If you follow me on Instagram, I have chatted about how I’m a terrible sleeper and I’m desperately trying to nail down a sleep routine.

Honestly, I think college really fck’d me up. I don’t think I’ve ever been so stressed before in my entire life. Granted, I was a grade-A crammer pursuing a double major, yikes. That also meant that I was pulling all-nighters…regularly.

I remember during this time, I became extremely hypersensitive to noise, light, temperature and just about everything else. I use to LOVE sleeping. I looked FORWARD TO SLEEPING. And for the past year or so I’ve actually dreaded going to bed because I knew it meant tossing, turning and staying up far past a decent bedtime.

This isn’t something I’m pleased to admit but I would wake up in a terrible mood and it not only affected me, but others around me as well. I would wake pissed off with severe neck pain from tossing and turning and be groggy AF throughout the day. None of that makes for a great foundation to start the day.

I decided this was not how I wanted to show up in life, in relationships and for myself.

So I began taking a close look at my wind down routine. I recently asked our instagram community what helps them sleep well at night. I made myself a promise that I would try the top 4 suggestions religiously for two weeks.

Here are the top 4 natural sleep aids suggested from our instagram community:

1. CBD
2. This is the one I am most excited about because it’s a new one for me. I’m not going to exaggerate and say I now wake up with the perfect amount of beauty sleep because that would be a lie, but I do wake up feeling better than I have in a VERY long time.
3. I decided to try Nanocraft CBD because they are a respected name here in San Diego and a few friends personally recommended them when I asked for their go-to CBD. Ok look, I’m sure it’s a combination of all these 4 things working together, but a big part of feeling like I have rested well IS because of their LAVENDER-infused CBD. Give me alll the holistic life hacks, please and thanks.
4. I know the agony of lying in frustration, waking with neck pain, being a Negative Nancy and unable to give your 100% because you aren’t 100% well-rested. If you’re having difficulty sleeping, give their Night Formula Lavender CBD Tincture a try. Health is wealth, my friends. But make sure you’re getting your health from legit companies, not some blackmarket CBD being sold at the Little Italy Farmer’s Market (guilty, and that shit didn’t work).
5. I personally reached out to Nanocraft and asked them to give you sleepy heads a discount because I want EVERYONE to be able to sleep better, and in turn, SHOW UP BETTER in life. Use “selfcare” at checkout for a lil’ discount because, #SAVINGS.
6. Weighted Blanket
7. Ladies and gents, this is a thing. I was doing this before I even realized it was a thing! I would always sleep with lots of covers on me but sort of felt like an enigma because people would talk about sleeping WITH JUST A SHEET and I thought they were nuts (deal breaker, go take your SHEET somewhere else). After 10+ people mentioned using one, I shopped around online for a legit weighted blanket. I also decided it was time for the real deal because having loads of covers on you gets like, REALLY hot and if you toss and turn like I do, they half way or fully fall off and it’s just really annoying.
8. If you haven’t noticed yet… I do my research, I love a bargain and I REALLY like the color pink. Lol, stay with me. I came across My Calm Blanket and THEY HAVE PINK WEIGHTED BLANKETS (amongst other colors) and are currently 25% off (‘Fall25’) . You bet your top dollar I got one with a cooling cover.
9. *This is not a sponsored post. I deeply believe in the products I use and write about. *
10. Meditation
11. Meditation is something I have become a bit more comfortable and familiar with this past year. I am no guru, but I have personally experienced the benefits and clarity it has brought into my life. I’ve come to realize that through prayer we ask and through meditation we listen. We listen to our bodies, our thoughts and our emotions. It’s a great way to slooow these three things down, especially at night.
12. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t believe you can slow your thoughts down, you’re actually the perfect candidate for meditation (lol). Or if you simply do not know how to start, try this app called Calm. It’s effortless, comfortable and will guide you right into a sleepy state.
13. Lavender Essential Oil
14. !!! This is the another I’m excited about, mainly because it’s a first for me! I had to give it a go when someone recommended that I rub the oil onto my hands… and feet (I told you I was desperate, lmao). I purchased a $7.99 therapeutic-grade lavender essential oil from amazon. After rubbing the oil into my hands and feet, I take a few deep breaths by holding my hands cupped in front of my face. I immediately feel my body relax and become heavy (in a good way). If nothing else… it’s a placebo effect, right?! ;)
    

Here are some other things that have been keeping me in a deeper sleep and waking well-rested.

1. Sleeping with the A/C on
2. Sleeping with a fan on, mainly for white noise, but it’s nice to dangle my foot out if i’m feeling brave enough.
3. Not drinking any liquids past 9pm
4. Taking a lavender bubble bath. I personally love the ‘Soothe & Sleep’ by Dr. Teals.

Ok! There ya have it. Thank you to EVERYONE who gave me their personal recommendations! You have no idea how grateful I am to have created a new little wind down routine based on these suggestions. I now have a precious little morning routine that sets me up for an epic day of grinding.

Stephanie Daily

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A quick brief on CBD: it is legal, it is non-psychoactive (does not get you' ‘high’), it regulates your anti-inflammatory response, immune system, appetite, mood, anxiety levels, sleep schedule and more. Basically, it helps keep your body in homeostasis ( a state/feeling of well-being). *This is not an article dedicated to CBD. If you want to learn more yourself (like I did) here are a few informative articles: Red Storm Scientific, High Times, Green World, Nanocfraft

* DISCLAIMER: This article does not exploit or provide medical advice of any kind. Therefore, any reliance you place on the information above is strictly at your own risk. Please check with your medical provider before starting or changing a CBD routine.

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