It never ceases to amaze me how exhausted I can be, but as soon as my head hits the pillow, my mind starts to spin with a barrage of thoughts and to-do items. Can you relate?
A good night’s sleep is incredibly important on so many levels. We’ve all heard how it relates to weight gain, irritability, energy levels… My struggles in all of those areas led me to seek out the perfect bedtime routine. I hope these 4 steps serve you as well as they have me!
Step 1: Apply Essential Oils.
The first thing I do after getting all cozy in my pajamas is apply calming essential oils to tell my body and mind it’s bedtime. My favorite sleepy-time oils are doTERRA Balance and Serenity blends.
Serenity is a beautiful blend of Lavender Flower, Cedarwood, Ho Wood Leaf, Ylang Ylang Flower, Marjoram Leaf, Roman Chamomile Flower, Vetiver Root, Vanilla Bean Absolute, and Hawaiian Sandalwood Wood. Balance contains Spruce Needle/Leaf, Ho Wood, Frankincense Resin, Blue Tansy Flower, and Blue Chamomile Flower essential oils in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil. The names of these two oil blends describe exactly what they bring to my life.
Here’s a wonderfully relaxing roller bottle recipe also known as liquid calm. You may want to play around with the number of drops. I try to keep my roller recipes around 30 total drops of essential oils so the amounts below work perfectly for me. I also use this blend throughout the day for calming as anxious feelings can be quite an issue for me at times.
10 drops each:
-dōTERRA Balance blend
-dōTERRA Serenity blend
-Vetiver
Top off with fractionated coconut oil. Mix well. Roll on back of neck, inside wrists, and/or bottom of feet.
Step 2: Pray.
This is where all those thoughts spinning through our sleepy heads are taken care of. Turn them over to God. We can’t do anything about them in those overnight hours that need to be consumed with sleep, so for now it’s time to leave them at the foot of the cross.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
~Matthew 11:28-30
I also use these important moments with God to thank Him. Gratitude is the key to releasing all of the unnecessary worry we carry with us. By changing our focus to everything that’s right in our lives, we can sleep far more peacefully and soundly.
Step 3: Tap for 5-10 minutes.
It doesn’t take long for a little tapping (also known as Emotional Freedom Technique—EFT) to calm our entire bodies and release all of those unwanted insomnia producing obsessions. You can read more about this incredible tool in Tapping Your Way to Stress Free Living. There’s a link to a free tapping script in that article you won’t want to miss!
Step 4: Wear Blue Light Blocking Glasses.
I will spare you the science behind these sleep friendly sunglass looking dear friends of mine. Suffice it to say, they work! I know the rules about no TV and iPhones in the bedroom, but this is one I break every single night.
King of Queens is one of my favorite shows and I usually only get full control of the TV once I’m in bed. It used to come on at 10pm which was the perfect time for finishing my first 3 bedtime routine steps above. This way I could put on my blue light blocking glasses, click on the TV, and drift off with Doug and Carrie in the background.
Seriously, something about that opening song put me into complete relaxation. I was usually completely asleep shortly after that little catchy jingle. Sadly, it moved to 11pm which messed my whole schedule up. So I’m now the proud owner of the entire King of Queens series on DVD.
You can find the glasses I use here. They fit over my reading glasses too, so they’re perfect for a late night text or email check. Again, I know these screen activities break all sleep advice rules but… such is life.
I would love to hear your favorite sleep tips in the comment section! As always, thank you for being on this journey with me. If you’re new here, make sure to subscribe to our free newsletter!
All great ideas. I really want to try out essential oils; see if that helps me any. Sometimes I have SUCH a hard time falling asleep and it drives me nuts.
-Lauren
here from the #happynow link up
Essential oils have been a game changer for me, Lauren. There is nothing like those late nights staring at the clock. If you need any guidance, feel free to contact me anytime. Check out my oils page from the More Info link above for some free education I offer through an online class and also a Facebook group. Wishing you a wonderful night’s sleep tonight! I know how tough it can be.
I LOVE essential oils. I diffuse, rub and pretty much live in them. I am so glad you love them too!
I’m obsessed too, Jen! The benefits never cease to amaze me and just keep rolling in ;). I’ve learned to turn to essential oils first when pretty much anything comes up in my life.
LOVE these tips, my friend. And I ADORE King of Queens! It’s one of my favorite shows EVER!
I’m going to share this on my page… <3
Such a great show, Chris! It’s funny to watch them together again on his new show, but it’s just not the same as Doug and Carrie ;). Thanks for sharing, my friend!
I’ve been strongly considering giving essential oils a try. I’m a hopeless insomniac, so it would take a miracle. But I’m down for anything. Great post!
#HappyNowLinkUp
They are amazing! Let me know if I can help you in any way. My 2 favorite sleep oils are free with a qualifying purchase this month. I also have a few free educational opportunities if you want to learn more about essential oils online.
I love essential oils and due to you introducing me I take adavantage of some of the ones you mention here. Praying is also part of my nighttime routine. I also have been trying to go to bed when I’m tired and not wait until it’s a certain time. Lastly I read on my Kindle before falling asleep.
There are some nights my mind is racing too much but in those cases I turn to prayer. Thanks for the tips!
Prayer is the best for a racing mind, Mary. It took me a long time to realize that simple truth. I’m so glad to have you with me on this essential oil journey. They are such great tools for so many areas of life. Let me know if you ever have any questions! I’m here to help, my friend :).
Well, hi, Candace!
Your post just came up in my reader today. Go figure. I’m just so happy to see you writing again!
You’ve shared a few ideas that I’d like to try. Before bed, I like to stay away from the TV news, wandering around online, heavy duty discussions, intense reading, and stuff like that.
I often pray myself to sleep or let the old hymns of my childhood play through my mind and heart, starting from A – Z. Some nights? I don’t even get half way through the alphabet.
Sweet dreams to you, friend …
Hi Linda! It’s so great to see you. I don’t think we have both been blogging at the same time in ages ;). These are important things to avoid before bed that you’ve mentioned here. I really struggle with remembering to stay away from news too close to bedtime! Sweet dreams to you as well, my friend!
Hi there, Candace! I feel like I already know you. I really enjoy your posts and ideas! I am so busy, during the day, that I usually do not have any problem, going to sleep. Prayer mends the heart and cures many things. Thank you, for your words!!!
Hi Sharon! I’m so sorry for the delayed response. We had a little getaway the past week or so. I completely agree with you that prayer mends the heart! What a beautiful expression. Thanks for being on this journey with me. So glad to have you here!