Our ESPA Expert, International Training Manager Heather takes over the ESPA blog to tell you everything you need to know about getting the perfect night’s sleep.
Watch Heather’s sleep video to find out more!
“Sleep is so critical for overall our physical, emotional and mental health. How many times have you had a bad nights sleep and then you just don’t feel yourself the next day? This is something that used to happen to me far too often. I found some great advice on nutrition and also some brilliant tips to help give you the best chance possible to have a restful sleep. There are also some amazing ESPA products that are great to use in the evening which I will also share with you.
Nutrition
Sleep deprivation increases your appetite and cravings for sugar and unhealthy foods, which will then leave you feeling demotivated and exhausted. I found that by including protein with each meal, especially breakfast helped to avoid cravings for stimulants, sugars etc…all the yummy stuff that probably isn’t actually going to serve our bodies at all. Another discovery was that pumpkin seeds or natural pumpkin snacks are rich in amino acids which when combined with drinking a class of milk before bedtime the lactose sugar in the milk actually helps to produce the sleep hormone melatonin – ensuring a sound and restful sleep. Try to eat your last meal at least 3 hours before going to sleep.
Hydration is Key
Dehydration is a common cause of interrupted sleep – ensure you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
Tips for a good night’s sleep
I now try to make sure that I set myself a regular bedtime and wake up at the same time every day. I love reading my book or listening to an audio book as a way to wind down. One of the key things I discovered is that avoiding my phone/tablet for at least 2 hours prior to bedtime really helped my brain to switch off. I always have a paper and pen by your bed to empty any thoughts onto before you go to sleep – This is also great for writing down things I need to remember to do the next day so I’m not thinking about it when I should be trying to sleep. I started doing yoga and meditation 4 years ago; all are renowned to assist with sleep and I can’t recommend them enough– there’s some great apps out there that you can use. As pressure and stress mounts up, sometimes it can be hard to see past the negative things going on so I try to end the day by focusing on something good that happened today- sometimes its that I had a lovely facetime with a friend or family member and other days it will be something as simple as managing to tick loads of things off the to do list.
ESPA products to try
Have an evening ritual to help you have a great sleep…..With ESPA’s Soothing range of products contain Sandalwood, Frankincense and Lavender to reduce stress and anxiety, help induce deep sense of relaxation and reduce worries, while helping to improve sleep patterns. The products within this range are …
Soothing Bath Oil – Run a bath of warm water and add 2x cap full of Soothing Bath oil and bathe for 20 mins