Think about how parents train kids to get ready for sleep. Dinner. Bath. Milk. Book. Bed. The same things, in the same order, every night of the week, each week of the year, until they’re old enough to start negotiating, or steal car keys. How does that compare with your own night-time story?
If this has made you pause for thought, and you’d like to wake up with zest rather than the trace panic of the rubbish sleeper, it’s time to address your bedtime self-parenting. “We can train ourselves to get ready for sleep,” says life coach and writer Fiona Buckland. “The psychological phenomenon of entrainment means you can set your internal clock using external cues. Unless there’s a biological problem, light is the number one environmental contributor to sleep issues, so start by dimming lighting at home – and on your devices. There are clever apps [such as Twilight, and f.lux] that mediate the brightness of digital screens, tuning them from blue hues, towards twilight yellows, for example.”
Buckland also advises that the beginning of a bedtime routine starts two hours before you want to be asleep. “Anthropologists tell us personal rituals are important in life, and the point is precisely that: it’s personal, so play with what works for you.” A simple way to move into a more relaxed, ritualistic mood is to surround yourself with objects that invoke a sense of gratitude. “Use pictures of places and people you love to transport you,” says Buckland. “One client of mine turns her phone off at 9pm every night, and wraps it in a beautiful cloth bag to start to separate herself from the wakeful world, as part of her sleep preparation.”
Psychotherapist and beauty journalist Jess Henley underlines why a calm, positive process of readying for bed is key. “As the familiar steps unfurl, your mind slows, and doesn’t have to think about what you’re doing. It moves to autopilot, so that by the time you’re between the sheets, your brain is exactly where it needs to be in terms of switching off,” she says.
“In my routine, scent is my thing. I use a lovely essential oil and inhale it really deeply before putting it on my face, and give myself a one-minute massage immediately before bed. This is what works, doing the same thing every night sends your brain a signal that says: ‘Hey friend, we’re 20 … 10 … one minute away from lights out, so you can switch off now.’”
Holistic skincare rituals aren’t exactly new. But like all good and useful habits, it’s annoyingly easy to slip backwards into sloppiness. However, a boon like bankable sleep is a pretty strong motivating force. So keep your fresh faced, well-slept self at the front of your mind as the day closes, and you lovingly apply your serums, oils and creams as a reward. For example, Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum has the feeling of a daily treat due to its calming, velvety texture. And if your new routine is proving tricky to bed down, the concentrated ingredients are the perfect sleep aid for keeping under eye circles at bay, and coaxing tired skin into looking healthy and glowing.
As with all things, patience is required – from rebirthing your skin (a cell cycle takes about 28 days), to embedding a valuable new behaviour, such as a reliable bedtime routine. “It takes two to three months to get entrainment going,” says Buckland. But try this one small mental exercise tonight and you’re already helping your body to clock off. “The problem isn’t with your sleep. It’s with how you manage your day. People who end the day with a ‘done’ list, as opposed to a ‘to-do’ list, are more productive.” No pencil required.
