Who doesn’t love sleep? Cuddling up in your duvet, closing your eyes, preparing to drift off and have sweet dreams… Except my brain never seems to shut up and I end up thinking about the 101 things I need to do the next day! That’s why I try and stick to a routine in the evening to relax and help me sleep and get some zzz’s! Here’s my list of top tips to help you get that all important beauty sleep!
Light a candle
I think lighting a candle in the evening is the perfect way to start relaxing. I like to use a candle with essential oils and a natural not to overpowering scent. My top two at the moment are This Work Ginger & Neroli candle and Bloomtown Botanicals The Woods Coconut Wax candle, which is scented with a mix of Vetiver, Cedar and Bergamot. Obviously it’s important not to leave your candle burning when you’ve gotten into bed (don’t want to go falling asleep with a lit candle in the room!) but candles are great to light an hour or so before bedtime so the calming scents linger in your room. If you’re not into candles you can check out delta 8 carts review for a range of different vape cartridges that could relax your to help you sleep
Drink some tea
Drinking a warm cup of herbal, caffeine free tea before getting into bed is a great way to relax. I’ve been especially loving peppermint tea and spiced ginger tea recently. Both these teas settle your tummy and have numbing and calming effects on the body. It’s important to take your time drinking it and take little sips to really let it work it’s sleepy, relaxing magic.
No Electronics
This is the one I struggle with the most, it’s so tempting to hop into bed and start scrolling through Twitter and Instagram or pop a show up on my iPad. Electronics have a blue based back light which keeps you awake for longer. My iPhone and iPad are automatically set to turn on ‘night shift mode’ at 8pm. This mode minimises blue light and dulls your phone. I then try my best to leave my devices on the far side of my room once it’s time to get ready for bed to prevent me from being tempted.
A Good Book
The only allowance I make is when I have a book by the bed. It isn’t always part of my bedtime routine, but if I can’t switch off, it becomes the perfect way to set myself to “away.” It becomes a little bit of the evening that’s just for me. I have even bought reading glasses and now when I put them on it’s just like getting into a cosy blanket! Sites like www.eyeglasses.com have plenty to choose from. If you struggle to drift off because your mind is going, a book is far better than scrolling through social media!
Skincare
In my opinion, a good skincare routine will help you get a great nights sleep and help you to wake up feeling much more refreshed. I like to take my makeup off in the evening after dinner when I’m not too tired. I have a post on my in depth skincare routine if you’d like to know what products I use before bed but I like to make sure I’ve removed all my makeup, cleansed and moisturised before getting into bed. The smell of the Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm always relaxes me before bed!
Lighting
Bright lights are definitely not going to help you sleep. I have a cute little mood light from IKEA. It lights up in different blues and greens and there’s one that lights up pink and red. Mood lighting and dim light definitely helps me drift off to sleep. I’m really wanting to try one of those natural light lamps that can be set to start dulling gradually to help you drift off but for now I love my mood light from ikea!
Essential oils
Essential Oils are great for calming and relaxing the body and mind. My top two amazing smelling products to help you sleep are This Work’s Deep Sleep Pillow Spray and Bloomtown Botanicals The Meadow Roll on Oil. I recently purchased the This Works limited edition Super Size version of the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray as I love it so much! It seriously helps me relax and drift off to sleep. The spray is scented with Lavender, Vetiver and Camomile, not only does it help you get to sleep but it also leaves you feeling much more refreshed in the morning. I also adore Bloomtown Botanicals The Meadow Roll on Oil. The Meadow is scented with Lavendar, Rose Geranium and Camomile (I’m starting to see a pattern with the scents I like!) though they have a few other scents if you prefer different smells. I apply the oil to my wrists and the smell is so calming!
Eye Mask
My final tip is to use an eye mask, not any old one though, you could
have a look at an online guide, like this one on the best eye masks, but I was kindly sent a SpaceMask* to try out and oh my goodness, it was an amazing experience! You might have seen SpaceMask’s popping up all over Instagram. They’re single use masks that heat up and send you straight to sleep! Spacemask explain on their website that “the heating process works by a thin layer of iron filings entwining with the oxygen molecules in the air” As soon as you open the packet the mask starts to heat up so it’s important you only open it when you’re ready to use it. The mask is also faintly scented with jasmine to relax you. When you jump into bed, open your mask, pop the strings over your ears, close your eyes and you’ll drift off to sleep in a warm, jasmine haze. I honestly fell asleep within ten minutes of popping this mask on. You can buy SpaceMask’s in packs of 5 costing only £15 per box which I think is very reasonable! I’d definitely advise buying a box and seeing for yourself how amazing these masks are!
I hope you enjoyed this post and that these tips help you get a better nights sleep! Do you have anything that you think helps you drift off and get a great nights sleep?
