Using a sleep aid medication feels a little bit like making a deal with the devil: You can get some restful shut-eye, but use them regularly and you'll have a greater chance of kicking the bucket. That little factoid is enough to make you lose sleep, wouldn't you say?

So give lavender oil a chance. In a study, subjects who sniffed the oil for two minutes before they went to bed reported sleeping better and feeling more energetic the following morning. It also increased the amount of subjects' slow-wave sleep, the state in which the body's reparative and memory-consolidating processes take place.

DIY: Mix a few drops of pure lavender oil with rubbing alcohol for a soothing pillow spray. You can also add a couple drops to an electric oil warmer and keep it on your nightstand to breathe in the loveliness all night long.