Hands up if you love sleep. I do !
It’s the time when our bodies take care of healing and regenerating us, not to mention how much fun dreams can be. But with most of us leading pretty busy lives, it’s way too tempting to borrow from our ideal number of hours sleep. Soon, borrowing becomes grand larceny and there’s only so much sleep you can sacrifice before you’ll feel worse for wear.
Heading off to bed early enough to clock up your optimal number of hours is an important first step (seven to nine hours is a rule of thumb). Good for you! But what if you lie there awake? Not good. Here are our tips for setting up a great night’s sleep.
- Go offline by mid-evening
Checking emails and updating (insert your social media of choice here) might feel like a good way to wind down, but electronic gadgets stimulate the brain and make it harder to fall asleep. Try switching off quarter of an hour earlier each night until you’ve wound it back to 8:00pm or earlier. Baby steps.
- Replace depressing news and disturbing movies and TV shows with reading and listening to laid-back music before heading off to bed
Soothing music? Quieter times? Call us old-fashioned, but don’t be surprised if you like it. (You don’t have to tell anyone.)
- Make your bedroom a retreat with the 3 Rs
Follow the 3 Rs in your bedroom retreat: rest, relaxation and romance. TVs, tablets and smart phones are enemies of the three Rs – banish them to the living areas starting tonight. (If you can’t bear to banish your smart phone, at least comply with Tip #1.) Make sure your bedroom is well ventilated, a comfortable temperature and if morning light wakes you too early, a sleep mask is an easy fix without redoing the curtains and blinds.
- Boost your L-Tryptophan
L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that increases serotonin which can help regulate mood, appetite and sleep. Foods high in L-Tryptophan include oats, yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, fish, chickpeas, and sunflower seeds. Including some of these at night could help you nod off more easily when your head hits the pillow. Funnily enough, a glass of warm milk is not high in L-Tryptophan but some swear by it, so give it a whirl.
- Roll on some sleep-inducing essential oils
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is an amazing, all-rounder essential oil – if in doubt, use lavender – but it’s especially well-known for its ability to help us wind down and lull us off to sleep. An easy way to use it is to rub a few drops of lavender essential oil onto your hand and spread over your pillow before you climb into bed. Valerian is also great for sleep. Its unusual scent is described somewhat uncharitably by some – but if you’re looking to up the ante, it’s worth it. Better yet, Young Living has combined the essential oils of valerian, lavender and rue (for extra relaxation) into a super-easy to use roll-on called RutaVaLa®. Ready-diluted with coconut oil, simply roll some onto your wrists, temple and neck then climb into bed straight away. We love how easy it is to use. {Click here to get access to Young Living’s products.}
This will also connect you up with The Good Oil Team for our personal support and coaching. We'd love to help you on your journey to vibrant well-being the natural way!
Any questions? Please get in touch via our Contact page.
Play around with these – even if you just incorporate one of them into your evening routine, it could make all the difference. As for dreams and snoring – we’ll talk about those another day!
