Sleep is an important part of our lives. It helps with our mental health, our immune system, is a restorative step for the body and helps to keep us energised. Achieving better sleep is one of the best things we can do for our overall health.
Unfortunately, with increased stress and anxiety, comes worse sleep. In a time such as this, with stress and anxiety being so widespread and long lasting, sleep has come a bit harder for the large majority of us. It can be hard to find ways to calm down and rest enough to fall asleep.
We’ve put together a short routine to help you fall asleep more easily and achieve better sleep in just 4 steps, boosting your overall wellbeing.
1. Adjust your room and bed for better sleep
Bring in calming elements, like plants, calming colours, books, etc, to reduce the amount that external factors have an effect on your sleep. Remember to leave the gadgets outside of the room so that they don’t disrupt your circadian rhythm.
2. Enhance your calming atmosphere with a diffuser
By using a quality sleep oil in a home diffuser, you can set up the perfect mood for better sleep and help to train your brain that it is time to sleep. It can calm you down and ensure that you are ready for bed. Try reading or journaling while you breathe in the calming scent to help reduce your stress and get your thoughts out before bed so you aren’t up all night thinking.
3. Take a supplement to support your alpha brain waves
Alpha waves are a type of brain wave that are active while you're resting. L-Theanine, an amino acid naturally found in chamomile and green teas, helps your brain to increase levels of alpha waves, GABA, serotonin and dopamine. Research shows L-theanine can improve the quality of sleep, not by acting as a sedative, but by lowering anxiety and promoting relaxation.
4. Reset your mind with essential oils applied to your sensory points
Sensory points are spots in the body where there is a high concentration of nerves, so when you apply calming essential oils to these points, it is highly relaxing - and conducive to better sleep. For sleep, the sensory points include the earlobes, the soles of the feet, and the neck. These points support a sense of inner calm and create the perfect sensorial experience that helps your brain associate the smell with sleep and gets the limbic system working.
