As some of you might know, I recently enjoyed a pamper night in. Taking the time to relax and spoil myself while in the midst of a whole lot of stress was just what the doctor ordered. You may also remember that I mentioned I had never slept so good and felt so well rested. Believe it or not, that feeling gave way to a nice spurt of productivity the next day as well, which made me wonder how I can hang on to this feeling forever!
Well, I guess nothing lasts forever, but I did do a little thinking as to which of these activities I should repeat in order to hang on to at least some of this feeling. Obviously things like a full body scrub and facial mask aren’t things to do every day, but having good sleep hygiene can in fact go a long way to a better night’s sleep and a more balanced and productive life.
What is Sleep Hygiene?
Actually I only came across this term recently myself – I always just thought it was a sleep routine, I didn’t know there was a rather clinical name for it – but it really is just having a good routine and making lifestyle choices that promote healthy sleeping habits. Some of these lifestyle choices include exercise, limiting caffeine and sugar intake, for example. But the part that really interested me was a routine before bed.
If You Build It, Sleep Will Come.
For those of you who have been following me for a while, you may know that I developed some anxiety issues at university and have been pretty open about it. One of the things that tends to go down as stress and anxiety levels go up, is the ability to sleep.
Since I’m tired of being tired, I’m thinking more often about investing in my sleep and how to get the best out of it. I’ve been reading a lot about memory foam mattresses, and how the material can improve sleep quality over time. I’ve been told to check out an online mattress company named Eve, which I heard allows 100 nights to test out the mattress… not bad! I’m also going to buy the softest possible sheets and pillow cases. And when I say soft, I mean that baby kittens won’t even be this soft. Looking into it further, I know that having a good routine before bed can be crucial, as the university “pulling all-nighters to finish term papers and basically grabbing sleep whenever you can” lifestyle doesn’t seem to make a regimented routine plausible.
My Beauty Evening and My New Bed Routine
After my evening in, followed by my well-rested morning, I decided to re-think this again and try to outline a dedicated bedtime routine to stick to. The science behind this is that repetition will signal your body for sleep. So, this partly requires you to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, but can also include things like drinking a cup of your favourite herbal tea, as the familiarity and even the taste triggers memory and tells your body it’s time for sleep.
In my routine, I hope to also commit to unplugging two hours before bed; this one is difficult but necessary. Not only does blue light from the computer screen or phone interrupt your body’s natural circadian rhythm, but it keeps your mind engaged in work mode instead of winding down. I have also implemented a good and relaxing face cleansing practice and am now making moisturising before bed part of the routine as well. I think this relaxed me so much last time and was partly responsible for the good night’s sleep. This is my plan, and time will tell how it will go.
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