Lights Out
In a recent bid to quell my sporadic anxiety, I decided to do a little audit of my sleeping environment.
I luckily don’t suffer from insomnia, but since I’ve started meditating more seriously (30mins per day) I have noticed the quality of my sleep and dreams being sooooo much better.
Also- this loadshedding isn’t helping- sudden beeps from all over the house mid-sleep letting you know everything’s come back to life. Thanks, Eskom.
Firstly, everyone and their pet llama recommends not using your phone/iPad/laptop before bed. But I’ll be honest- that’s never going to happen. I do my best thinking at night, mid-movie binge, with my sketchbooks and notepads and pens all over my bed. So let’s politely forget about that one thanks, Arianna Huffington.
(If, like me, you can’t part with your electronics, www.healthline.com recommends downloading an app called ‘f.lux’ that alters the blue lights that cause computer screens to trick your body into staying awake.I have, and so far I’m loving it.)
https://justgetflux.com/
I read recently on Goop that you should never have anything smaller than a cantaloupe next to your bed. (Um, okay). I have about 70 million supplements, body products, essential oils and books next to my bed. So I tidied that all up. And made sure the bunch of fresh flowers I always have next to my bed was bigger than a melon.
Temperature is a huge deal for me when I sleep- I need open windows with block-out curtains, cotton bedding, feather duvet and pillows, and I always always have a silent fan on. Dyson’s bladeless variety are honestly the best.
Another thing all the experts recommend that I ignore is sleeping with pets. I am allergic to cats, and have 2. They are my kids, and them snuggling next to me on their teddy bears is one of my life’s greatest pleasures/vices. So I’ll just take antihistamines for the rest of my life and deal with it.
When it comes to bedding, obviously cotton is best. It breathes and is good for your skin- Mr Price Home and @home do aloe vera infused bedding and I have been using it forever. I use silk pillowcases for their skin and hair benefits- these are plentiful. McLeod & Savage already sells silk turbans and will be expanding the range to bedding in April.
In terms of supplementation, I have never needed to use melatonin but I know that this is an unbeatable sleep aid. I take magnesium every night for its incredible effect on stress and sore muscles, and I believe it helps the quality of sleep. I also use magnesium oil topically (you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/1929069857142607/) and swear by ‘Sleepy’ body lotion by LUSH. Before bed, a bath loaded with essential oils is also a sure-fire way to aid a deep sleep. If you don’t enjoy bathing, you can always burn your oils in your bedroom. (The combination of lavender, clary sage and camomile is always sublime).
The meditation app I swear by is Headspace- there’s just nothing else like it- and I have grown to associate Andy’s voice with rest and deeeeeep breathing.
Lastly, I use the ‘Relax Meditation’ app on my iPad (it works in Airplane Mode) because they use binaural sounds (barely audible) and I add the sound of rain to this. This app alone has completely changed the quality of my sleep. It also has a fade out function and alarm function. A must-have!
I hope these tips help anyone else who might have needed a sleep audit :)
If you have any tips, please comment! Sweet dreams!
Love,
Candy xo