5 steps to the best nights sleep.
One of my goals for July was getting more quality sleep. So I have been more focused on my nighttime routine and adding things to help people fall asleep easily and also improve the quality of my sleep. I co-sleep with my 16-month-old daughter and she’s now sleeping longer stretches so I thought it was time mama focused on her sleep.
I feel like I have perfected my routine and kept it as holistic as possible without adding any OTC medications or anything like that. Along with turning off my phone, TV, and laptop an hour before bed, I focused on soothing my 5 senses and preparing my body and mind for rest.
Taste: I like to drink a nice cup of herbal tea before bed. Chamomile, Valerian root, Lavender, and Passionflower are some of my favorite herbs to drink before bed. If you're looking for a herb starter kit I have one here! Herbs are always great to have on hand.
Sips tea shop makes a wonderful blend that you can use to drink or smoke if you wish. I roll it up in raw hemp paper for a gentle smoke when I have a little more time to unwind or steep the blend in hot water for a soothing drink. Key players providing the tranquility are skullcap, passionflower, and chamomile, while lavender and rose to give a nice floral taste.
Touch: previously I used a regular blanket to get my zzz’s in but I have had my eye on getting a weighted blanket since forever. I finally got one from Baloo living mainly because they had an eco-friendly version and it looked beautiful. Let me tell you the weight feels so comforting. The weighted blanket molds to your body like a gentle hug. The pressure relaxes the nervous system and encourages serotonin production, which lifts your mood. When serotonin naturally converts to melatonin, your body takes the cue to rest. This means a calmer mind and a deeper sleep for a healthier life.
Sight: My favorite diffuser has different color lights. I usually use green or red. Now with this one, there is a lot of contradicting research out there so I literally had to go through trial and error. For example, I noticed with the violet light my daughter took the longest to fall asleep. Green or red works the best for us. And once we are asleep it’s pitch black.
Smell: Before a good night's sleep I like to take a calming hot shower featuring some calming aromatherapy. If your familiar with bath bombs but do not have time for a bath I like to pop a shower melt in the shower. The aroma eases stress and puts me right in the mood. I also diffuse lavender essential oil or whatever blend I come up with right before bed.
Hearing: This aspect has two-part. Before actually falling asleep I like to wine down with frequency music. Frequency is the speed of the vibration, and this determines the pitch of the sound. It is only useful or meaningful for musical sounds, where there is a strongly regular waveform.
“You listen to binaural beats using headphones. In each ear, you receive sound at a slightly different frequency (often accompanied by some relaxing background sounds). If your left ear receives a 300-hertz tone and your right ear receives a 280-hertz tone, your brain will process and absorb a 10-hertz tone. That’s a very low-frequency soundwave—one you can’t actually hear. But you don’t need to hear the sound for your brain to be affected by it.”
Psychology Today
This 5 step combo guarantees me a great night’s sleep. Which one will you be adding to your nighttime routine?!
