We rely on doctors to know more than we do about whatever that ails us and to be able to fix it if we don’t know how to do it ourselves. Doctors have spent time and money getting their knowledge and we can usually rely on their opinion and judgment to carry us through almost any malady, including sleeplessness.

But when we wake up in the morning tired and unrefreshed, and the rest of the day doesn’t get any better, we go to our doctor for help. Our doctor is a trained professional who knows about the latest prescription medications that he feels will take care of our sleeping problems. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t tell you about natural sleeping medicines because they fall outside of the area of prescription medications that he studied while he was in school. Natural sleep remedies have usually been taught by medicine men over generation after generation over many thousands of years, and never at a university such as the one where your doctor studied.

Meanwhile, we’ve researched Indian, Chinese and Amazonian cultures along with many naturalherbal remedies used today to find for you what’s available today for the best natural sleeping pills to help you get a good night’s rest. Here are the top results:

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that’s naturally produced in the brain that helps regulate our sleep­wake cycles. Melatonin is our top choice among today’s natural sleep aids, but not in pill form. Natural sleeping pills that contain melatonin have levels that are much too high and can cause side effects from short­term feelings of depression, headaches, dizziness, stomach cramps, daytime sleepiness and irritability.

The newest and most effective alternative to taking melatonin pills is to use a melatonin spray. A melatonin spray will deliver the correct amount of melatonin in a carefully measured dose applied directly to your skin, bypassing the body’s digestive system, making the application much more natural and effective than taking melatonin in pill form.

Other natural sleeping pills you can try

In addition to melatonin, there are other alternative natural sleeping pills that may help you get agood night’s sleep. Here are some that may help you to get the sleep you need without experiencing harmful side effects:

Chamomile Tea

People have been drinking chamomile tea to help them sleep for thousands of years. To make it easier to take, the tea now comes in capsules in addition to natural sleeping pills. Even though the FDA considers chamomile tea to be safe with no side effects, some caution is recommended if you’re allergic to ragweed, and don’t drink it at all if you’re nursing or pregnant.

Valerian root

A number of reviews have suggested that valerian, like melatonin for sleep, is one of today’s best natural sleeping pills and can help people fall to sleep faster as well as improve their sleep quality. However, there have been a few reports of people having headaches, stomach upset, or morning grogginess when taking valerian.

Kava

Kava has been shown in some studies to help relieve the symptoms of anxiety and just as effective as benzodiazepines. In a study reported by the National Institutes of Health, kava was shown to be moderately effective in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and is one of our recommended natural sleeping pills.

Magnesium

Magnesium also appears to contribute to a good night’s sleep. According to the NIH, when thebody doesn’t get enough magnesium, nerve cell communication is inhibited in our bodies which leads to cell excitability and we become stressed out and more nervous than normal.

Magnesium is also one of our recommended natural sleeping pills for a good night’s rest.

Try lifestyle changes too

Today’s sleep experts suggest you should also consider these lifestyle changes to get the right amount of sleep every night:

• Your bedroom should be as free from noise and light as possible. Invest in heavy curtains and window blinds, and use earplugs and even possibly an eye mask.

• Your evening meal should be on the light side, and you should eat a minimum of two hours before going to bed.

• Don't drink any caffeinated drinks at least four to six hours before bedtime. It will stay in your system and keep you awake.

• A little regular exercise such as walking will help you reduce stress, and you’ll sleep better. But don’t do it within two hours of bedtime or you’ll have trouble falling asleep.

• If you must take a daytime nap, do it in the early afternoon and not after 5:00 or you’ll have a problem going back to sleep later that night.

• Any tasks you may be working on should be completed at least an hour before bedtime to give your brain time to settle down and relax.

• Any emotional issues should not be discussed right before bedtime or the irritation and stress will probably keep you awake.

• Keep all your pets outside the sleeping area so that you have the room all to yourself and won’t be bothered by strange movements or noises during the night.

• Make sure that the bedroom thermostat is set to a cool and comfortable temperature and that there is adequate ventilation.

Melatonin: Today’s best natural sleeping alternative

Your doctor may not know about melatonin or the other natural sleeping pills that may be able tohelp you sleep better at night. However, if you decide to try melatonin, remember that pills containing melatonin often deliver too much melatonin into your system, and can often cause nausea, dizziness and headaches, plus they can actually destroy your sleep cycle causing you to wake up in the middle of the night.

The most effective way to take melatonin is with a measured sleep spray. Combined with thelifestyle changes outlined above, melatonin, or some of the other alternative medications above, might be the key to helping you sleep safely and naturally all night long.