I wanted to write a post on one of my things and something I’ve sadly not been doing enough of lately.

Sleep.

Sleep is so important for all aspects of life, for mental and physical development and repair amongst thousands of other functions of the brain and the body and sometimes when life sends it’s trials it’s not as easy to get the sleep quality you want. I’m someone who’s sleep gets very affected when I have stuff playing on my mind and I struggle to switch off. Do you ever lie there and start to feel so anxious because you aren’t asleep? Then you start to count down how many hours until you have to get up and then how many hours sleep that will be, THEN comes the justification thoughts to try and mentally reassure you to not freak out of “it’ll be fine, I’ve gone to work on much less sleep after going out and I won’t be hungover”, then the birds start singing and the irritation REALLY sets in. I’ve been there. Countless times. So in the last few months I’ve done and tried everything possible to promote a good nights sleep, mainly so I keep my sanity and thought I would share with you in case anyone else is finding themselves in a similar situation! In no particular order of preference of effectiveness……

• My first thing I try is a chamomile tea before bed. To promote relaxation and calm, there’s plenty of lovely premium tea brands around but I went for the Aldi option for a tiny 39p to give it a go as I had never tried it before. The taste takes a little getting used to but it certainly helps take the edge off the pre sleep jitters. It’s no myth, this stuff definitely does work!

• Using your scent is a timeless known way to relax so you could try opting for a pillow spray, there are a few out there and my favourite is the award winning Deep Sleep Pillow spray by This Works, it’s got a really good depth of scent and helps get the senses to start to switch off.

• Similarly to the above I love the Tisserand pulse point oils to aid in slowing the breathing and moving into the relaxed state to nod off

 

• Sometimes nothing is doing the job so I grab out my gifted Bedtime Bliss eye mask which came with ear plugs to drown out the background sounds and lights. The earplugs really make a difference if you can’t switch off from what’s going on around you and the darkness is great if you don’t have black out blinds in the summer months when the sun comes up earlier. Not everyones cup of tea for at home but a travel essential! Buy your for under a tenner on Amazon here

• Making sure you’re comfortable in bed, so pyjamas in the right cut, thickness, fabric, etc. So you are comfy, a good temperature, not going to get static or itchy or whatever else. Comfortable bed clothes whatever floats your boat is a must. I love nice cotton pj’s personally! Currently living for my piped edge pj’s from Primark. I have them in grey and black 🙂
  

  

• Also a decent pair of bed socks is a must in the winter because feet like blocks of ice can stop you sleeping AND wake you up especially now we had hit the winter sub zero temperatures! My mum bought me a lovely pair of cashmere blend socks for when I’m feeling super fancy but any fluffy numbers will warm the tootsies! Or reach for a hot water bottle.

 

• Breathing exercises to slow and calm the breathing, there are tonnes of different types but for sleep I like the 4-7-8 technique- step by step below!

• Reading a book. This is such a sure way of using up some mental energy and making you start to drift off. Ditch the smart phone and swap it for a book. It’ll be one of the best choices you make!

 

• A little added luxury, I treated myself and my mum at Xmas to a silk pillow case, it doesn’t necessarily help you sleep but it certainly gives you a premium bed experience! Bought from Lilysilk. Buy one get one half price and an introductory 10% off! Huge variety of colours! Check out the site here

 

• Lastly, failing all those or in addition to, in periods of prolonged anxiety I go for Kalms night. The valerian formula is all natural and plant based so no nasty chemicals and no morning after grogginess but a lifesaver for periods of increased anxiety. I grab mine from Holland and Barrett just make sure you read the directions, don’t rely on these and remember it is a short term solution, 

I hope these tips help you! Bedtime is such a ritual that these things singularly and collectively are little live savers! Sleep is essential to function healthily so maybe just one or two of these may improve you current sleep quality like it did for me! I hope it helps! 

Thanks for reading!

H x