We all love our beauty sleep, but sometimes life gets in the way. Whether it’s stress and anxiety, it’s too hot or too cold, or you have an unhealthy addiction to playing mobile games at 2am, here are our tried and tested tips and products to help you on your way to dreamland.
Anything lavender
The soothing scent of lavender is thought to calm the body and mind, and there’s nothing more relaxing than having a hot shower, lathering yourself in luscious lavender-scented products, and hopping into lavender scented sheets.
Lush’s Twilight shower gel is the first step in our elaborate routine to get sleepy. There’s just something about this concoction that makes us want to inhale its dusky scent on repeat, and we’ll even use it in the morning if we’re anxious about the day ahead and need all the calm vibes we can get. If you’d prefer a package-free substitute, try Lush’s Sleepy naked shower gel.
The next step is to apply, you guessed it, Lush’s Sleepy body lotion. It’s become something of a ritual, and helps to prepare us for what we hope will be a full eight hours of deep sleep.
Thirdly, we recommend spraying your pillowcase and sheets with a lavender spray. There’s the Twilight body spray, an intoxicating infusion to help us breathe deeply and forget our troubles, or the This Works Deep Sleep pillow spray formulated with 100% essential oils which you can purchase at Mecca.
By now we’re probably sounding a little lavender mad, so we recommend you head into your nearest Lush or MECCA and see what the fuss is all about. Or take the obsession one step further and use a lavender essential oil in your bedside diffuser, and sip on some Sleep Tight herbal tea for the ultimate experience.
Take a magnesium supplement
As our mothers would say, it’s what our bodies are lacking that’s making it hard to sleep. We recommend trying Sleep by Health By Habit, which includes a formulation of magnesium, passion flower and valerian root. We like that you can take just one tablet as the recommended dose, and it’s pleasant to swallow if you’re not a fan of those giant magnesium capsules.
Lie on an acupuncture mat
We didn’t think lying on a mat of sharp plastic points was fun until we tried the Shakti Mat. Once you get used to the sensation your body and mind transcends this completely and you go into a new state of being where you can feel your endorphins flowing. That’s our experience anyway, we know it may sound weird, but hey, it’s legal.
If you have a sore or stiff neck the Shakti Pillow is a welcome addition, and there’s even the Shakti Headband if you’re headache-prone. Get on our Shakti level!
Use a weighted blanket
For the severely anxious among us, there’s not much we can do when we’re feeling nervy, something has upset us, or we’re in need of attention and a constant supply of hugs. A weighted blanket is now a staple on our bed, for watching movies on the couch, and when we’re feeling low in general. Sometimes we even use a weighted eye mask for that added pressure, but only with a silk sleep mask underneath, and preferably while we’re resting our head on a silk pillowcase because #antiaging.
Try yoga nidra
We can use all the products in the world, but if there’s something going on within, our beloved lavender spray won’t cut it. This is why we swear by yoga nidra, a style of mediation where the mind is taken into a deep state of relaxation, somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. While we are in this state, we’re able to process emotions, and importantly, rewrite self-limiting beliefs, for example low self-worth.
If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend Hannah Crerar’s guided nidra recordings which you can find on the Insight Timer app or her Nidra album here.
Yoga nidra may sound trippy, but it’s helped us to build resilience and maintain long periods of restful sleep.
Create a sanctuary
Last but not least, make sure your place of sleep is a rest-inducing space. Get rid of the clutter, decorate your bedside table with items you love, and try not to work from your bed. The latter may lead you to associate your bed with the stresses of the day, when instead it should be a quiet and calming place of refuge.
So, there you have it, our favourite ways to get a good night’s sleep. It may seem excessive trying some or all of these methods at once, but when we aren’t sleeping well or are unable to go to bed till after midnight, we struggle to function during the day and quickly become run down. We’ll do anything to ensure we’re well rested.
*Please note that this article is not a substitute for medical advice or information, and you should always consult a medical professional first. This article is also #notsponsored, we’re simply passionate about sleep!
