Everyone knows that good sleep is the key to success, and with World Sleep Day on 18thMarch 2022, taking on a more mindful bedtime routine can be beneficial in the preparation of your sleep, and therefore its quality.
There is now a generation of people who look at screens all day, can rarely switch off and always feel accessible, so it’s easy to see why so many people struggle with sleep. Here, we have sourced some expert sleeping tips and some great product suggestions to slot into your mindful sleep prep to make your routine work better for you.
Natural Sleep Aids We Love – Enjoy a relaxing hot drink
Many of us enjoy a hot drink after dinner when watching TV or enjoying a Netflix binge, but caffeine and sugar will not help in switching our bodies off before bed. Designed to help unwind and enjoy life to the fullest, the Four Sigmatic Mushroom Cacao Mix with Reishi is a traditional way to ingest “medicines”; Reishi mushroom, the main active ingredient of Mushroom Hot Cacao with Reishi is nature’s ultimate anti-stress tonic. As an intelligent mushroom, Reishi may help balance an overactive hormone system and improve sleep quality. Cinnamon and cardamom balance blood sugar levels, aid digestion and kill sweet cravings, while Cacao is an effective mood enhancer and antioxidant source.
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Cacao with Reishi, RRP £12.50 (Box of 10 Sachets), Holland and Barrett
Natural Sleep Aids We Love – Have a mindful bath or shower
To begin a more mindful bedtime routine, Penny Hamilton, Westlab’s Founding Partner and Bath Salt Expert recommends; “Up to an hour before bed, you should avoid bright artificial lights from the TV, computer or phone, as this signals to your brain that you should be awake. Other simple changes such as avoiding caffeine or nicotine are also key as these substances can interfere with sleep massively, with the effects of caffeine lasting as long as 8 hours. Relaxation techniques, such as using bathing salts, will help to calm your mind and body before sleep, allowing you to have a peaceful night.”
Baths have been proven to help the body relax ahead of sleep. Westlab’s Sleep Bathing Salts are the perfect addition to add to the bath to help you peacefully drift off. Made with 100% pure Epsom and Dead Sea Salts, the relaxing vegan bath salts help to prepare bathers for a peaceful night’s sleep, with 87% reporting they felt calmer and more relaxed after use! Enhanced with Lavender essential oils, this calms and soothes the mind for the ultimate bath-time treat.
Westlab Sleep Salts | RRP £6.99, available via Look Fantastic
If bathing isn’t for you, Dr. Bronner’s Lavender soap is the ideal product for a mindful shower. You can choose between the Liquid Castile Soap or the Pure-Castille Bar Soap.
Scented with pure lavender and lavandin oils to calm the mind and soothe the body, Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Lavender Liquid Soap is concentrated, biodegradable, versatile, and effective.
Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Liquid Castile Soap | RRP £8.49
Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castille Lavender Bar Soap | RRP £5.49 drbronner.co.uk
Natural Sleep Aids We Love – Use sleepy scents that will keep you asleep
After washing, use a selection of skin-loving products that have sleep-inducing fragrances to help you drift off. The Tune-In Soothing Lavender collection from Nordic beauty brand Urtekram provides a naturally delicate scent of relaxing Lavender whilst the moisturising and hydrating ingredients work wonders on the skin.
Infused with aloe vera, shea butter, and natural oils to pamper the skin, these products are a great way to add some laid-back Nordic culture to your sleep routine. Urtekram is also proudly vegan, cruelty-free, and certified by Ecocert Cosmos Organic.
Urtekram Tune In Soothing Lavender Body Lotion | RRP £6.99 Available via The Fragrance Shop online.
Natural Sleep Aids We Love – Change the way you think about mundane tasks
Some steps we do before bed become so routine for us it is easy for us to go into autopilot mode. By making ourselves aware of these tasks, it reminds us that every step we are taking is helping us to look after our bodies and be more mindful. Brand new for 2022, Amaku tooth tablets are an innovative new launch transforming the repetitive routine of teeth brushing. Based on scientific research, Amaku tooth tablets were born out of a desire to create a ground-breaking oral care routine, harnessing nature’s finest ingredients along with the latest in science-driven performance. These teeth cleaning tablets strengthen, protect and whiten teeth using an innovative hero ingredient and an alternative to fluoride which is highly regarded by dentists worldwide and recognised in Japan as ‘gold standard’, Nano-hydroxyapatite.
Flavoured with citrus, anise, and peppermint oil, the tooth tablets don’t leave an overly minty flavour in the mouth, making them a great, gentler alternative to regular toothpaste for bedtime.
Amaku Tooth Tablets | RRP £12.50 from lookfantastic.co.uk
Natural Sleep Aids We Love – Self massage to fall asleep
Why not make your skincare products work hard whilst you rest? Mavala’s Absolute Night Balm is a lipid-replenishing and re-densifying night mask that provides bounce, comfort and elasticity to the skin. Its ultra-fine and light balmy texture mean that the product can be used overnight for a deep hit of hydration and a luxury sleep experience. Due to its silky texture, it is a great product to use for facial massage tools such as a Gua Sha, meaning you can give yourself a relaxing sleep-inducing facial ahead of bed.
In-house expert at Mavala Lynn Mason says “The Gua Sha tool is shaped perfectly to move effortlessly around the contours of your face. Used correctly, it can encourage lymphatic drainage, boost blood circulation, help stimulate collagen production, reduce dark circles & puffiness around the eyes, and leave the skin feeling more toned, brighter, and all-around looking healthier. You should use a product that will not easily be absorbed into the skin so you have the slip & glide to use the tool without dragging like a balm-textured product of a leave-on mask such as this. The best techniques to use are ‘up and out’ movements like a therapist would do in a facial within a salon, thus helping to achieve all the benefits of the Gua Sha”.
Mavala Nutri-Elixir Absolute Night Balm | RRP £30 from Look Fantastic
As well as the face, massaging parts of the body that might be feeling sore or tired can make sleep feel more comfortable. Hands in particular work hard all day and can often hold a lot of stress. A simple hand massage to end your bedtime routine can work wonders for your whole body’s relaxation. Polish skincare range Organic Series Regenerating Hand Cream contains Shea butter, sesame oil, and almond oil, and strongly stimulates the production of collagen to help hands look more youthful.
Being mindful and taking time to work on each finger and then the wrists will help ease tension and allow the hands the TLC they deserve.
