Things I do EVERY day to help me sleep better!
I used to be able to sleep anywhere and anytime! At 45 years old with teenagers and life, that is not the case anymore!
I have dealt with insomnia.
Waking up at 3am thinking about all the things that could go wrong
Hormonal hot flashes
Waking up to use the bathroom and not being able to go back to sleep
All the things!
I now have a rather high maintenance sleep routine that works for me most nights, so I wanted to share the knowledge!
This is probably no surprise, but everything you do in the day can affect your sleep! Yes…that caffeine or bite of chocolate that used to not bother you, may be the culprit today! So here is my daily routine that supports my sleep!
1) I don’t drink caffeine at all anymore! I know, I know, this seems impossible for some, but I swear I don’t miss it and not only do I sleep better, my anxiety is way less. I do, however, love the ritual of morning coffee and an afternoon iced coffee! I found this mold free decaf that is delicious and this is my go to decaf iced coffee concentrate. (You can use code SARAH20 for 20% off!)
2) I quit alcohol. And honestly, I don’t miss it. In the past few years, if I ever had more than one drink, I always felt sick to my stomach and had weird dreams or didn’t sleep well at all. Or I would fall asleep on the couch and not be able to sleep later. But again, I like the ritual of a cocktail or beer on the weekend or on the patio in the summer. The good news, there are so many mock tail ideas out there, here is my favorite Pinterest mock tail account. I drink Athletic Brewing Co non-alcoholic beer (the lite one is delicious with a slice of lime and in only 25 calories) or just have a tonic water with lime!
3) I take a pro-biotic in the morning. This helps my digestion and I swear that has helped me sleep better. Having an unhealthy gut can affect your sleep and hormones. This is the one I’m taking. It also has tumeric which I find helps me with any joint pain. I’m still testing this one, just been taking a month, but will adjust this post with my upadates!
3) I try to eat 30 grams of protein at every meal. This is hard for me, but I realized when I keep to this routine, I feel more stable and never get ‘starving’ or wake up in the night hungry.
4) I keep my hormones in check. After testing from my naturopath, I was found to have a higher estrogen level. (heavier periods, hot flashes, and PMS) I am also in perimenopause, which can make hormones fluctuate. I take a high level of vitamin ADK and DIM to help flush out excess estrogen, which in turn helps me sleep better! My naturopath says to never supplement without bloodwork! Great advice I wanted to pass on. I might need completely different things than you, so find yourself a doctor to test you! Also, I’m not a doctor or diagnosing anyone, just sharing my experience.
5) I use natural sleep aids too! These are two natural options: Remifemin Sleep (good for hormones and hot flashes too) and Calms Forte. When I added these to my routine, I started having much deeper sleep!
6) I sleep in a cool room year round. I get very hot when I sleep so I need it to be cool so I can fall and stay asleep. We have our ceiling fan going with our AC or the heat turned low in the winter.
7) I use essential oils. I diffuse sleep oils every night in our room. I try to get this started before bed so my room smells nice and relaxing by the time I’m ready to sleep. I also make a sleep roller that I use on my wrists and neck before bed. You can see this recipe and some of my favorite sleep oils and below!
8) I use this CBD. I love this CBD because it’s an isolate, which means that it contains zero THC. I take a dropper of this at night before bed and it really helps to calm my mind. I really notice when I run out how much it helped me!
9) I use an eye mask and we have separate blankets! This is my favorite eye mask. I have had it for years and it does a great job of keeping the light out, but it’s not too tight. Something else we also started that has been a game changer, is that Joe and I now have our own separate blankets. We fought over covers and temperature for 17 years and I finally decided we needed out own blankets, and man, I wish we had done this sooner. Also, did you know this is customary in Scandinavia? It’s called the Scandinavian Sleep Method and you can read more about it here.
10) I read a REAL book before bed. I occasionally read books on my phone, but I know it’s best to keep the phone away before sleeping, so my summer goal is to read paperbacks and plug my phone in earlier! I usually only make it a few pages before I fall asleep!
And here are my favorite essential oils recipes for sleep! Oils work differently on each person, so if you've tried a sleepy blend and it didn't do what you hoped it would, try another! Or just try it again!!
Sleep Roller
10 ml roller bottle
10 drops each lavender, cedarwood, Roman chamomile
Top with fractionated coconut oil
Roll on feet, wrists, or neck before bed.
Some of these things may seem extreme for you, (I know everyone isn’t ready to give up caffeine) so take what you need from my list. If you told me a year ago I’d stop the caffeine and alcohol, I’d have thought you were crazy. I think we all know deep down when something will help us and that’s exactly what happened to me!
A little personal background, I had a panic attack in March in the middle of the night and thought I was having a heart attack. (I wasn’t, but thought I was.) This really scared me and took me over a week to recover from. Lots of sleepless nights and I was over it! I realized that I needed to try ALL the things so here I am now. And if you’re my age (45) you know that perimenopause can wreak havoc on sleep! Just be honest with yourself and what you need!
(Just a note: Supplements I’m using are based on my experience. I’m not a doctor and I am not diagnosing anything, just sharing my experience. I will say that a good naturopath helped me tremendously after having bloodwork to find a good balance that helps me!)
Have sleep tips I didn’t mention? Drop them in the comments!
XO
Sarah