So what I should be doing right now is writing an insightful, powerful blog about brain dumping and why it’s so amazing (which I will do, I promise, because it truly is!).
What I’ve actually been doing all morning is going down a rabbit hole of expensive, beautiful bedding (one of my secret penchants, well actually probably not so secret if you follow my Facebook/Instagram stories – lol) and looking at cloud-soft throws made from the finest alpaca…because every girl needs one, right?
Why is this relevant I hear you ask. It’s relevant because bedding is my passion. In fact, having a beautiful bedroom is my passion. It’s my oasis of calm, my sanctuary, the place that enables me to sleep, calms be down, provides a peace that I think we all need in our lives. I spend a lot of time, energy and money making it so. It’s always tidy, smells devine, and is the perfect ambient temperature.
Was I always like this? nope. Not even close.
How I used to be
I used to be that girl who thought “I only need a few hours… I ‘m so cool”. Wrong. So very utterly wrong it’s actually kind of embarrassing. Actually I need 8 hours. My body loves 8 hours, it thrives on it. And now it chooses it. I choose it. Actively.
What does that mean? It means that I figure out what time I need to wake up, so what time I need to be asleep and I work backward. I work on my sleep hygiene and prioritise it to the point where it’s actually a non-negotiable in my life.
What is sleep hygiene?
According to the Sleep Foundation, “Strong sleep hygiene means having both a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep. Keeping a stable sleep schedule, making your bedroom comfortable and free of disruptions, following a relaxing pre-bed routine, and building healthy habits during the day can all contribute to ideal sleep hygiene.”
And that’s pretty much nailed it. Sleep hygiene is how you prioritise your sleep, what you do to influence it, and how you make sure you value it. Now, to be clear, you can’t control how much sleep you actually do get but you can certainly influence it.
Ideas for sleep hygiene
Set your sleep schedule – make sure you sleep and wake up at a similar time of day, every day, regardless of whether it’s a weekend or week day.
Factor in some wind-down time that actually suits YOU. For me, it’s at least an hour, for others it’s just 30 minutes because they can generally fall asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow.
Do all of your jobs before you get into the bedroom so that when you actually finish your shower/bath/skincare routine and get into your pjs you can get straight into bed – not start a series of chores of putting clothes away, sorting out your dressing table, or whatever. When you go into your bedroom, the lighting should be dim, the temperature perfect, the sleepy smell already in place, etc.
Keep your routine consistent – it can massively help your brain to understand that it’s time for bed… my favourite routine is to run my bath (I live in a ridiculously old house where the bath takes at least 30 mins to run), and whilst its running I tidy my room, put my clothes away and then start my skincare routine. I put my pjs on the radiator so they’re all snuggly and warm, set the temperature, plug in my diffuser to billow out sleepy smells, and if it’s chilly pop a gorgeous hot water bottle into my bed. I do the same every night and my body and brain love it. When I come out of the bath, I smother myself in beautiful, rich body cream, put my pjs on and make sure my phone is on sleep mode (no notifications until morning).
Dim your lights: Try to keep away from bright lights because they can hinder the production of melatonin- the hormone that the body creates to facilitate sleep. So create a subtle glow with things like Himalayan salt lamps, candles, etc.
Also, I would highly recommend tracking your sleep so you know how much sleep you’re getting as it helps to make it a priority in your life.
If you would like to learn more about how to work on your sleep and cherish it, PLUS join in with a BEAUTIFUL group of women who will support, love, and cherish you as well as to benefit from bite-sized coaching, live weekly coaching, and so much more, have a look at my Feed Your Fairy Membership HERE which is bring so much joy and happiness to so many women.