MY NIGHTLY ROUTINE FOR THE PERFECT NIGHTS SLEEP

I spent a lot of time trying to build a perfect routine for myself to get the perfect nights sleep. I suffer from chronic insomnia and have trouble sleeping, so I try to create a relaxing, peaceful environment in my bedroom to get myself in the mood. I wish I could be like those people who just put their head on their pillow and fall asleep, but I am not. My husband use to be like that, but I think he's starting to turn into me. He stays up with me, either he's jealous of my routine or he's trying to annoy me. I am a night person and I've grown to love that extra time I always had to myself at night when the whole world was sleeping, but now my husband is a part of my personal night time. I need to start giving him some melatonin so that he goes back into his normal cycle. I've tried melatonin to sleep and every other thing that is recommended ,but I just can't sleep like a normal person.

BEFORE GETTING INTO BED

My nightly routine starts off with a relaxing herbal tea. My favorite ones are Kava Stress Relief by Yogi Tea and Organic Nighty Night by Traditional Medicinals. As I am getting older, I'm starting to enjoy tea, especially herbal tea more and more every single day. It really does relax you, and it's very interesting how different teas have different health benefits. 

I have a love for cleansers and I have two that I love at the moment, however at night I use my Murad Essential-C Cleanser. I'm a very stressed out person, and that's probably why I can't sleep at night, but it really takes a toll on my skin. When I start stressing the small things, I start breaking out immediately and having combination skin probably doesn't help either. I use it with my Clarisonic Mia; I have the Acne Cleansing Brush Head on my Clarisonic, which I bought later on. I wear make-up daily and it does a great job removing it and leaving my face hydrated and squeaky clean! My eye make-up never comes off since I use waterproof eyeliner, so I've started using the Dior Instant Eye Make-up Remover and it does a great job without irritating my sensitive skin. 

After cleansing my face, I apply the Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum. I have a great skin specialist at Sephora, he recommended me this and he really knows what he's talking about. I get red spots on my skin, probably from my break-outs and this really works wonders. I use it at night because I feel like it probably would work better when my skin is freshly cleansed. I didn't wait for an overnight miracle but within a month I really noticed a huge difference. I do a weekly face mask and foot mask but those aren't my nightly routines, so I can do another post on that later. I've been losing weight so I started using the Bliss Fat Girl Sleep again. I use it to tone my skin and reduce cellulite, but of course if you really want to tone your skin, you need to exercise. Before I get into bed. I grab my water bottle that I squeeze fresh lemon juice into, I always drink my water with lemon. I've been taking St. Johns Wort for a long time because I've been a little depressed; no energy and just a little loss of motivation, but I found this natural supplement that works like a natural antidepressant and it doesn't make you sleep all day. I haven't used it enough, but overall I am feeling better! I think it really helped me with my motivation and that's probably why I started Blogging! 

I bought my GLO Brilliant Personal Teeth Whitening Device two years ago and never really had the chance to use it on a regular basis, so I decided not to use it until I had time to use it properly. Since we moved to Istanbul, we have time to breath, so I started using it again. After I brush my teeth, take my supplements, I use the Glo. This really does work and it you have sensitive teeth like I do, this doesn't hurt your teeth like other whitening strips do. 

AFTER GETTING IN BED

Getting in bed and going under the covers is the best feeling in the world. I just love it! Before I jump in bed, I like to create a relaxing atmosphere because I'm not going to fall asleep right away. I bought an Oil Burner from The Body Shop along with a bunch of fragrance oils, Exotic is my favorite one. I light a tea candle, fill the top of the burner with some water and add 2-3 drops of the oil and I'm ready to get in bed.

Once I'm in bed, I spray our pillows with the Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint Spray from Bath & Body Works. What can I say, I really love aromatherapy! It's very calming and the smell is great, and I really think it's therapeutic. I also spray my feet with Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray from The Body Shop. I have very itchy feet and if my feet are not relaxed, I really can't sleep. I spray my husbands feet too and he loves it! It's very refreshing and relaxing. It might feel like a lot, but really it isn't and it's not really time consuming once it becomes a routine. Since I'm a stressed out person in general and I started getting tension headaches often over the past few years, so I try everything to get myself calm and stress-free. My favorite product ever that I have been using for years is the Peace of Mind On-the-spot relief from Origins. You apply it to the back of your neck, temples and earlobes. You'll feel a tingling sensation as pressure, tension and tightness begin to melt away, but it's a nice feeling. I use this nightly and whenever I get headaches too. Last but not least, I put on some of Burt's Bees Soothing Lip Balm with Eucalyptus & Menthol, as you can tell I really love Eucalyptus! 

I usually write at night, kind of like a journal and I have been doing it for years. I think writing is great therapy and it really makes you feel better. You get out everything that's bottled up inside and you don't have to sleep on it. After I write or read I turn on my SoundSpa from HoMedics; I use the White Noise sound and I fall asleep. I always use some sort of White Noise to sleep, I'm like a baby. Since I have trouble sleeping, when I do fall asleep I wake up to the smallest noises, so the white noise really helps me sleep and stay asleep. I'm going to start using my humidifier in my bedroom soon, so once I turn that on I won't be needing the Soundspa anymore because the humidifier has a similar sound that can pass as a white noise.

So, this is my nightly routine, it might sound complex, or like too much, but it really does give me the perfect nights sleep and I have the time to do it. You might not be able to do all of it, but some of these things might work for you if you are having trouble sleeping or feel like you aren't getting quality sleep or you just want to create a peaceful environment. Have a great weekend!