Good health starts with GOOD SLEEP! It is literally as important as good nutrition and exercise.
A good SLEEP HYGIENE ROUTINE can really give you wonderful benefits, not just reflected in your sleep quality, but also your overall mood & mindset. Let’s talk about what we can do throughout the day and in the early evening to support a good night’s sleep, whether you are home or on the road!
Blue Light - Our life revolves more & more around screens in many ways these days. The blue light that comes from our screens is known to disrupt the hormones in the brain that regulate sleep! Have you ever noticed how easily you get sleepy and how well you sleep after sitting around a campfire at night? Well, a campfire has the opposite effect of blue light.
WAYS YOU CAN MITIGATE BLUE LIGHT
Blue Light Screen Filters Most smart phone have blue light filter options in the settings as well as dark mode options
Blue Light Blocking on your prescription Glasses When Covid hit and I was on zoom screens even more than usual, I really noticed the increase in my eye strain. I ordered new glasses with blue blocking filters added to the lenses for when I was using screens- which was most of the time! It was a game changer!
You can always get these glasses from Amazon for when you have screen time too! Stylish!
Stop screen time 2 hours before you want to go to sleep! In addition to helping your brain recover from the stimulation and blue light, the real power here is what will NOT be focusing on and what CAN we focus on with this time!
THIS will be our biggest gift.
Turn off disturbing news.
Turn off your phone.
(If you need to keep your phone on for potential emergencies, you can set it to a do not disturb mode and let close family/friends know if they call once and then immediately call back, it will ring through! It’s a great way to set boundaries & unplug with peace of mind that someone can get a hold of you if need be!)
Sip on some hot tea.
Take a relaxing bath
- try adding one cup of Epsom salt with 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil.
Try some light stretches. Nothing over the top, just some light stretches or Yoga poses to help ease the tension in your tired muscles.I have a full gentle yoga class with chair variations in my free Member Area Vault called ‘Fill your Cup’ - access it here!
Add some PanAway Oil to your feet for a more relaxing feel
You may wish to trade stressful news or drama for an uplifting book, meditation, or take the time to journal about your day & what you are grateful for! This 5-minute Journal from Amazon can be a daily gamechanger for your mindset & help you go to sleep with a calm, grateful, positive mind.
ALTERNATIVE LIGHTING
Soft Lights Campers in particular has very bright lights. I have these calming, beautiful 
Amethyst String Lights (i like to set them to a twinkle!) and Soft Remote Candles that are on a 24 hour timer. 
They signal me to begin to wind down and spend the next 2 hours with my personal unwinding routine.
I can easily get immersed in a project, social media, or shows that wind me up, and then it's hard to fall asleep as well as go to sleep in a restful state. Did you know we can go to sleep tense & stressed and wake up in the same physical & mental state? Just because we sleep doesn't mean we relax! The signal of these lights going on is a great example of an anchor to transition into some self-care time and prepare the body & mind for rest.
DARKEN THE ROOM
In a house, room darkening curtains are a great way to darken a room to support sleep. When you're on the road, often there are lots of lights not just outside the RV, but inside on all the appliances etc! A simple eye pillow can really make quite a difference!
BREATHING & GUIDED RELAXATION
Diaphragmatic Breathing Deep breathing can STOP the fight or flight stress 
response. It can within minutes lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and even let muscles that tighten up in response to stress begin to relax. Try the Relaxation & Diaphragmatic Breathing Guided Exercises in the free 'Fill your Cup' Vault in the Member's Area on my website. Create a free account with any email to access. Let me know what your results are!
The 'Sleep Breath' Once you are comfortable breathing diaphragmatically you can incorporate what I like to call the 'sleep breath' into your relaxation as you lay down to sleep! You simply inhale for twice as long as you exhale! So, if you breathe in for a count of 8, exhale for a count of 4. If you forget, it's like a snore -without the sound! (insert you remembering the long loud inhale when someone snores and short whipsy exhales! Simply breathe that same way but with no sound, pause, through the nose & diaphragmatically like we explore in the Fill Your Cup Vault Exercises!)