Aaaah I swear by that pillow spray! The space mask sounds perfect for me too, definitely looking into them x
I’ve actually been struggling with getting a good night’s sleep the past couple of weeks, so I’m definitely going to try some of these tips to see which ones work for me. 🙂 And I honestly don’t know why I never thought of using an eye mask! My curtains let in a lot of light in the morning, especially now that the sun is rising earlier, so I think this would be something that would definitely help me sleep longer – and possibly even better, too.
xoxo
Freya
thatgirlyt.wordpress.com
I really need to start turning my phone off, its like a addiction to scroll through twitter aha!!x
http://www.nicoleannx.co.uk/
I really need to start staying off my phone before I go to bed! I know it massively affects how quickly I fall asleep! X
Kate// itskaterose.com
Lovely post! I have such a hard time turning off the electronics at night, but a good book helps xx.
Love the essential oils idea! Lighting Ian a huge one for me, too. I start turning off lights around 9pm and my husband is always like HEY, what are you doing?
It’s so hard to put the phone down, though!
xx
Emily
emilyhallock.blogspot.com
Ah I love these eye masks! I get self-heating ones from Japan and I pay around £5 for 5 or £10 for 14, so they’re a little cheaper than the spacemasks but not going to lie they look so cool! I love the design. I totally agree that changing your phone settings and essential oils are the way to go! <3
sophieannetaylor.com
I’ve been having trouble falling asleep lately and I really don’t know why. I love this routine. I used to drink chamomile tea as it’s great for relaxing. xo
Antonia || Sweet Passions
Glad to see that tea has a spot in your nighttime routine! 💖
These are brilliant tips, thanks for posting this! I definitely need to change my sleep routine!
This is such a good routine which I only occasionally follow (need to get into it again). I love candles and that one you’ve mentioned, Bloomtown Botanicals, sounds so good! I’m so bad with remembering to do my skin routine before bed but whenever I do it is so refreshing and makes going to bed that little bit more easier with a fresh and pampered face. That space mask sounds really amazing and helpful, I may have to try one at some point to see if it works with me (even though I’m not a fan of wearing masks to bed).
Great tips and routine!
Abs x
https://afababulouslife.blogspot.com
This advice is great and really important! I’m so bad at switching off electronics, but I’m working on it! I swear by pillow sprays and candles – they help me feel relaxed so quickly. Love your routine! Aoife x
Hi, I need to improve my night time routine. Which spiced ginger tea do you recommend? Thanks Chloe #TeacupClub
This seems like a great relaxing routine! Wish I could light candles but they give me headaches 🙁 I try to dim my lights, put on some music, and put a Face mask on!
I love these tips, so helpful! I struggle so much with making sure to not go on my phone at night. I’ll need to try putting it at the other side of the room too!
Claire xo
Ooh these sound like the perfect way to wind down on a Sunday evening before the working week! I always find trouble getting into relaxed mode, so I’ll try this out! Thanks 😀
These tips are so helpful, especially the point you make about electronics! it’s so tempting to take a quick scroll which then usually ends up being 30 minutes long haha. Thanks for sharing! -Ruminvte xo
I love to have a routine before I sleep and will definitely be adding a few of these in. I never even thought about lighting a candle but it sounds so cute!
Sarah | sazsinclair.blogspot.co.uk xx
I really need to stay off my phone before I go to bed because my sleeping patterns are so messed up! Thankyou for sharing xx
I used to use most of these tips, but I’ve just got lazy now. Although I do just need to buy a new candle and make a herbal tea before coming upstairs rather than thinking of it as an after thought. great post though.
I’m SO BAD at switching off before I go to sleep, I’m online til almost the minute I fall asleep! I do love taking a nice candlelit bath before bed, it can be SO relaxing! xx
This post is amazing! I love your pictures so much, they are so so pretty! Big love! I don’t really have a beauty sleep routine. The only constant is that I go to bed at 11pm but I know I should switch off all devices at least an hour before! thanks for sharing these tips! xx corinne
I love a peppermint tea, something so soothing about it! I need to start putting my phone on night mode xxx
I definitely need to get as good as you when it comes to a routine before bed. A lot of the time I’m working so don’t get in till at least 2 or 3 in the morning, but it still takes me forever to finally get to sleep. If I’m struggling, I also read a bit of one of my books, just so that my mind gets a bit more tired and I can drift off a bit easier
For someone who really struggles to get a good nights sleep this post was super interesting to me. I am really considering ordering some of those SpaceMasks because they just sound fab! 🙂
I love this post! I always have 101 things on my mind too at night. Just reading this makes me more relaxed. I’m definitely trying some of these tonight. Thanks for sharing!
x. Cattleya
alittlecattleya.com
I’ve been stuck on peppermint and ginger tea lately too! But I use another form of mood lighting, a Himalayan salt lamp. You can dim the light inside of the salt and it’s like sitting by a bonfire 😍 I definitely recommend trying it out!
Yes to drinking tea👍😀