Self-Care is an important part of our busy lives especially now more than ever. It is an integral part in keeping both our mind and body healthy. It helps us manage stress, relax and self reflect, as well as offer an overall soothing feeling. This can help with our mood, self-esteem, improve our physical health, and can even aid in the resistance to some diseases. Sam is a holistic nutritionist, personal chef and wellness advocate based out of Victoria BC. You may recognize her name from a past workshop she did with MOVE on “Gut health and its impact on our brain". Through her website she offers one on one nutritional therapy programs, recipes and useful tools and tips to help guide you on your wellness journey. Each individual’s self-care routine may vary as we may find more areas of interest or benefit to us. Types of self care can be as simple as: reading a book, listening to your favorite music, cooking and enjoying delicious food, getting outside for some daily movement, and sleep! In times of high stress and anxiety sleep plays a crucial role in creating some stability in our life. In a more recent post Sam proposes 10 bedtime rituals to help you create a more holistic bedtime routine, something we all could use a little help with! For more information on all the wonderful things Sam has to offer check out her website https://www.anchoredwellnessvic.com/
“My Holistic Bedtime Routine”
by Anchored Wellness | February 7, 2020
“10 bedtime rituals to help you decompress
& get yourself all cozy, ready for bed”
“We all know the importance of getting our zzz's, but in reality, it can be pretty dang hard. You tell yourself that you're going to bed early tonight, but then somehow it's 11:30 PM & you're watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix (hi, that was me). I knew how important it was to get a good night's sleep, I just didn't do these little things to actually get a good sleep. I feel like there's this stigma around those who get a good sleep that either these people have more time or don't have to be up early in the morning & tbh, that's complete bullsh*t. Try to implement even just one of these ten rituals & tell me how restful you feel in the morning!
Ready to dive in?
Light a Candle, or two, & dim the lights
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I'm so aware when it comes to how the lighting in a room affects my mood. I'm much more productive when I'm working in a naturally lit room that's bright and waaaaay more tired when I'm in a room that's dim lighting. Thankfully, there's some science to back this up & I'm not totally crazy. Our circadian rhythm is a biological instinct for rest/wakefulness, which is driven in large part by light. Think about our caveman ancestors - they woke up when the sun was shining bright and went to sleep when it was dark out. Our circadian levels still push our bodies to be in this cycle naturally: sleep when dark, awake when light. When we disrupt our natural circadian rhythm, this interferes with several important hormone rhythms. Being exposed to light at nighttime can suppress melatonin production (melatonin helps you sleep!) and increase cortisol production (our stress hormone).
Make a fancy sleep-promoting drink
Honestly, I love sipping on a little drink before bed. Because I don't drink coffee (often, if not ever), I don't get that morning ritual of sipping on a warm cup of joe; however, I really enjoy making myself an evening elixir that's full of sleep-promoting nutrients. My all-time favourite is making a Reishi Hot Chocolate with CBD honey (wowowow is it amazing & so relaxing).
Reishi Hot Chocolate with CBD honey:
1-2 tsp. Reishi
1 tbsp. raw cacao powder
1 cup favourite milk or milk alternative
1/2 tsp. vanilla
a few dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom (anything else)
1 tbsp. CBD honey (this one is currently unavailable, however, ask your local dispensary if they carry any yet)
Mix all ingredients in a pot over the stove & constantly stir until mixed & it's at your preferred temperature.Start a skincare routine you’ll love
Oooookay, if it's not obvious already, then allow for me to make it obvious for you now. I love skincare - I've loved it since Jr. High. Something about washing my fash & putting nourishing serums, creams, etc. on it give me far too much joy. Maybe it's because I'm super passionate about helping women with their gut issues, but this just gets me so excited.
1. Wash your face with a real, nourishing cleanser
2. Use a high-quality toner with ACV or some sort of natural lactic acid in it. (this one has been my favourite for years, thb)
3. Face serum or oil
There's nothing like going to bed with a clean face & knowing that every ingredient in your product is working in your favour. Enjoy a cheeky little 10% off any of your purchases from Primally Pure with the code ANCHORED10. Their products are so amazing & I cannot recommend them enough.Draw yourself a bath
We all know how relaxing a bath can be, but doing it before you're about to jump into bed is AAAAMAZING (talk about the ultimate sleep hack). Draw yourself a bath, put a bunch of Epsom salts in it, light a few candles, play some relaxing music, meditate & just relaaaax. I don't think I need to go into great detail as to why this is good for you, just try it & you'll know what I mean.
