Dr. Anisa Shomo, Owner of Health is Love Co., Herald Beauty Contributor
A new year is the perfect time for a sleep routine reset. Whether your goal is to get more sleep; work on a better sleep schedule; or improve your sleep quality here are some ideas that may help you achieve your goal.
Wind-down routine: as you begin to wind down for the evening, consider how you can change your routine to be more relaxing. Try setting a bedtime alarm on your phone. When the alarm goes off, turn off the TV, put your phone on, do not disturb, and listen to a book with a timer to shut off after 30 minutes. Or take a bath or shower while listening to soothing music. Need background noise to fall asleep? Try using a beside fan to create background noise.
Sleep Kit Essentials
If I were to sell my sleep kit essentials in “sleep basket” it would include the following items:
- Melatonin 3 mg tablets by NatureMade (Target, 8.99 for 240 tablets) to take 1 hour prior to bedtime to help improve sleep quality.
- Honey Vanilla Chamomile herbal tea by Celestial Seasonings (Target, 2.49 for 20 tea bags) to drink in the evening to wind down. It provides an alcohol-free alternative to an evening beverage. Beverages with alcohol can interrupt sleep quality.
- Gel Pillows by SENOSUR (Amazon, 28.99 for 2 standard pillows) to support my head and neck while sleeping. These gel pillows are amazingly soft, fluffy, while providing the perfect amount of support. They also do not go flat like most regular pillows and they are not hard like memory foam pillows. Just an absolute dream!
- Personal Fan by Honeywell (Amazon, 19.99) to provide background noise and to keep from overheating while sleeping.