The Easy Nighttime Routine for Great Sleep

When I heard J.Lo sleeps on her back to prevent wrinkles, I spent countless uncomfortable nights training myself to do the same. While I have mastered falling asleep on my back, I have yet to wake up not scrunched up on my side. It's a work in progress.

Anyway, J.Lo sparked my desire to get the best night’s sleep every night. And because we can't all have J.Lo’s in-sleep willpower, I have found many other ways to get some serious beauty rest.

Instagram will not put you to sleep

I get it, parting with our phones is hard, but the blue-light plays tricks on our circadian rhythms and is a quick and easy way to mess up a night's sleep. In general practice, when it starts getting dark outside, it’s time to think wind-down mode. You can also take advantage of night-mode (decreased blue light) settings on your phone and computer. If you keep your phone in your room at night, leave it on airplane mode so that you won't be woken up by a ping or a lighting-up screen. What to do instead of scrolling instagram at night you ask? Read a good book or try writing in a journal.

Image courtesy of Slip

Invest in a silk pillowcase and eye mask

When I put an eye mask on, it’s lights out, see you next year. Add that to a silk pillowcase? Heaven. Jen Atkin, queen of hair, suggests using a silk pillowcase for less breakage and maintaining hair hydration. Make that quarantine blowout you gave yourself last all week!

Magnesium, the magical mineral

An epsom salt (aka magnesium sulfate) bath is great before bed. The magnesium will soothe and relax your body and move you towards shut down even before you put your head to the pillow. You can also take a magnesium supplement like Magnesium Calm. My friends and I call this the crazy dream tea. You will not be disappointed. Take this an hour before bed with a small glass of hot water.

Essential oil diffuser

Sound machines are great until you start dating someone. A diffuser is a decent compromise that gives off a very soothing sound and scent. And there are some great scent options out there: lavender, cedarwood, vanilla and chamomile.