I think we can all agree that’s nothing like waking up after a good sleep. You feel refreshed, rested and motivated to tackle the day. But sometimes, for whatever reason, a good sleep can be few and far between.
For me, bad sleep was more common for me than good sleep. My two biggest issues were falling asleep and staying asleep. I went years with waking up 3-4 times a night. It was exhausting. And sleepy me, is also a cranky me. Picture a 4 year-old, tired, woman child. That’s how I went about my day.
If you struggle to fall asleep, wake up multiple times a night and wake up tired, these tips are for you.
They have helped me sleep through – I now wake up once a night, if that. I fall asleep pretty quickly. And I wake up feeling the best I’ve ever felt! They have changed my night and my day. No more 4 year old cranky girl pants for me!
[postgopher]
Use Some Essential Oils Before Bed
Lavender oil has got to be one of the most relaxing oils I’ve ever smelt! I bought it to make cosmetics, and when I read of the benefits, I decided to try it before bed.
I put it on my wrists, neck, temples and around my nose. I definitely believe it’s one of the biggest reason I sleep better. It instantly calms you.
On the Piping Rock website (where I buy my oils from) it says lavender has the following benefits:
Encourages deep serenity. Promotes bright moods as it helps ease occasional stress and tension. Improves focus, energy and vitality.
To be honest, I actually use this Lavender oil during the day as well. Especially if I have a big day ahead with lots of running around.
Swap Your Usual Nightly Drink For Chamomile Tea/Peppermint Tea
At around 7pm I swap my matcha tea
for a chamomile or a peppermint tea.
Peppermint is known to help with digestion. So if I’ve eaten something that’s playing with my stomach, or I occasionally overindulge, peppermint tea is my Mr. Fix It.
If you’ve had a stressful day, another option is chamomile tea. I use my T2 Tea For One Set, add some loose leaf chamomile and sit with my family for Netflix sesh. It’s one of my favourite things to do before bed.
I definitely feel the difference between loose leaf tea to bags. If you’re looking to buy some loose leaf tea, I wouldn’t recommend a Tea For One set (I got it as gift) because they can be a bit pricey. Instead, I would buy & recommend these cool glass cups that come with infusers!
I found them on Amazon. If didn’t already have the Tea For One, this is what I would’ve bought!
Light An Incense Stick
Some days, when I’m extra stressed, or feel like I need it, I light an anti-stress or chakra cleaning incense. The incenses are great because they’re strong and they stay! So not only do you go to sleep smelling the incense, but when you wake up too.
Incense are a great option because they’re super cheap! I found my favourite incense on eBay. This is where I seem to find them cheaper and in bulk! All you need to invest in is an incense holder.
Put Your Feet On Rock Salts
I learnt this trick when I started seeing a Reiki healer (highly recommend one!!). She recommended using rock salts
 & mini tea light candles
every night, before bed, to help my body of negative energy.
This was what I did (based on what the Reiki specialist told me):
- Use two tea light candles – one on each side of me
- Laid a towel down in front of arm chair
- Sprinkled rock salts on the towel
- Sat down and put my feet on the salts
- After 2 minutes I moved the tea light candles a bit further away
- After another 2 minutes I repeat the same thing
- Then I sat there for about 20 minutes (you can be on your phone, watching TV or whatever you want)
Natural Holistic Health has a great article on using sea salt to cleanse negative energy! It also gives a few other suggestions on how to do it.
Have A Shower At Night To Wash Away The Day
If you’re more a morning shower person, try a quick shower at night too. This was another idea I got from my Reiki healer. She asked me when I showered, and said to try showering at night instead.
It’s like washing the days negative energy away and preparing your body for sleep. I’ve only done this for the past week, but I definitely feel the difference.
I once heard of a visualisation technique where you can picture the water cleansing you. Cleaning away the bad energy. Maybe that’s something to try too?
[postgopher]
Enjoy A Salt bath
Baths are underrated!! Adding a bath at night and a lil’ salt to the mix can work wonders. Epsom Salts
are great to add to your bath time!
I found a great bath detox recipe from Elizabeth Rider. It’s Epsom salts and baking powder – two staple items! And you can add an essential oil too (optional).
Try Replacing Your Screens For Some Reading Time
I had a bad habit of using some form of screen before bed. Whether it was my phone, Kindle
or laptop. I knew that this could effect my sleep, but I was too caught up in my habit. Sometimes I still do use my phone before bed. It’s a hard habit to kick!
Now I consciously keep a book and journal (I use a simple journal from Kikki-K you can find it here) next to my side table. That’s where they stay. And before bed I make an effort to read. My journal is also there in case I need to write something that comes to mind.
I only read for 10 minutes. It’s more a way to keep screens out of my face before I sleep because they can mess with your body’s production of melatonin. The brightness of the screen can tell your body it’s time to stay awake – hence the trouble falling asleep!
I also try to cut use of my phone and laptop an hour before bed. I find I always sleep better when I do this. I definitely notice the difference in sleep if I’ve used a device like my laptop right before bed.
Use A Body Clock Alarm
A few years ago I decided to invest in a Lumie Bodyclock
. It was one of the best decisions I ever made! It’s an alarm clock that works with light.
It mimics a sunset and sunrise. So when you have the light on and set the alarm the night before, the light will slowly dim like a sunrise to prepare you to sleep. And in the morning, it slowly lights up 15, 30 or 45 minutes before your set alarm time.
I LOVE it. It doubles as a reading light too. It gives you a good amount of reading time and dims to remind you it’s time to sleep.
If you struggle to wake up in the morning, this is also a great option. Alarm sounds can be quite stressful to wake up to. That sudden ringing, especially when you’re in a deep sleep, can STILL leave you cranky even AFTER a good sleep.
Whereas waking up with a slow light (and a lighter sound), can mean you can hang up your cranky pants for good and wake up to a (albeit man made) sunset.
So to recap this post. Some things to try for better sleep (that have completely changed my life and could change yours too!) are:
- Using essential oils before bed
- Swapping your usual coffee or tea for peppermint/chamomile
- Lighting incense
- Putting your feet on salts
- Taking a shower before bed
- Having a salt bath before bed
- Cutting screens an hour before bed and reading
- Using a light alarm clock to help dim the lights before bed and help you wake up better
Feel free to comment! I’d love to hear your pre-sleep routine? What tips and tricks help you sleep like a baby!
