Fair to say a good night’s sleep has become a real focus these winter months just past, especially as the days got more and more Groundhog for a while there…! 

For one, I started watching movies and TV shows in bed – something I not have done in a really long time! And also found myself Twitter scrolling into the small hours, paying the price with a busy late-night mind loathe to wind down. As a result, I started looking at how to get back to a reliable night’s sleep. Here’s what helped..

Natural Fibres

I wasn’t sure but I had a hunch that one of the reasons I was sleeping badly was down to a non-natural fibre mattress. Rather than replace the whole thing, I took a chance with a merino mattress topper which immediately solved my 4am wake-ups all hot and sweaty – what a relief!

I also bought a pair of merino pyjamas (which doubled up as thermals on especially cold days!) but the best really warm sleepwear I have found is actually a loungesuit! A beautifully soft and warm set from Dress Like A Mum and her collaboration with Fox & Taylor – sustainably made from organic cotton and tencel, just the ticket!

Deep Breathing

The basics in place – bedding & PJs – the real gamechanger has been nightly breathing & meditation via a brilliant non-digital device called the Morphée. A real revelation for me as I’ve never got on that well with phone apps.

The Morphée – with over 200 different recorded sessions – turns itself off at the end so you can just drift off into the land of zizz carefree. I use it every night for body scans to relax and clear mind and body, and then mind-freeing visualisations. My eight year old loves these sessions too – he loves using them most nights now to get to sleep. And when he doesn’t, I’ve noticed he falls asleep so much quicker!

Stretch  & Scent

I’m a big fan of stretching, even if it’s just for five minutes before bed. And it’s s a lovely thing to combine with scent, whether that’s a lit candle (atm I’m burning a Wax + Wick Workshop candle from Zero Living – lots of lovely brands with no plastic packaging) or sleep spray and pulse rollers. I adore the Cult of Treehouse perfume oil for this (featured last week in my beauty round-up) and Aroma Active Laboratories (from Aromatherapy Associates for Boots)  have a brilliant sleep set including beautifully calming scented spray, pulse roller & bath salts.

Moisturize & Close Your Eyes

There’s something incredibly gentle and healing to self about taking the time to moisturise your hands, feet and lips last thing.  I love doing this just before I pull up the covers and pull down my eyemask (or weighted eye pillow) to drift off to my mediation… favourite moisturisers include Pai’s Body Cream, Keihl’s Hand Salve and Balance Me’s Firming Oil; and organic bees wax from Batch 001 for lips.

Of course some nights, you just want to fall into bed with no routine at all, but for every night I make the effort to follow through with all of the above, I know I’m adding to a better night’s sleep somewhere down the line… happy Zzz’s!