A good night’s sleep is the most powerful healer for body, mind, and soul. Sleep services all aspects of the body, molecular, energy, intellectual function, alertness, and mood. It is the time when the body enters repair mode, and it can work wonders.

Moreover, being sleep deprived can be a torture and has opposite results. Exercise, good nutrition, relaxation, and sleep are the key pillars of good health and general wellbeing. We owe it to ourselves to get a good rest every night, so here are some ways to help you go to bed and fall asleep much more easy.

Lavender Pillow Spray

An essential oil pillow spray not only smells amazing, it can be a nightly calming ritual. Turning down the sheets and misting a relaxing fragrance on to your pillows feels indulgent, and really helps you to wind down at the end of the day. Also, you can take a pillow spray when you travel. It helps a hotel room feel more like home.

You can try our IV. Lavender Neroli and Rosewood cleanser and body mist, or mix up your own pillow spray:

80ml distilled water
10 drops of lavender essential oil
5 drops of chamomile essential oil
5 drops of vetiver essential oil

All these essential oils are super-calming, and vetiver is especially good for insomnia. Combine and store in a glass spray bottle. Shake well before you spray over your pillow.

Oat Milk Sleep Drink

Oats contain melatonin, which relaxes you and makes you sleepy, so a cup of warm oat milk can be a good thing to drink before bed. Have it about 1 hour before you are ready, just as you are beginning to wind down for the night.

So, heat up your oat milk and add one or more of the following:

Chamomile is a natural herbal remedy for sleep. Steep a chamomile tea bag in the hot oat milk.
Add a pinch of saffron strands to your hot oat milk; saffron is known to reduce anxiety and promote sleepiness.
Ashwagandha is our favorite adaptogenic herb famed for its ability to reduce stress and anxiety. Its Latin name, somnifera, means sleep-inducing. The powder tastes quite bitter, so you may need to mix half a teaspoon of the powder with oat milk, and a teaspoon of honey or a plant-based sweetener of your choice.
Add a teaspoon of dried lavender flowers in the hot oat milk and leave to steep for five minutes.

After a while, the ritual of making your bedtime drink will act as a signal to your body that it is time to relax and go to sleep.

Self Massage Bedtime Ritual

Reflexologists use the feet as a map of the entire body. These maps can be very detailed, but broadly the toes relate to the head and brain, and the groove under each big toe represents the neck and shoulders. The ball of the foot is said to correspond with the chest, while the arch relates to the abdomen and digestive system. The heel and the ankle represent the reproductive organs, and the inside curve of each foot (above the arch) is said to mirror the spinal curve.

Therefore, every nerve in your body ends in your feet, so a reflexology massage before bed can help calm the nervous system and get you ready for sleep. Putting essential oil on the soles of your feet is meant to be the quickest way to get the benefits into your bloodstream, as there are no sebaceous glands here and the pores are large, so the oil is absorbed faster.

You may use lavender oil or Roman chamomile essential oils for this massage. You can use them neat or mix them with a bit of coconut oil, if you prefer. Both are renowned as sleep aids.

Begin by relaxing your feet, one at a time, by gently massaging and kneading them all over. Pay attention to any areas of pain or tension. Wiggle the feet and circle the ankle joints.
Massage the outside edges of your big toes. This is said to help with the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Start at the base of the big toe, and rub up and down the edge of each toe.
Then massage the inside crease of the big toe (where the toe meets the ball of the foot), a spot that is good for the release of tension, especially in the neck and shoulders.
Move your thumb to the centre of the ball of your foot, just above the arch. This is the solar plexus center; massage here for a sense of peace and relaxation.
End your reflexology massage with a minute of breeze strokes. Running your fingers lightly up and down the tops, sides and bottoms of the feet. It should feel as if you were stroking your feet gently with a feather. This is said to be very calming for the nervous system.

It is often claimed that the deeply relaxed state people experience after a reflexology massage makes them especially open and receptive to positive suggestions. Finally, if you believe in affirmations, then this is a great time to say them to yourself, and really let them sink in.

6 Minute SA TA NA MA Kundalini Meditation

In the Kundalini tradition, the words Sa Ta Na Ma are the five primal sounds that represent the cycle of life, from beginning to end. Sa represents birth, Ta life, Na death or transformation, and Ma rebirth.