5 Teas to help provide calm and better sleep
April is stress awareness month in the UK. It began nearly 30 years ago as a way to highlight how important it is for our health and wellbeing, to try and live a less stressful life. Of course, the pandemic has added even more pressure in the past two years.
Stress, anxiety and too much technology are all things that can make it hard to switch off and get a night of rested sleep. To help combat this, we’ve put together some useful tips, and our favourite teas to help you relax and have a good night’s sleep.
Calming Tea and a Tech Ban
Calming tea is a gentle infusion and an ideal aid to de-stressing and relaxation. Aromatic orange and fennel and the aroma of finely balanced spices induce serenity and calm before bedtime.
It is recommended that you avoid all screens; mobile phones, tablets and TV at least an hour before bed. This is because the light that they give off reduces the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. Not to mention the content being viewed, which could be keeping the brain very active.
A staggering 79% of us are looking at a mobile phone screen an hour before bed, 62% half an hour before and 46% of us are still looking at it within 15 minutes (Deloitte). This habit can really hinder your ability to get to sleep easily. So, switch them off and make a cup of Calming tea!
Pure Camomile Flower Tea and Writing a To Do List
The whole flowers in this tea bring an intense flavour of pure camomile. Caffeine free, for centuries it has been used to calm and cleanse, and to aid sleep. Add a dash of honey or lemon to further enhance the flavour.
Making a cup of camomile and writing a list of all the things that you need to do, can help clear your mind, organise your thoughts and reduce any stress and anxiety before bed.
Lavender Flower Tea and Sticking to a Sleep Schedule
The aroma of lavender is the perfect way to help bring on a peaceful night of sleep. Lavender has long been known for its relaxing and calming properties. Try to incorporate a cup of this into a regular sleep routine.
It’s recommended that adults get at least seven hours sleep. Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. The consistency really helps your body set a sleep/wake cycle. If you can’t sleep within 20 minutes of being in bed, then leave the bedroom, make yourself a herbal brew and do something relaxing. Read a book or listen to soothing music and then try again.
Evening Blend and a Relaxing Bath
Drink to a good night’s sleep with this naturally caffeine-free combination of rose and lavender, blackberry and raspberry leaves, orange peel, sunflower blossoms and rosehip shells. We combined these calming and stress-relieving flowers and herbs for the perfect end of day infusion.
Sip a cup of Evening Blend in a warm bath to wind down and calm the mind and you will be ready to head to the land of sleep!
Peppermint Tea, Fresh Sheets and Avoiding Caffeine and Alcohol
Ok, so it’s not a traditional bedtime tea but it’s naturally caffeine free and for anyone whose sleep may be disturbed by indigestion, it’s proven to be a natural way to alleviate the symptoms.
A mug of warming peppermint tea and getting into a bed with freshly laundered sheets – is there anything more heavenly? Use 100% cotton or linen sheets to help regulate your temperature throughout the night.
It might be an obvious one but caffeine and alcohol have also been proven to disturb sleep. That coffee might have helped you at 8am but it takes around six hours to leave the body, so bare this in mind when approaching bedtime. A few glasses of wine may also help you initially drop off to sleep, with it’s sedative effect but it then does the opposite in the second half of your sleep cycle and increases wakefulness. Nobody wants an earlier wake up call than necessary. So swapping caffeine and alcohol for a caffeine free herbal tea is much wiser.
Check out our blog The Importance of Happiness which provides stress reducing tips such as mindfulness, writing a gratitude list and getting out into the great outdoors.