Sleep deprivation can quickly have dire health consequences, but issues with falling asleep are complex. It seems that sleep is one of those thing where the harder you try, the less likely your attempts are to be successful.

These natural cures for insomnia are effective. It’s important to realize that while each and every one of the natural aids wont work for every individual, at least one of them will do the trick.

Smell an onion to fall asleep fast.
This is my favorite natural cure for insomnia. It sounds strange but it works like a charm. All you need to do is cut into a raw onion and take 5-10 deep breaths of the aroma. For best results, put it in a glass jar or zip lock bag, take it to your bedside and smell it right before you lay down.

Commit to an exercise routine during the day.
Sometimes people can’t rest because, well, they haven’t moved much throughout the course of the day. When you are physically active on a regular basis, snoozing comes easier. Exercise is a natural sleeping aid that comes with a laundry list of other health benefits. Check out Fitness Blender Routines for ideas on workouts that you can do at home. Yoga can also be very beneficial when it comes to relieving stress and beating insomnia.

Get up and do a stretching routine next to your bed.
One of the best natural cures is physical activity-mind you, just not the last hour or two before you try to go to bed. If you’re lying in bed and can’t relax, get up and do a short, gentle stretching routine. Here’s a 9 minute stretching video for sciatica that can help. Once you are finished stretching, hop back into bed and do the next of the natural cures; the relaxation exercise.

Walk yourself through a relaxation exercise.
Try this relaxation routine: once you are ready for bed, lie down and get comfortable. Tense all of the muscles in your body as hard as you can and count to five; then relax. Starting at your toes, image “gathering” the tension in your body. Work your way up your body in detail; ankle joints, then the shins, then the knees, thighs, and so on. “Gather” the tension and stress from the tips of your fingers, your hands, your wrists, elbows and so on, and let it accumulate in your lungs. Then, take a big deep breath and imagine yourself exhaling all of that stress and tension you just gathered. If this doesn’t work the first time, try it a second time.

Correct your self-talk regarding falling asleep.
A large part of healthy rest is your mentality. When you tell yourself over and over again that you “can’t sleep”, you will almost without fail corner yourself into being unable to do so. Just like with anything else in life, if you are telling yourself that you will or won’t, you’re right. Start tuning into the language you use regarding your bedtime habits and make an effort to use more positive talk that will be conducive to falling and staying asleep.

Lay down strict before-bedtime rules for yourself regarding electronics.
This tip has less to do with something you do and more to do with things that you avoid. If you are having a lot of trouble with insomnia or restlessness, cut yourself off from television, the iPad, video games and especially the internet, at least one hour before bed. Between the bright lights of the electronics, the distraction and the brain stimulation, electronics do your sleeping troubles no favors at all.

These natural remedies are effective, but the most important one is adjusting your self-talk. Just be aware of the power of your own mind, you don’t want it to be working against you when you are trying to fall asleep.