Does sleep always come easily for you? Both Mike and I go through periods of insomnia for one reason or another. Mike almost always falls asleep quickly, but he’ll wake in the middle of the night and stay awake for an hour or two. For me, it sometimes takes hours to fall asleep. Other times, I wake up several hours before I need to rise and can’t get back to sleep.
Lots of herbs are calming and help to induce sleep, so I thought I would make us each an herb pillow to help us sleep when needed.
I had a few old tea towels around, and thought they’d do the job just nicely. Because of the size of the tea towels, the finished pillows are around 10″ x 11″. But a much smaller pillow would be just as effective. They could easily be made from scraps of muslin or cotton you have around, or you could purchase an herb bag (like these) to use.
I stitched around the edges of my tea towels, leaving several inches open to add herbs – around 2 cups each of hops and lavender.
Other herbs that promote relaxation are lemon balm, chamomile, valerian, catnip, and sweet marjoram. Just a cup total of herbs is all that’s needed. My 4 cups were a bit overkill. (Click here for a great place to purchase quality, organic herbs)
The pillow’s not even finished and our pretty kitty is already asleep! Love him!
When you find yourself having one of those difficult nights, just take a few whiffs of your herbs, and hopefully you’ll soon be sound asleep.
Mike is on a weeklong fishing trip with ‘da guys, and yes, he took his flowery herb pillow with him. I think he likes it!
Be sure to also visit my post Natural Home Remedies for Your Medicine Cabinet.
What tips do you have for getting a good night’s sleep? Let me know in the comments.
