Owl + Lark and the Perfect Guide to Sleep
The wonder of sleep, having restful slumber can be tricky for some especially in the fast paced world we now all live in. Sleep is one of the things I do focus on as it is so very important to our overall health and wellbeing, we shouldn’t discard it and be neglectful.
There are a few easy steps to follow to guide us into a natural routine to aid good sleep, as it simply is one of our most basic needs and many of us just don’t get enough. Starting with being exposed to sunlight during the day, as well as darkness at night, helps to maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle. Going for a walk or being outside at least an hour a day is so beneficial alongside boosting your vitamin D levels. Exercise even if its only 10 minutes of aerobic exercise aids good sleep, walking, cyling, swimming all wonderful to keeping fit and sleeping well. Try to reduce your cafine and alcohol intake especially just before bed. Also think about when you have your evening meal, try and eat earlier rather than later, having your dinner several hours before bed also helps digestion and maintaining a healthy weight.
Introducing a relaxing evening routine helps enormously, I swear by having a warm bath topped off with essential oils to calm my body after a hard day. Curling up with favourite tv show or book helps you switch off from the world. Most importantly make your bedroom a santuary, keep it tidy and fuss free and cool. Have clean comfortble bedding, the right mattress and duvet covers to regulate your body heat, nothing worse than overheating. Keep all devices phones and laptops out of your bedroom and reduce screen time before going to bed, this tip is a no brainer your bedroom is your space to relax and feel calm so no daily reminders of the outside world.
The next tip is quite a simple one, routine, go to sleep around the same time each day, after all your relaxing routine is done going to bed and sleeping at the same time each day truly works. 7-8 hours is the recommended duration and I truly don’t function properly if I don’t get this, being consistent with what time you go to sleep and wake in the morning is so beneficial.
I love linen, especially in my bedroom, even my curtains are linen, I have a good sleep routine but my curtains aren’t lined so in the summer months it does get light quite early but doesn’t affect my sleep, I wake naturally around the same time each morning. This obviously isn’t the case for everyone and a litle help is needed, wearing a sleep mask solves many of these problems and Owl + Lark have the perfect sleep mask. Made from mulberry silk it is quite decandent, with its breathable and black out layers it is soft and comfortable to wear, perfect for those who find light a problem. Its also great for when you are travelling, sleeping on the move can be quite tricky.
Owl + Lark are renowned for their ultra luxurious cashmere surfaced mattress alongside their range of bedding, weighted blankets and of course the sleep masks. Behind these sleep products their misison is to help and educate everyone to understand and optimise their circadian rhythms of the body’s daily cycles, achieving better sleep,mental balance and physical health along the way. Their journal is a great source of knowledge and exploration of the world of sleep and circadian science, definitely worth a read if you find sleeping difficult.
So if you do all of the above, creating yourself a daily routine to aid better sleep then these signs below definitely mean that you are on the right track to cracking those good nights of slumber.
Falling asleep soon after getting into bed
You sleep straight through the night
You sleep the recommended hours for your age group
You fall back asleep within 20 minutes if you do wake up
You feel rested, restored and energised waking up in the morning
I love sleeping and considering you spend a third of your life in bed its a good job really. So hopefully this post will help you find the love of sleep too.
- with thanks to Owl + Lark for gifting the sleep mask
