Can there be anything more precious than being able to slip into bed and instant drift off to sleep? You deal with stress through the day which you then try to combat by filling their body with stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. And at the end of the day, when it’s time to sleep, you realize that you just can’t sleep as well as you used to. Though you can’t change your life completely, there are some things you can do before going to bed that can help you sleep better.
1. Use Calming Essential Oils
Have you noticed how a whiff of freshly baked cookies or a roast turkey can transport you back in time or make you nostalgic? Smell is one of your most powerful senses and you can use to turn your nighttime routine into a calming experience. Diffusing aromatic essential oils like lavender, bergamot, or lemon balm will send signals to your mind that it’s time to wind down and rest.
2. Give Yourself A Foot Massage
While most people take extra care of their body, feet are usually neglected even though they bear your entire weight all day long. Despite being a small part of your body, your feet have many nerve endings. In fact, acupressure, a form of alternative therapy that focuses on stimulating pressure points, maps out all your organs to various pressure points on the soles of your feet. Massaging your feet is something you can do by yourself and it can help relax your whole body. If you have acute or chronic foot pain, using a magnesium-based cream can help you get relief. All you need is a five-minute foot massage before hitting the sack.
3. Supplement Wisely
Magnesium has a relaxing effect on the body and having an adequate amount can help you unwind and relax. If you’re not too keen about massaging your feet, just could even opt for powdered magnesium drinks which can be mixed into any beverage. having magnesium in the powdered is the best and most immediate way to absorb the supplement.
4. Keep The Screens Aside
Blue light is the light that comes from your phone or laptop or any LED screens. Research shows that exposure to blue light late into the night can disrupt sleep. One of the reasons this happens is because this light sends signals to your brain that it’s still daytime. This confuses your body’s melatonin and cortisol cycles which help you get out of bed in the morning and fall asleep at night. If you wanted good quality sleep, stop using your devices about 2 hours before you go to bed. It may not seem like a big deal but you will begin to see the difference over time.
5. Dip In An Epsom Salt Bath
If you love long baths, let your stress, pain, and fatigue melt away in a magnesium salt bath. And in case you’re wondering how adding magnesium salts to your bath can help you relax, studies have shown that you can absorb the mineral through your skin. Though you may not be able to do this as part of your everyday routine, you definitely can squeeze it in a couple of times in a week.
6. Pour It Out In Writing
Here’s a completely different kind of therapy to relax: writing. Yes, just putting that pen onto paper and just sharing your deepest thoughts, emotions, vulnerabilities, shortcoming, and beautiful moments. You need not be an accomplished writer or a grammar freak to pen down what you’re feeling. It’s all about being honest with yourself without worrying about how it will read. You don’t even have to bother about completing a sentence if you don’t want to. Writing can help you clear your head and have a conversation with yourself. You can then go to bed in a calm and relaxed state of mind.
