We've all had those nights where sleep completely evades you, leaving you staring at the ceiling in the dark replaying the days events just wishing your brain would shut the hell up.
Recently those night have been increasingly common and it's driving me mad. I wake up in the middle of the night or even worse, am stuck in the sort of awkward limbo where you aren't quite awake or asleep you are just there for hours on end tossing and turning.
So I thought I'd share a few things that I have been doing/using in order to shut my brain down and actually get the rest that I need.
The first thing I use is just straight up Lavender Oil. Yep, your Nana was right when she used to sprinkle it all over your pillow before you went to bed. I always used to think my Nana was magick whenever she would find some new herbal remedy or give me a gemstone from her basket, but I do believe Lavender oil is the real deal. Maybe it's just a placebo but I swear to god, a little on my pillow and some dabbed on my wrists helps me drift right off.
Then we move onto Lush's Sleepy body lotion. Usually,I'm the sort of person who can't stand being slimy and covered in moisturisers, but for a good nights sleep, I'm willing to let it slide. I tend to put this all over my arms and chest so that the Lavender and Tonka scent will be close to me and help me breathe it in as I drift off. (Think applying Vicks Vaporub but for sleep.) As always with Lush, it comes in recycled packaging that if you save 5 of these tubs and bring them to a Lush store all cleaned out, you get a fresh face mask for free! Cool cool cool. There's been tons of articles about people calling this product a miracle worker and to be honest, I can see why. Though maybe my placebo Lavender love has just spread.
This next idea is something that I know we always read and completely ignore but honestly, try not to go on your phone. Scrolling through your instafeed might be fun but chances are it's probably affecting your sleep. Not only does it keep your brain whirring and unable to shut down, the blue light emitted from phone screens can suppress your Melatonin production (the hormone that controls you sleeping/waking) making it harder for you to drift off. It doesn't have to be in another room, just start with trying not to use your phone for at least half and hour before you go to sleep, hopefully you should see a difference.
Orange light. You know how your iPhone will switch to that orangey lighting after a certain time? Yeah, that's to help mellow out your brain before bed and limit the Melatonin reducing blue light. Try introduce that into your sleep space as well. Whether you want to be a pretentious hipster like myself and get a salt lamp, or buy some colour changing bulbs, having the softer, orange light helps to ease your mind into sleep, rather than going from a bright white lamp to instant darkness. Orange is the only colour that contains absolutely no blue light and in fact helps to stimulate your brain to produce more Melatonin. More Melatonin = Better Sleep.
Also, sex. Sex lowers cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and orgasms release prolactin, which makes you feel relaxed and ready to nap.
(Sorry Mum and Dad)
Feel free to share any other tips you have on getting to sleep as I'm sure we all need them!
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