Thursday Notes

Better sleep: tips & products that can help

Still not sleeping well? You've got company.

Dara Kennedy Anna Gold

Many of us have spent the last year just trying to make it through, and when faced with a relaxing of pandemic vigilance, it can be hard to…relax. I’ve found this to be the case, certainly. (Admittedly, chilling out has never been my forte. This picture is probably of Dr. Anna Gold laughing with me about how not-relaxed I am on the acupuncture table.) 

And this slight uneasiness can make sleep, already a charged situation for so many of us, even more troublesome. (Sleeping: also never my forte.) The tricky thing, in my view, is that the key to better sleep is not only individually designed, but also fickle in the way it fits into its lock on a regular basis — whether that’s due to short-term stress, a noisy neighbor, hormones, or any number of other things.

You could, of course, take something strong that knocks you out no matter what. But it’s safe to say that anything that knocks you out like that is probably not great for your health over the long term.

On the other hand, many of us could probably use something that’s not only not harmful, but also healthful. Something that may not work all the time, but will help mostof the time and, perhaps most importantly, will gently and naturally guide you into healthier sleep habits on a regular basis.

For one of our team members, who’s even more of an insomniac than I am, that something is Dr. Anna Gold’s Build Sleep. She told me, “Sleep, for me, had always been hard. I saw a neurologist, I got my whole yoga routine dialed in to help me wind down, and I still have a bedtime routine that I follow diligently. But Build Sleep has been life-changing. I fall asleep faster, I sleep more deeply, and bedtime is no longer a source of anxiety for me. I love that I can keep taking it knowing that it will only become more helpful over time.”

For me, Bach Flower elixirs and our Sea Soak together are the winning ticket. I need to be both physically and mentally exhausted to sleep well, and taking a very hot bath at night (followed by some dense reading) helps considerably with that. Some nights, I bathe just with Bach Flower elixirs and salt in my bath water, but when I use the elixirs along with the Sea Soak, I feel more deeply and genuinely relaxed than ever. It’s like flipping a switch. I mix up my own custom flower blend, but you can also do this with any of the Les Fleurs de Bach Elixirs: Stress, Sleep, Letting-Go, and Self-Confidence are particularly good in a bath.

And for many of you, aromatherapy with de Mamiel’s Sleep Series could be what does it; or you could try a mist of the Sleep Room Treatment Spray from Les Fleurs de Bach, which combines their beautiful Bach flowers with aromatherapy. Maybe meditation or a relaxing breath exercise will help, too.

But with sleep — more than nearly anything else I can think of that we offer products to address — part of the battle is coming to terms with the fact that there will be some trial and error involved as you, and the world around you, shift and change. So many things can affect your sleep. And with solutions that are this good for you, and this fun to try, that’s okay.

xx
Dara

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