No Phones or any other electronics
Put those devices on airplane mode, put them in a different room, throw them out, I don't care what you have to do but do not go on them while you're laying in bed with the screen blaring in your eyes] messing up your circadian rhythms (remember #1?) The blue light (+ cellular signals) that is given off from our electronic devices is so invasive on our circadian rhythms & messes up our sleep patterns like non-other. About one hour to 30 minutes before it's about time for you to get ready for bed, throw your phone on airplane mode, so no cellular/wifi/Bluetooth signals are coming through & make sure that your phone isn't laying right near your head either.
Up Your Magnesium Game
Maybe the most crucial step for making sure you're getting a night of restful sleep, but incorporating some form of magnesium into your nightly routine is huge! It's one of the most important minerals for stress management & if we're deficient, then our sleep definitely won't be restful. There are a couple of different types of magnesium that you can play around with to see which one is best for you. Magnesium Citrate is more for calming the nervous system (aka great for sleep & helps make you poop) & Magnesium Bi-Glycinate is a great muscle relaxant (aka great for sore muscles/menstrual cramps). Play around with which one you find the best results with, but if all else fails, try adding this to warm water before bedtime.
HAve you ever heard of reflexology?
Have you ever gone for reflexology? If you have, then you'll understand what I'm about tot ell you. Our feet are a serious hot spot for nerve endings, which means this is a time for you to get your hunny to give you a little foot massage before you hop into bed - you can also do this yourself too, though. Right now, I've been lathering my favourite body butter on my feet & rub/kneed each foot for a little bit, maybe about a minute for so. This is such a powerful way to shift your body from a sympathetic state (fight-or-flight) to a parasympathetic state (rest-and-digest). You can even go a little further & do a little acupressure on the bottoms of your feet! Here are some perfect ones to try. Give each point a decent amount of pressure & you'll be feeling all sorts of relaxed!
REad all the books
I've recently become a big fan of reading, especially before bedtime. Some of you might know already, but I never was a huge fan of reading - I think I read too many books on nutrition that I forgot to read for fun. I think this has been a massive game-changer for me in my sleep hygiene. Some people say not to read in the bedroom or to never read before bed, but I honestly don't see a problem with it - if it makes you fall asleep & you wake up feeling well-rested, then who cares? Crawl into bed 20-30 minutes before you want to have the lights out and start reading your book. If you're like me, you'll start to doze off & end up having such a peaceful sleep!
find yourself some really comfortable pajamas
Let's get intimate here for a second, I'm somebody who loves to sleep in a t-shirt and underwear, but if you're somebody who prefers to be nakey, then you do you darlin'. It's incredibly important to be super comfortable with what you're sleeping in, so choose what you wear thoughtfully. This sleep set has been on my radar for far too long & it should be on yours as well. I have one of her longer robes & I absolutely love it! Invest in something that feels good for you!
meditate
I saved the best & most obvious for last because well, I had to. If all else fails & you still can't seem to find yourself feeling calmed down after doing all of the above, then you might need to try some meditation. There are so many amazing apps available out there that you can try, but there's also a lot of power in doing some simple breathwork before you fall asleep. There's something called the 4-7-8 breathing method that has been such a big help for me when trying to fall asleep. I used to do this a few years ago when I was still in school, working full time & just got a new puppy (hello stressful time!). Basically, you breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, then breathe out through your mouth (forcefully) for a count of 8 and repeat this until you feel like you can't anymore.
Bonus!! - Valerian Root
Ok, as a VERY VERY VERY last resort if you still feel unable to calm down, I suggest Valerian. Either in tea form or tincture form (tincture works best in my opinion). Valerian is a natural sedative & it works wonders (but tastes like actual sh*t) & really does make you feel incredibly relaxed. I bought Corey and myself a tincture a while ago & we've both been using it to make sure we're getting a good night's sleep! Give it a try, it honestly tastes like your grandmother's feet but I promise, it works SO WELL!”
Original blog post can be found here https://www.anchoredwellnessvic.com/blog/2020/2/7/my-holistic-bedtime-routine