Sometimes it's helpful to do 10 of the ‘sleeping breathes’ on one side, roll to the other and do another 10, then do 10 on your back, and repeat. (Often I don’t make it through more than one round!)
Since you're breathing the way you breathe when you're asleep, it tricks your body into the sleep state! The same thing goes for when you are stressed and start breathing slowly & deeply- as you would as if you were calm. It tricks your nervous system into a state of calm. We have so much power in our breath. We can create calm, energy, balance, and more! Enjoy exploring this in the vault!
ESSENTIAL OILS
Diffusing Just like the timed soft lights that go on 2 hours before the time I'd like to sleep, starting to diffuse around that time is also part of my relaxation & unwinding rituals. There are several oils in the Young Living Starter Kit that you can use to get a restful night’s sleep. Please note: I always recommend ordering directly from the company to avoid counterfeit or adulterated oils. Quality is so important & not all oils are created equal. Young Living is guaranteed not just for purity but also for potency. So if you're looking for an oil to have a certain effect, you want to be sure the potency is there as much as the safety of purity. Concerned about fury family members and the use of essential oils? Check out my BLOG on this subject here.
Lavender, Stress Away, Frankincense, and Peace & Calming are my favorite night-
time oils to diffuser. You can diffuse or apply these oils topically. Diffuse 6-8 drops of one or a combo of your favs! You could also try adding a drop to the palms of your hands and inhaling! Learn more about how to use essential oils safely, all the basics, starter kit options, and how to order here.
NEXT LEVEL AROMATHERAPY
If you have followed all the tips and used all the oils we have talked about, you should be calm, relaxed, and ready to sail right into Dreamland! But maybe you’re not. It can be difficult for some to completely turn their minds off and get into a state of full relaxation, and if that is you, we have something for you, too! Enter SleepEssence.
This supplement is your bad dream’s worst nightmare! This one little capsule combines four powerful essential oils known for their sleep-enhancing properties along with naturally-occurring melatonin to help you enjoy a restful night’s sleep. Just take 1-2 softgel capsules about 30-60 minutes before heading off to bed, and you will be sawing logs in no time!
Rutavala and Tranquil are two roll-on blends that also help to calm the mind and 
body, ease the tension of the day, and usher in a peaceful night’s sleep.
Rutavala is a blend of Lavender, Valerian, and Ruta.
Tranquil is a blend of Lavender, Cedarwood, and Roman Chamomile.
My final #nextlevel bedtime fav is Dream Catcher. This blend protects against negative thinking. Use this oil to inspire creativity as you chase your dreams. Some people prefer using it in the evening, others prefer using it during the day. Play around with what works for you. For an extra treat, enjoy Dream Catcher Bath Bombs!
You’re SURE to have a good night’s sleep after that treat!
MINDSET
As you sink into some of these sleep hygiene rituals, sit down on you couch or bed, and let out a big sigh… Do you...
Let your mind wander back to everything you didn’t get accomplished that day?
Focus on the stress of that argument or phone call that didn’t go your way, or get anxious about everything you have to do tomorrow?
Or…
.
Celebrate everything that you crossed off your to-do list.
Feel at peace with the way you handled every situation you faced because you were able to stay calm and relaxed.
Find yourself looking forward to tomorrow with anticipation of all the blessings that await you.
Sound too good to be true? It doesn’t have to be! If you get into a routine of using your calming oils, create a sleep regime just for you, and set your intentions and your mindset to focus on the positive (the 5-minute Journal we mentioned earlier is a FAVORITE tool!), you will set yourself up for a great night’s sleep whether you’re home or traveling- or whether traveling IS home like ME!
Here are a few more tips to help you chill out during your evening downtime in
a video peek at MY evening routine in Shaktipod- my cute R-pod Camper!
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I look forward to supporting you living YOUR most Radiant Life!
