Night Time Rituals for Summer 2021

This post is sponsored by Whole Health.

When people ask, “Are you a morning or a night person,” I always say morning. Mornings are my time to shine. I don’t mind waking up early and starting the day on the right foot. However that being said, busy days mean that my nights are super sacred to me. After a long day of work and dinner/bath time with a toddler, don’t expect me to do much after 8pm. My nights are spent lying in bed watching a few episodes of brainless TV, usually with popcorn… occasionally with wine. 

Aside from watching TV, I’ve also implemented a bunch of rituals into my routine to ensure I’m relaxed and prepped for the best sleep possible.

1. Turning Off Laptop

I won’t pretend this happens every night, but for the most part I turn my laptop off before I take a shower and don’t open it again until the next morning. I’ve noticed that when I’m sitting on my laptop reading articles or online shopping, I somehow end up checking work emails and getting stressed. One email leads to another and before I know it, I’m working on tasks that could easily be finished in the morning. Aside from the work aspect, the bright light of the laptop so close to my face doesn’t help wind me down either.

2. Reading a Book

I go through phases with reading. Right now I’m loving fiction. I can’t seem to get enough of Colleen Hoover’s books. If you’re a fan, please let me know which book I need to read next. I just finished Ugly Love and oh my goodness. What a story. I used to read non-fiction parenting books before bed, but it made me anxious, had me questioning every parenting decision I’ve ever made, and was putting me in an overall bad mood. Now if I want to read non-fiction, I do so during the day during my lunch breaks. Reading before bed makes me tired and keeps my mind off the running to-do list in my head.

3. Taking Melatonin 

A new part of my night time routine is melatonin. I’ve noticed since having Vienna, my sleep is all over the place. Some mornings I wake up refreshed and others I wish I could sleep the day away. A lot of my friends take melatonin so I was curious to give it a shot. If you’re not familiar, melatonin is a hormone that helps control your wake and sleep cycle. A melatonin supplement can help get your sleep cycle back on track. The hormone is naturally found in the body, so it’s easier to absorb and utilize.

If I find that my mind is racing at night and I know I’m going to struggle falling and staying asleep, I’ll take 3mg of melatonin 30 minutes before I want to be sleeping. I’ve been using these supplements for about a month now and have seen a huge improvement on the quality of sleep I’m getting.

I ordered the melatonin from Whole Health, because I love that they stand behind their products. They offer a 60-day money back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied (which is reassuring when you’re trying new products). All of their products are made in the USA with natural ingredients, without any artificial fillers, flavorings, or colorings. 

4. Diffusing Essential Oils

My oil diffuser is one part of my night routine that I will absolutely never give up. The one I have uses high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations and doesn’t utilize heat (this maintains the oil integrity). It runs for 4 hours continuously and shuts off automatically when the water runs out. 

The Peaceful Sleep blend from NOW is my favorite essential oil for night time because it seriously helps calm me down after a hectic day. It’s orange, tangerine, lavender, chamomile, ylang ylang, and sandalwood. The oil is 100% pure, synthetic-free, so you can be assured it has no weird stuff in it. Usually I’ll put the diffuser on my nightstand and let it run while I’m watching TV, but I’ve also turned it on in the bathroom during showers. Obsessed!

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