Sleep is magic. With it we are full of energy, clear-headed and healthy. Without it we become zombies, but instead of brains we crave z’s. And if you’re anything like me, that zombie mindset makes you do things you wouldn’t usually do -make mistakes, skip out on time with friends and family and maybe even neglect responsibilities. Or even worse, zombie walk to the kitchen to shovel sweets in your mouth at 3am.
I’ve created a list of things that I use to gain the most restful sleep so you can be the best non-zombie you that you can be.
Headspace Meditation App
Headspace is a free guided meditation app. There is a paid subscription as well, but you don’t have to in order to get plenty of short, guided meditations. Meditating helps relax you and allows you to brain-dump anxious-driven thoughts, your to-do list for the next 3 years or all the embarrassing memories you have from age 5 to present. Basically everything that keeps you up at night.
Headspace doubles as a teaching app as well. Meditation is much more than closing your eyes and breathing weird (yeah, I was shocked too). The meditations can be as short as 3 minutes. And if you are usually staring at your ceiling for hours, there is no harm in trying it out.
Lavender Essential Oil
I love lavender. The essential oil promotes relaxation and relieves anxiety. You can put a drop or two on a tissue, cloth, or pillowcase to have on your bed. It was the first essential oil I bought from doTERRA and I became obsessed. Putting lavender on my pillowcase or diffusing a couple drops has been a game changer in the realm of sleep for me. This is coming from someone who has anxious thoughts, worries about everything, and has intense nightmares.
doTERRA’s Serenity blend is a good choice to promote restful sleep as well. It includes lavender and other calming oils such as roman chamomile, cedarwood and Hawaiian sandalwood.
These oils can be diffused (you can buy a cheap diffuser on amazon), used on bedding and/or 2-3 drops can be added to baths. And taking a bath is in and of itself pretty dang relaxing. Add Epsom salt, candles and relaxing music and you have yourself a recipe for peace.
Lush Sleepy Lotion
Speaking of lavender, Lush makes a lotion aptly named Sleepy that has lavender in it. It is a somewhat thick lotion and has oatmeal in it that helps with dry skin. It also smells like heaven. I will forever recommend taking a hot bath and putting Sleepy lotion on before bed. You’ll smell like heaven and sleep like an angel. You don’t have to put it all over, but I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I usually put it on my arms and neck at least to initiate maximum angelic sleep mode.
Turn Off the TV and Turn On the Rain
Okay, so this isn’t really a product, but it has helped me a lot. The noise and light from the TV have always helped me fall asleep. This probably comes from the fact that my father would stay up to 2am with the tv on loudly in the living room and I found it comforting to know he was awake and watching over us all. However, the noise and light actually interrupts my sleep once I get there. I have taken to making a playlist on spotify dedicated to rain, thunderstorms and other sounds I find highly relaxing. The noise is gentler (basically more like white noise) and just makes me feel safe and cozy. As for the light, I keep my phone on the dimmest setting and set it on my bedside stand. It still gives me the same comfort as the TV, without the interruptions. I strongly suggest making your own playlist of soothing sounds instead of leaving the TV on.
Grey Girl 