Sleep depends on many factors. It’s related to your age, your level of stress, and your activity. As a general rule, the medical community advises the proverbial eight hours of sleep each night. But it can also vary, from person to person. It’s said that if you need an alarm clock to wake up, you’re probably not getting enough sleep.
Things that can get in the way of a good night’s sleep:
- Insomnia - can be caused by tension, anxiety, or stimulants.
- Anxiety - your feelings are sending important messages to your body and mind. By paying attention and giving some care to those feelings and physical sensations, you can work to restore balance in your life.
- Fatigue - many factors can contribute to this, including mental and physical stress, illness, a nutrient-poor diet, lack of exercise, and even improper breathing habits.
The good news is that adding some daily rituals to your evening routine can help. Research studies suggest they can help improve overall physical well-being and immunity, diminish anxiety, and even help improve confidence and productivity.
Here are some basic tools and techniques that some of us at Tearelae employ when we’re looking for a better night’s sleep:
Exercising Daily
Even when you don’t get the chance to fit in a full workout, a brisk 30-45 minute walk, in the daylight preferably, gives us energy, relieves tension, and improves our mood. It can also help us unwind and decompress at the end of the day when we’re preparing to go to sleep. Here in Colorado, we’re blessed with fantastic vistas and brisk air, as we oxygenate our cells outdoors, fill our brains and lungs with fresh O2, and build some endurance. Be present! Look around at the sky, the trees, the grass, the clouds... all the life around you! Enjoy!
Food, Glorious Food
Eating consciously makes a difference. Avoiding certain foods, like alcohol and sugar, which might disrupt sleep cycles can help. Ideally, digestion should be over and done with when we go to bed, so try to avoid heavy meals too close to bedtime.
Caffeine Timing
As tea lovers, if you struggle with sound sleep, avoid caffeine late in the day and see if you notice a difference. Stimulants can linger in your body far longer than you might expect. Caffeine metabolizes differently for different bodies, so take note of your reaction to it. Luckily for us, there are so many wonderful herbal tea options that nurture good sleep. I'll get to those shortly!
Hydration
Staying well hydrated throughout the day is important to all of us. We’re lucky to be able to sip hot or cold brewed teas throughout the day, which contribute to our overall hydration every bit as much as water.
Simple Rituals
Relaxing in warm bath water, while sipping an aromatic herbal tea, lighting scented candles, or putting essential oils in a diffuser can stimulate your senses, then guide you into better and deeper sleep! Or if you prefer to shower, follow the ayurvedic wisdom... Water flowing over you is soothing and purifying. Let it wash your worries away.
Set the Scene
Turning off stimulating electronic devices in the bedroom will help you avoid the blue light of screens known to alert the mind and disrupt your natural circadian rhythm. Use your bedroom to sleep or to make love!
Going to bed when we’re sleepy!
We’re all different. Some people need only four or five hours of sleep, and others may want eight-plus hours. You might go through different stages throughout your life. So listen to your body.
Sleepy Teas to the Rescue...
This is where all of us at The Tea Spot can help you most! For creating a good night's sleep, certain Gaba oolong and herbal tea can provide great support. Plus, sipping a hot herbal tea after dinner can help improve digestion and get us in the right frame of mind to unwind.
Lavender:
Crowd favorites for bedtime are herbal teas with lavender, such as our dried Lavender tea, which can also help as a digestif. We find that lavender can lift our moods and help us ease into a state of relaxation at the same time, yet doesn't prevent us from waking up with vigor the next day. There is research to support this as well.
Gaba Oolong Tea
Same as the Lavender, people also found that Taiwanese GABA tea helps sleep. It is made from high-grade whole-leaf that is naturally rich in glutamic acid - the precursor to GABA. It is popular in these years.