“Sleep is not a disposable luxury—it’s a non-negotiable biological necessity.” Matthew Walker, PHD
Getting a good night's sleep is essential for our overall well-being. There is mounting evidence that proves that not getting enough sleep can impact on every aspect of our health - both physically and emotionally. Establishing a good sleep routine or ‘sleep hygiene’ is a good way to ensure we’re giving ourselves the best possible chance of getting those coveted eight hours.
Be consistent in your sleep schedule
Your daily schedule may change, but your internal clock doesn’t. So if you’re having trouble sleeping, one of the best things you can do is get consistent in your evening sleep schedule. As a parent, it can be tempting to have that ‘alone time’ after the kids have gone to sleep and with the advent of Netflix etc, it can be very easily to extend that ‘alone time’ out to two, three hours. Ideally avoid switching on the television too late in the evening or set an alarm for bedtime. I have been guilty of this!
Build your own evening sleep routine and own it
Instead of switching off the light and hoping for sleep or even worse opening doom scrolling until you fall asleep - work on building a personal sleep routine.
Here’s a few ideas…
- Read a book (I aim for 20 pages per night which is 30 books per year)
- Aromatherapy and magnesium - yes! More on this to follow!
- Listen to relaxing music - listen to our Spotify SLEEP playlist
- Breathing exercises
- Meditate
- Journalling
- Go on a memory treasure hunt and find three things that went well in your day
Have those coffee dates before 12pm
A single cup of coffee in the evening can decrease the amount of deep sleep by 20 to 40 percent a night - eek!
Avoid naps after 1pm
Now this is a hard one to accept as my body just feels like it needs at nap at 3pm. However, the science says that from the moment you wake up, your brain begins building sleep pressure and the longer we’re awake, the more sleep pressure builds and the sleepier you feel - a bit like a pressure cooker. Naps lessen our sleep pressure and can make it harder for us to fall or stay asleep in the evening.
Move it
Exercise is just good for everything really so try and incorporate movement wherever you can in your day. You’ll feel pleased with yourself (one tick for the gratitude list) and we all know if you’ve exercised you feel more relaxed and therefore more likely to get off to sleep.
Dim the lights and no scrolling
Bright light wakes us up, while darkness triggers the production of melatonin to help us fall and stay asleep at night. Try dimming the lights and definitely set a time limit for screen time (say 8pm) to maximise the body’s natural melatonin production.
Get yourself a hot water bottle and keep your bedroom cool
To fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night, our body needs to drop its core temperature by one degree. So make sure your bedroom is cool. If you feel too cold, get yourself a hot water bottle to warm your hands and feed. Research has found that warming up your hands and feet can help drop your core body temperature and fall asleep faster.
Take warm bath or shower before bed
Warm baths and showers cause our blood to race to the skin’s surface and as a result our core body temperature decreases. It’s called the ‘warm bath effect’ and is proven to help people fall and stay asleep faster.
If you’ve been sleeping badly - stick to the routine
The reason? When you try to squeeze in extra sleep with naps or sleeping in, it lessens the natural build up of sleep pressure that helps you fall asleep close to bedtime. So while it may be tempting to sleep in, try to stick to your sleep schedule — especially after a bad night. Wake up in the morning, then start your wind-down routine in the evening like clockwork.
What does my sleep routine look like?
As a parent, my sleep routine is by no means perfect and for years I just accepted that a broken night’s sleep is part of parenthood and pretty happy to just get on with it if I'm honest - this went on for years, and years. Now I’m very committed to ensuring my sleep is optimised - but it’s not always perfect! Some nights I fall asleep in one of my children’s beds (before them sometimes apparently) or succumb to the temptation of some ‘me time’ with a little Netflix binge - BUT - I do have a routine, and yes it’s written down so I can go back to it easily. I’m also at the age where peri-menopause is either here, or not far away and one of the primary symptoms is waking up in the middle of the night and your brain presenting you with a long list of anxiety producing problems that need solving then and there. So, really committing to a routine has been helpful in getting those elusive eight hours.
Once I’ve done all those things to ensure the morning isn’t too stressful and not playing on my mind - ie. the dishwasher is on, the bench is clear, the kids have clothes for the morning - I jump in the shower (morning showers are too easily compromised in the school-run routine), cleanse and apply a face oil. I always turn off the wi-fi, check the kids haven’t thrown their blankets off and jump into bed.
It’s no surprise that I use essential oils as part of my bedtime routine - I use our Sleep Blend roller on my temples and wrist pulse points and Sleep pillow/aroma mist for a quick pillow / all over spritz. I also spray my feet with magnesium oil (in fact I spray everybody’s feet with magnesium oil - it is amazing). I have a rule of no technology in the bedroom so my phone lives in the hallway (also handy in forcing me to get up to turn off the alarm). For the last 12 months or so I’ve also recited in my mind three things that went well for me during that day - an expression of gratitude for my mental health - some days three things are hard to find but it can literally be a small interaction I had with the kids or as big as getting in my 10km walk that day. I then settle into some reading from the large stack of books next to my bed and aim for 20 pages (which is 30 books a year people!).
Some days I’m so exhausted - hello small business owners - (particularly if I’ve got my 10km in - I think daily exercise REALLY helps with our sleep) I crawl into bed, turn off the light and I’m off asleep. No routine required!
I encourage you to incorporate some sort of self-care ritual into your sleep routine. Essential oils can be a natural and effective way to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. The use of therapeutic essential oils in aromatherapy has been a popular practice for centuries, known for their calming and soothing properties.
Here are some beautiful oils to try…
Lavender is perhaps the most well-known essential oil for relaxation and its calming scent can help reduce stress and anxiety levels. Its sedative properties make it an excellent oil for promoting a sense of tranquility before sleep. Lavender is found in our new Sleep Blend and best-selling Emotional Rescue blend as a diffuser blend, roller and aroma mist.
Roman Chamomile is another popular essential oil known for its calming effects. It can help alleviate feelings of nervousness and irritability, making it a great option for those who struggle to unwind at night. You might like to try our Sleep Mist which is a beautiful way to enhance your sleep routine.
Frankincense offers a warm aroma that is both grounding and calming. Known for its ability to help reduce stress and anxiety, frankincense oil can create a tranquil environment perfect for winding down at the end of the day. Its soothing properties can help quiet the mind and promote relaxation, making it a great choice for those looking to improve their sleep quality. Frankincense is the hero in our Emotional Rescue blend and had to be included in our new Sleep blend as it's a firm favourite and smells divine.
Vetiver is known as the ‘oil of tranquility’ has a deep, earthy scent that is often used to promote relaxation and reduce tension. This oil is prized for its grounding and centering effects, making it an excellent choice for calming an overactive mind before bedtime. Vetiver oil can help create a sense of balance and stability, allowing you to drift off to sleep more easily and enjoy a restful night's rest. I have used vetiver for years - particularly in the bath (always in a carrier oil) and it guarantees relaxed muscles and a very deep sleep. Vetiver is the hero oil in our Vita blend and we’ll soon have our Vetiver Bath Salts available again (our version of a natural Raddox bath soak).
A reminder on essential oil safety
Please remember when using essential oils to dilute them properly with a carrier oil if you’re applying them to the skin or use a diffuser to disperse the scent throughout your bedroom. You can also mix and match different oils to create a custom blend that suits your preferences. It’s also important to test the oils on a small patch of skin to check for any allergic reactions before using them extensively.
