Recipe for a Good Night's Sleep

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been run ragged the past few weeks. As such, it’s been a little bit important to me to have a good night’s sleep every single night. Admittedly, I haven’t gotten as much sleep as I should lately, but I have a really defined night time routine. I think it really helps me get in the mindset that my day is over and I need to stop doing brainwork. I’m guilty of doing a lot of thinking and planning while I should be trying to sleep. I tend to write my essays in my head before I type them out, and a lot of that gets done in the 11pm-4am time bracket. Do you do that? Or is it just me?

Anywho. Here’s the stuff I need to remove the school from my head and get a couple hours of sleep every night.

First things first, the makeup has to come off. I like Neutrogena’s All-in-One Makeup Removing Cleansing Lotion. I put a dab on a cotton pad or a tissue in a pinch and it takes everything off really easily without residue. I’ve also gotten some like RIGHT in my eye and it didn’t cause any irritation at all. Fantastic.

As an aside, I’m writing this from the eighth floor of the Biology building, and a torrential downpour just started. *Sigh* I love Halifax.

I like to do all my moisturising right before bed. I’ve been enjoying the Garnier Intensive 7 Days Ultra-Softening Lotion in Mango. I’m not so sure about its claims of 7 days of moisturised skin, but it does the job.  I might have to test that. It makes my skin soft, especially on my crocodile knees. 

My old favourite Smith’s Rosebud Salve is part of the pack too. I slather this stuff all over my lips before bed. When I get up in the morning, it makes it really quick to do my makeup if I don’t have to start off with a lip scrub. My tin is a little banged up because it gets kicked around in my purse more than a little bit.

I use a night cream especially around my eyes. This is a real find for me. I bought this Puritas fragrance-free night cream at a grocery store. It’s their store brand, and I really like it. I bought it when I was travelling and my skin was in serious disrepair. I’ve been using it ever since. It’s heavy, but my sin is extra dry, so it doesn't bother me too much. It might be a little much for the summer, but right now it’s great. I heard they discontinued it, but I’m hoping they didn’t. It’s been beyond my expectations. Oh! It contains lanolin, so it smells like sheep. That’s kind of a downside. It doesn't make you smell like sheep, at least, but you can smell it on your face for an hour or so.

I shower in the mornings before class, so at night, I rub coconut oil into my ends, then braid my hair, and twist it up into a bun so that the heat from my head helps it get deep into my hair. I heat treat my hair on a nearly daily basis, and this helps it stay looking shiny and healthy. Coconut oil is also cheap...this was like $7 at a health foods store.

Finally, I settle in with a cup of tea. This is Mother’s Little Helper from DavidsTea. IT contains Valerian root, which is often used as a sedative, so it knocks me right out. I have about 45 minutes maximum from the time I finish the tea until I am dead to the world. It’s perfect for those nights when nothing else is working. IT smells minty, but doesn't taste minty. It’s fruity, with lemongrass, and red when it’s prepared, and sweet enough that I don't have to use sugar or honey or anything. When I had colds all winter this was also great for getting me to sleep when I was coughing too much to be able to rest.

I hope you are all having a good week, and having a good night’s sleep.