How to have a more restful night's sleep
Sometimes, just sometimes, we find time to excavate the nether regions of other people's websites. And lo and behold, we just stumbled across a really rather good blog area on L'Occitane's site, featuring lots of useful beauty advice. Want to get rid of cellulite? Learn the difference between BB and CC creams? Know how to have more beautiful hands...? It's all there. The one issue many, many of our readers have problems with though, is sleep. If you're like us, you're always open to new suggestions – and welcome reminders of good 'sleep hygiene'. (Often it's the case that we know a lot of this – but bad habits creep back in so easily, and we need to get 'back on track'.)
So we thought we'd share this post from L'Occitane's blog on how to enjoy a more restful night's sleep. Happy snoozing...
10 Tips to promote calm and wellbeing throughout your day
After a busy and stressful day, it can be difficult to settle into restorative sleep. Up to 40 percent of the world's population gets insufficient sleep and the trend is increasing. Using simple techniques like a relaxing bedtime routine and healthy daytime habits, you can improve your sleep, so you wake up refreshed each day.
1. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
2. Do regular, balanced exercise during the day like yoga or swimming.
3. Meditate for 10 minutes during the day or before bed to settle your mind.
4. At the end of the day, take a hot shower or bath to relax your muscles and let go of stress.
5. Eat light, non-spicy food for dinner.
6. Keep a diary to leave the cares of the day on the page.
7. Give yourself a gentle hand, foot or neck massage to release built up tension.
8. Read well-loved passages from your favourite novels or poetry before sleep to put your mind at ease.
9. Spritz your pillow with a mist of essential oils which induce relaxation.
10. Create a before-bed routine such as a breathing exercises, listening to soothing music or taking a minute to reflect on what you are grateful for. Your body will come to recognise this as the signal for sleep.
Make your bedroom a restful environment
Your bedroom is the last environment you see before shutting your eyes for sleep. The decoration, artwork and furniture in your room should bring a sense of wholeness and peace that help carry you into slumber. Keep your bedroom a space dedicated to sleep, and remove unneeded furniture and clutter.
Choose bedding and decor in soft shades of yellow, peach, green or blue and mix with neutral colours to induce a feeling of peace and warmth. Ensure your bedding is comfortable and inviting and makes you want to slip under the covers.
For a peaceful night’s sleep, eliminate light and noise (no electronics or TVs) and keep the temperature cool, between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. Keep a sachet of dried lavender on your night table to help you feel settled and grounded as you close your eyes.
The secrets to a perfect nightly routine, from the South of France
Use calming essential oils from Provence to bring closure to your day and signal to your mind and body that it’s time for bed. Over 96% of women found these three L'Occitane Aromachologie products to have a soothing effect that was conducive to sleep when used together:
Relaxing Pillow Mist: spritz this mist made of essential oils from lavender, bergamot, mandarin and sweet orange on your pillow to calm your senses.
Relaxing Massage Oil: take care of your body thanks to sweet almond oil from Provence.
Relaxing Perfumed Sachets: place perfumed sachets of dried lavender, bergamot, mandarin, sweet orange and geranium on your night table to carry your thoughts towards sleep.
Find them here...