rituals for restful sleep
Having trouble winding down at night to fall asleep? Studies show that creating a sleep ritual can trigger our brains to shift gears from the busy hustle and bustle of the day to a slower more relaxed pace at night to ease into a peaceful, restful sleep.
It all starts in the mind! Let’s not think about going to sleep as a bedtime routine because then we’re operating on autopilot robotically going through the motions thinking of everything else but going to sleep. The trick here is to move with intention and recognize that each step is getting us one step closer to slipping into a good night’s sleep.
It may sound a little weird but there is science to back up the idea of operating with intention so stay with us and give it a chance! We’ve created a Sleep Ritual for you to try at night. Give it a week and let us know how it worked for you!
Set the atmosphere
Scent
Aroma is a powerful trigger to the brain so let’s use it to our advantage
Find a Room and Linen spray that’s relaxing and use it only at night when getting ready for bed
Intention: Sleep is going to be good and deep.
Sound
Now is the time to cue that playlist with ocean sounds, rain storms, or any other relaxing white noise
Only play these sounds during your Sleep Ritual to train the brain to connect these sounds with peaceful sleep
Intention: Listen to the details in the sounds, pay attention to the swell of the ocean or picture the rain droplets hitting the window. (We’re trying to get the mind to slow down and focus on what happening right now).
Sight
Turn down the lights down low. Our bodies produce a "sleep" hormone, melatonin, as it gets darker signaling our bodies to settle down and prepare for sleep.
Eye masks help to block out light triggering the production of melatonin* (hormone produced by our bodies in higher concentrations signaling to our bodies that it’s time to time)
Intention: I give myself permission to let go of the day to prepare for sleep
Meditation
Prayer, breathwork, guided mediation- pick whichever you like, we just highly encourage taking the time to do it! The benefit of meditation is that it promotes relaxation.
Supplements
Stress prevents us from being able to relax and interferes with our bodies ability to pump out melatonin, the "sleep" hormone that signals to our bodies that it's time to slow down and settle in for the night. This is where supplements come into play.
There are supplements with melatonin to help the body to prepare for sleep. Supplements that reduce stress hormones to help us to relax and feel balanced enough to fall asleep.
Intention: I give myself grace to use tools to available to help me get the rest that I deserve.
That’s it! We’ve provided the framework now let’s get the best sleep of our lives!
*studies point to it but more work needs to be done in that area.