
Regards.r
Aloha Lori will Hawaiian sea salt work ?
Yes, that should be good too.
My heart racing wakes me up in the night. Wondered if it was the sea salt
I can’t tolerate coconut oil, I have tried for months (small amts and everything)! What can I use to replace the coconut oil?
You could leave it out. The honey and sea salt are still beneficial.
I use Calm magnesium powder in water before bed, often with an add of magnesium oil spray on the bottom of my feet. It often helps. Most Americans are woefully deficient in magnesium. JUst note that magnesium in drinking form can have mild laxative effects. I will give this suggestion of yours a try, as well. Interestingly enough, I do acv and lemon juice in water every morning, but not in the evening, which may also be of benefit…and just started oil pulling in the morning – also thinking of twice a day. Finally, just this evening I made a coconut oil/baking soda/peppermint essential oil tooth paste that I am about to try tonight for the first time and see how it goes as I use the small batch I made. Great post here – all the best to you.
Thanks Vic! Glad it is helping!
Coconut oil increases energy, sustains endurance, does not leave fatty deposits in the arteries or heart and has a lower caloric count than many other dietary oils.Coconut oil contains healthy saturated fats that prevent foods from becoming incompletely digested, which in turn aids enzyme and thyroid function.
So many benefits of coconut oil 🙂
Can you use coconut butter instead of coconut oil?
You can give it a try! I always use coconut oil though
Coconut butter has a significant amount (%) of coconut oil, so I would think that would work very well to try
I have another Natural Remedy :
Take a glass of boiled milk – Add 1 spoonful of honey – Dip 1/2 tea spoon of poppy seeds in a thin cotton cloth for 5 to 7 minutes – Then drink the milk for best sleep.
Didnt work..
Can I just have a preset mixer and just take a little bit from it every night instead of having to mix it every night?
Definitely!
I would love to suggest this to my mother, who has been going through severe insomnia for a while now, ever since the death of my grandparents. She smokes and occasionally suffers from low BP and has been a vegan for nearly 17 years. Would this mixture cause her any harm? She is very sensitive to medication, and they make her dizzy and drowsy and her mind is foggy even throughout the next day, so she refuses to take any sleep medication that the doctor prescribes. She is 44 years old.
Thanx
They’re all just foods, but to be safe you may want to check with a doctor.
I use two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in water before bed. I also drink a teaspoon of CALM magnesium powder in water. Gives a great night’s sleep!
That’s great ACV helps your sleep. I may add that to my regimen and give it a try.
This seems to work. Just haven’t tried enough to sure. However, it definitely tastes great. Coconut, oil, sweets–it’s just what you get in a candy bar! I’m going to try it with a pinch of coco powder, and I expect it to taste just like a Mounds candy bar. Can’t wait…but would adding coco powder act against the sleep benefits?
So glad it’s working for you! Doesn’t cocoa powder have caffeine? So that may cause more difficulty with sleeping.
Cacao (cocoa) powder is very high in magnesium, which is great, but is very energizing and shouldn’t be used before bed. I use it as a pre-workout, actually lol. Powerful anti-oxidant also, but best in the morning or early afternoon, especially to those most sensitive.