WORDS RACHEL EDWARDS
Curing my insomnia has been a lifelong battle. When people say 'sleep when you're dead' I have an image of myself lying in my coffin, unable to get comfy, tossing and turning with a Kylie Minogue song I haven't listened to for 15 years suddenly on loop in my head. It's strange to think I'd ever manage to be still for more than two minutes at a time. Anyway, that's enough morbidity - this year I decided to prioritise sleep, meaning less caffeine (boring) and silk pillows (less boring but quite cold!). Weirdly, aside from the following hacks, I sleep well with plane turbulence - perhaps I need to invent the turbulence bed. If you're reading this, head in your hands after another sleepless night, the following hacks are for you!
Move aside skittles, there's a new rainbow 'sweet' out there - the difference is that rather than hyping you up, this one is sugar free and promises to help you sleep. The Nourished gummies certainly have the 'wow' factor in terms of aesthetics, but when it comes to taste they divided my household. For me, they tasted overly sweet and so strong that I found myself eating them as quickly as possible at night. For my sister, they were delicious and she treated them as a bedtime treat to look forward to.
How do they fair in terms of helping with sleep? Pretty well. If taken an hour and a half before bed, I found myself feeling much calmer and sleepier. I would fall asleep faster, and although sometimes I'd wake up before my alarm and I felt I had more vivid dreams, I definitely didn't have the same trouble waking up in the night and struggling to fall back asleep.
I've always been a morning exercise person. There's roughly a five minute window after I wake up before the excuses creep into my mind and I decide that actually there simply isn't enough time/ I should let my muscles err, relax/ I have stairs in the house anyway... So the idea of dragging myself to a hotpod yoga class at 8.30pm wasn't exactly enticing. But drag myself I did. Once inside the pod, which feels like a bouncy castle minus the bounce (but with lots of heaters), I felt like I was in a warm, cosy cocoon. Maybe this is what the womb feels like - thankfully with less mucus.
The 'nurturing flow' class was amazing. Not only did I feel my muscles have a proper stretch, but I felt calm. Instead of spending the evening looking at a screen, I focused my mind on slow movements and deep breaths. By the time I got home I felt naturally tired, and I fell asleep with ease. It isn't the cheapest, but as a reset it works wonders. It also helped me form a new bedtime routine at home, with more stretching and less screen.
MARIE REYNOLDS - ZEDZ 'THE NIGHT TIME BLEND'
Having worked in the field of wellness for over 35 years, Marie Reynolds is an expert when it comes to sleep. Her 'Night Time Blend' formula is packed with sleep-inducing ingredients like Magnesium and L-Theanine, along with lavender to promote a sense of inner calm. As someone who is desperately trying to avoid anti-histamines for sleep, I was excited to try a holistic alternative. How did it fare? I found that whilst the drowsiness was subtle, once I was asleep I was much more likely to stay asleep, and I woke up feeling refreshed the next day. I also felt clearer headed and less anxious in the mornings which was a great plus!
thisworks - DEEP SLEEP PILLOW SPRAY
As a chronic insomniac, I would eye roll at people who would ask if I'd ever considered hot baths or chamomile tea before bed. Sleep spray was also in the eye roll danger zone, but I am ready to eat my hat (or should that be nightcap) after trying 'thisworks' deep sleep pillow spray. A couple of sprays on my pillow and my pyjamas each evening and I'd find it much easier to fall asleep. The key is consistency - I have now managed to rewire my brain into associating the lavender scented sleep spray with switching off (although I still seem to always have a random song playing on loop in my head as I fall asleep, but hey we can't have everything). The bottle lasts a long time - so sleep spray sceptics, give it a try!
FabÜ - R&R RELAX
fabÜ R&R RELAX was one of my favourite sleep supplements and it's the one I found myself reaching for when I was packing for a night away. After an hour of taking I'd start to feel drowsy, leading to good nights of full sleep without the grogginess I'd become accustomed to with behind the counter pills. Laura Dowling, Founder and CEO of fabÜ, was crowned 'pharmacist of the year' in 2022 and has concocted a night time blend that includes ashwaganda and lemon balm which promote peace and deep sleep. Taken over time, they definitely helped me with energy levels throughout the day too. 10/10 recommend!
