Sleep is something I always need more of. Getting a puppy at the start of lockdown has meant that my sleep the last few months has been of poor quality. Many people are also telling me they haven’t been also to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night as of late. If we acknowledge the puppy is my main issue with lack of sleep, other factors could include stress due to the pandemic, warmer weather (at least in London, the weather during lockdown has been unusually sunny and dry), and most recently, longer days which makes my bedroom stay bright as I tuck myself into bed.
Back in 2017, I made a list of ideas to help with clean sleeping. I still do a few of these things, including wearing eye mask (see last point above), using an electric blanket on cold nights, and listening to my Thinking Slimmer recordings.* Desperate for sleep, yet unable to get rid of the dog, I have tried a few new tactics over the lat two months in an effort to fall asleep faster and remain asleep rather than waking every few hours. The first thing I did was to invest in a weighted blanket. As a child, I used to sleep with ten or more blankets on my bed. I remember missing the literal weight on me when I went off to university and only having one duvet. When I was researching which one to buy, Mela Comfort was the #1 pick for the Telegraph but sadly the adult singles were sold out (I guess many people were also trying to achieve better sleep during this time). I have been really happy with the one I ended up purchasing by Snug as a Bug. It weighs seven kilograms and on warm evenings, it does make me a little bit too hot to sleep. Although it is best to have a blanket that covers your entire bed, my husband is always much warmer than me when he sleeps, so I went with a single (but he still senses it and it tends to pull the duvet towards me). It has definitely made a difference to me as I now fall asleep faster. Amazon is now showing bamboo weighted blankets in my feed, saying these help keep you cool. I don’t know if that is true or not though (or what makes it heavy).
A new rouinte I have been trying is having a glass of milk before bed. Sleep Milk* is a nutritious bedtime drink made with whole Jersey milk (which has 20% more protein in than other milk), honey and valerian – the natural herb that’s proven to help you relax and sleep. You simply drink it hot or cold 30 minutes before bed as part of your bedtime routine. Chocolate milk is one of my favourites so how could I resist? I have enjoy trying both the vanilla and chocolate flavors before bed with much success (If only the puppy didn’t wake me up at 4am.). Their website has a load of tips on how to sleep better too if you are looking to learn more.
Wild Nutrition’s ashwaganda root supplement capsules* were included in the FourFive CBD immunity box. Ashwaganga relieves stress, helps with recovery from fitness fatigue, and supports improved immunity. I have been taking these alongside my vitamin D3 supplements every morning for the last three weeks. Unfortunately, my life is so up and down lately, I cannot tell you how much of an effect the root has had on me (the reviews on Amazon are quite positive though). When I have finished the bottle, I will update this post with my final thoughts.
Reactive Plus CBD drops* worked for me last year and I plan on starting to take them again once I have finished the root capsules to systematically check what works for me and what doesn’t. When I used the CBD drops last autumn, I also started using This Works pillow spray and I fell asleep almost instantly. I even got my fitness mojo back at the time (maybe because I felt more rested?). I was working out four to five times a week and feeling great. Not sure if I should credit the CBD or the sleep spray for the change but I was very happy about it. I stopped both in January and here we are. After I get through my first bottle of CBD, I will try the pillow spray again.
Part of my bedtime routine is reading before bed. I try to put the phone away and switch off for a while before lights out. Which brings me to the last tip I want to share, which is (I can’t remember where I saw this) to enjoy fiction before you go to sleep rather than non-fiction. This makes total sense to me as I would often lay awake after the lights go out, ruminating over what I had learned. Plus sometimes the reading would influence my dreams, so it was a nice surprise when Jamie from Outlander would make an appearance.
Ironically, I was supposed to share these tips last week. However, Maple has been up in the middle of each night for an hour (we think due to teething pains). Here she is, fast asleep, during the day! If you have any tips on how to sleep better at night (or how to get your puppy to sleep), please leave a comment below.
*This product was given to me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Please note this post included affiliate links, which cost the buyer nothing extra and help cover the costs of running this blog.
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