Life can get a bit hectic with maintaining a healthy work/life balance while seeing friends, family, exercising, eating right, and after all that still being able to achieve a good night's sleep. There is sometimes such little time for rest; however, it is just as important as the other aspects of your life. A loss of sleep can cause ageing to your skin, impact your mental health and cause weight gain (which will make all the exercise seem rather pointless)

So how can you achieve a decent night's sleep?

Try aromatherapy

It’s easier to feel at peace when you’re lying in a bed surrounded by the aroma of fresh lavender in a beautiful meadow. Lavender scent and essential oils can reduce anxiety and increase the quality of sleep, so try lavender scented candles and diffusers.

Keep a sleep diary

Keeping a sleep diary can track the number of hours you get, your dreams, and what is keeping you up at night. Being able to track these elements can pinpoint where you are going wrong and can help you better understand what is disrupting your rest. Whether it’s noisy neighbours or too much caffeine. You can read more about the power of journalling here.

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Wind down for the day

Your body needs time to wind down before you try and sleep, so turn off your emails, stop aimlessly scrolling through Instagram and open a book instead. This period in the day is crucial in separating the chaos from the quiet before you get some shuteye. The blue light from your phone is an artificial color that mimics daylight. This can be great during the day since it can make you feel more alert, but it’s just the opposite of what you need at night when you’re winding down to hit the hay. 

The backup plan.

If you’re tossing and turning and cannot get to sleep, then forcing it will not make it happen the worry of not sleeping could make it worse. If the fear of insomnia is taking over, get up and take yourself away for 15-30 minutes and keep your mind busy, read a book, or start a knitting project, this way you will be focusing on your busy hands, not your busy thoughts.

Eat well to sleep well

Did you know a perfect sleep-inducing meal contains lean protein, like salmon, tofu or turkey, and complex carbohydrates like lentils sweet potato or quinoa? This combination has been shown to stimulate calming neurotransmitters that help you fall asleep. Try and avoid saturated fats because your digestive system will work overtime to break down these foods, keeping you up later.

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Put on socks

For many, the sheer thought of sleeping in socks freak you out so much you want to stop reading. However, it has been proven that socks can warm up your extremities, dilating blood vessels and increasing blood flow to help you fall and stay asleep.

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Write it out

Many people lie in bed worrying, but that is the single worst time to go over the woes of the day as it keeps you from the sleep you need to handle those issues. Plan time away from bed to write down anything you are stressing about, getting these thoughts out on paper makes room for relaxation.

Herbal tea

Settling down with a hot cup of tea at night is exactly what you need for a healthy nights sleep. Not only is the act in itself relaxing, but there is also research to show that herbal teas like chamomile naturally calm the body to an induce sleep.

Sleep in but still set an alarm

You may be in the routine of waking up every day at the same time, however, did you know that you have about 30-60 minutes of wiggle room that allows you to flex your schedule and still get the same sleep benefits.

Let the sunshine in.

Bundle up and take a brisk walk around the block soon after you wake up. Immediate exposure to morning light resets and fine-tunes your sleep-wake rhythm!

Got time for more? The Power of Journaling | How to unleash your inner eco-warrior!