Nightiime Favorites

Today I thought it would be fun to share some of my nighttime favorites - things that help me wind down and improve my sleep. I've always REALLY loved sleep but have tried to make sure I'm getting good sleep and enough of it

Nighttime Skin Routine

I don’t wash my face as soon as I get home, I’ll typically pull my hair back and put on comfy clothes but don’t wash my face until after dinner when I’m officially in “pre-bed-mode”.  I use the Colleen Rothschild Cleansing balm followed by a Drunk Elephant cleansing bar.  This one is great for daily use and the exfoliating one I use a few times a week.  I’ll then use a pump of this moisturizer mixed with one of my Colleen Rothschild serums.I love all of them and there’s really no rhyme or reason to which one I’m using at the moment. 

Acupressure Mat and Chirp Wheels

I carry a LOT of tension in my shoulders and have some lower back pain that I blame on my scoliosis.  I bought a set of chirp wheels last year that I use nightl - I typically start with the medium on my lower back and then go to the largest size.  I’ll use the smallest one on my neck as well.    

I started seeing target ads for acupressure mats earlier this summer and started to do some research on how to use them as well as the benefits.  AS someone with headaches and who carries stress in their back I decided to try it out and OH MY WORD I love it.

So here’s the deal… it hurts.  Like a lot. But then it gets tingly and warm as the blood starts to go to that area and then it’s SO GOOD.  When I was reading reviews I’d see people say “I sleep on it” and I was like, “yeah, no” - well I can proudly report that I doze off pretty much nightly. I put on some calming music, put the mat on my my bed, turn off the lights and lay on it for about 20 minutes and I look forward to that time all day.  I have the mat and the neck pillow and I lay on it with my back bare which is pretty intense but again, once you’re through that first 5 minutes it’s awesome.  I’ve definitely noticed a reduction in my shoulder tension and I think having those calm 20 minutes really helps me get into a relaxed mode for the night. 

The first two days I used it I felt kind of icky after (almost like after a really good massage) but I drank a bunch of water and it passed quickly.  

I’ve also stood on the mat at the end of a long day and it absolutely helps with tired feet.

We have a diffuser in our room that I fill nightly and use this oil in it.  It smells HEAVENLY... like a really nice hotel lobby.  JUST SO GOOD!

Okay - onto my nightstand...

...my friend Lori gave everyone this cuticle cream last Christmas and it's SO GOOD!  I put it on every night before I read and I love it.

This lip mask is another pre-bed essential.  I have a few of the scents/flavors and love them all.

I LOVE using this weighted sleep mask. Not every night, but if I have a headache or aren't planning on falling asleep reading ;)  

I keep my gua sha stone and a few facial oils in my nightstand just in case I'm feeling extra dry or didn't do my normal routine.  Having it in my nightstand makes it easily accessible so I don't have an excuse not to use it.

Another nighttime essential are my sleepbuds.   these sleepbuds were a SPLURGE but let me tell you... I haven't slept this well in FOREVER!!!!  I'm a heavy sleeper once I'm asleep BUT hear EVERYTHING when I'm trying to fall asleep.  Every creak, toilet running, car down the street and the snoring next to me.  I tried sleeping with my airpods in and white noise playing but they weren't at all comfortable when I was trying to fall asleep and if I managed to fall asleep they were out of my ears and pretty much lost in the morning.  

Enter the Bose sleepbuds.  I did my research and bit the bullet and it was true love from the third night on.  The first two nights I woke up in the night because they were making the tragus part of my ear sore but that third night and on I've had zero issues and I sleep like a BABY!  

Couple of things - these aren't headphones... you can't connect them to your phone and listen to anything other than the sounds from the Bose sleep app.  Essentially they're a stupid expensive sound machine that goes inside your ear.  But they work like magic!  

If you've been on the fence let this be my ringing endorsement of them!

The other thing I've started doing which has made the biggest difference is putting my phone away at night and not scrolling.  I would check my email which would lead to mindless scrolling and putting my phone on my dresser instead of my nightstand has made an embarrassingly big difference.

HAPPY Thursday and happy sleeping, friends!!!