What's your routine for an amazing nights sleep?

[BrightLady]

I've realised I need to get a good 9hrs to not feel awful. But I find bedtime difficult as I get a bit anxious and tend to doomscroll and drink wine in between wrestling the kids into bed. I'm mid 40s and definitely peri-menopausal.

So far I'm going to try:

• reading (though I doubt I'll have much success here)
• last glass of wine three hours before bed if drinking
• pillow spray
• shakti mat
• calming podcasts instead of the news
• neox body oil

Anything else I can add to make me sleepy and make it a treat?

It would be better if you cut the wine out altogether.

I use Neroli and lavender essential oils on my pillow. Hardly ever have alcohol, I’m not tee-total, just don’t drink often. No coffee after 3pm.

I struggled with sleep since mid 40s. What has helped the most are the magnesium supplements. Take 2 at bedtime. I get the boots branded ones.

Also bought a nightie from Become to deal with night sweats.

Yes! I take magnesium glycinate

No alcohol is best. Magnesium supplements and CBD sleep drops. Same bedtime every night and same routine every night. Plenty of water through the day, cut down after 6 pm or you'll need to get up in the night. Cool bedroom, warm bedding.

No alcohol at all

No caffeinated drinks after about 2pm

Cup of camomile tea shortly before bedtime

I read for 10 minutes or so and then use a sleep mask. I realised that light was waking me in the early morning and keeping me awake (despite blackout blinds and curtains, light still bleeds round the edges). I get a good night's sleep with the mask and it's usually my bladder that wakes me up after about 8 hours.

Do you recommend any particular CBD drops?

I try for this:

No alcohol at all (sorry)
Exercise during the day (or just wrangling children and frantic housework)
Coffee only in morning, tea whenever but no later than 7pm.
Eat evening meal fairly early and then have a small snack before bed with herbal night time tea.
Window cracked open
Nice warm bedding
Write down lists of things that might bug you in the night, so you have mentally dealt with them
Good book in case of insomnia

Agree with The List - that does help.

Have tried blue light blocking glasses too but jury is out

I sleep really well and my routine is:

No caffeine after 6pm

Up to bed at 10pm

Nice pyjamas, face cream etc, nice bedding. Basically make bed a lovely place to be.

Read for 30 minutes or so on my Kindle.

Eye mask on and off to sleep. If I'm struggling to fall asleep at all or find my mind wandering I put on a relaxing podcast on a 1 hour sleep timer (very quiet so I have to focus to hear it) and lie with my eye mask on and just listen. I can't remember the last time I wasn't asleep before the end. I really recommend The Sleepy Bookshelf, Nothing Much Happens or randomly..... Gardner's Question Time!

Thanks, just downloaded a few from the sleepy bookshelf.

I stop caffeine at 12

A wank?

Consistency is key. Think about it like a routine for getting you and the kids out the house in the morning, you have to have shoes on by 8am or whatever. Same goes. Make a schedule and stick to it. Your body will fall in line and know what’s coming after doing it for a while.

Other things I like are the sunset function on my Lumie alarm clock, rain sounds on the Alexa and a hot water bottle.

🤣🤣🤣

No alcohol
Bath
Orgasm
Sleep story

I have OTO sleep drops. I haven't tried any others though.