HHHmmmm...
Last Thing at Night, Wind Down, Ready for Sleep
Lavender is very well known for sleep inducing, and rightly so - it works!
We all have times in our lives when we get stressed or anxious - be it for school, work or family reasons. And the stress can build until we can't sleep, even though, in the backs of our
minds we know that if we could only get a good night's sleep we'll be far better for it, and better prepared to deal with whatever it is we're dealing with.
Recently my daughter was very stressed while studying for, and sitting, some major exams. The stress built more and more, and she found it not only difficult to get to sleep, but then also to stay asleep once she had finally dropped off!! She was very tired, a little bit irritable, but also desperate to sleep so that she could continue with her studies at the best of her abilities.
I introduced a nightly routine which will be recognised by parents of babies and todders - the nightly bathtime. The idea when children are tiny is to give them a bath at the same time each evening, as this then sends the message that it is time to wind down for bedtime. It's so simple, but works amazingly well!
About half an hour before her usual bedtime I would run her a bath, adding lots of lavender bubble bath to make lots of lovely, aromatic bubbles, I made sure I kept the bathroom door closed as much as possible, to really concentrate the smell in the one room. After a soak, a wash and a dry off, she would then jump into bed for a quick read to warm up her bed and make her feel nice and cosy. Remind you of those toddlers I spoke about? Well, it worked!! She caught up on some much-needed sleep, and I'm delighted to say, got some fabulous exam results! We're very proud!
A lesser-known relaxant is Chamomile - probably because it isn't quite so instantly recognised as lavender (it has an apple-like smell), but it's benefits are wide-ranging including:
* Calming
* Mood uplifting
* Promotes restful sleep
* Reduces stress and tension
De-Stress and Unwind Soak
Mix the following to a steamy hot bath:
3 drops of chamomile, 3 drops of geranium and 2 drops of patchouli essential oil.
If you prefer to have bubbles (as I do), simply add the same to the following bubble bath recipe:
Bubble bath
You can make your own bubble bath using just four basic ingredients:
fragrant oil or essential oil (of your choice)
1 quart water
1 bar castille soap (grated or flaked)
1 1/2 ounces glycerin
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Store in a container. Pour in running water.
Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy!!
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