Most of the time I can sleep like a trooper and after a day at work, a session at the gym and a light dinner, I can be away and snoozing for a respectable time. However, when I've got a lot on (hello MSc project, wedding planning, family stuff, work...blah blah blah - have you nodded off yet?!) I tend to struggle and any less than 7/8 hours sleep a night consistently just will not do.
Recently I've been trying to find products and practices that help me sleep better. As well as making our bedroom comfortable and welcoming, I discovered the Neal's Yard organic beauty sleep concentrate products. Containing a bath elixir (doesn't that just sound relaxing...), a bedtime body butter and a beauty sleep concentrate facial serum, this little set has been a consistent part of my nightly routine for a month or two. The ingredients include things like lavender and frankinscence which invoke feelings of relaxation for the body, mind and skin, which has a tendency to look stressed when tired.
Recently I've been trying to find products and practices that help me sleep better. As well as making our bedroom comfortable and welcoming, I discovered the Neal's Yard organic beauty sleep concentrate products. Containing a bath elixir (doesn't that just sound relaxing...), a bedtime body butter and a beauty sleep concentrate facial serum, this little set has been a consistent part of my nightly routine for a month or two. The ingredients include things like lavender and frankinscence which invoke feelings of relaxation for the body, mind and skin, which has a tendency to look stressed when tired.
As well as these products, I have been using an oil diffuser which acts as a soothing night light with colour changing sensors, containing some calming aromatherapy oil. Having this little diffuser on for half an hour at bedtime has helped me to create a relaxing and conducive atmosphere for sleep. In addition to this, I have started to observe some rules that I have long known but tend to forget about sometimes.
- keep your bedroom cool, inviting and soothing by using muted colours
- keep technology out of the bedroom, such as TV's, laptops and phones (although this is easier said than done and I often read on my iPad late at night and in a morning. I'm working on it!)
- read a proper book or non back-lit device such as a Kindle before bed, as tablets can affect your body's circadian rhythms (light / sleep cycles).
- if you wake up with stuff on your mind, keep a pad near your bed to write them down
- if you still can't back to sleep, perform a meditation or exercise, such as tensing your muscles and releasing them one at a time whilst deep breathing. Also repeating one word over and over again can be a way of relaxing the mind.
This post is a colaboration with Neals Yard Beverley but the views are my own.
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