my top five sleeping hacks

sleeping is one of my favourite hobbies, now, but once upon a time i used to suck at it. like, truly suck at it, to a point that i considered giving it up all together, because like, if you're really not good at something despite how much you try, and you get frustrated by it, you should probably find another hobby, right? turns out though, that's not a very healthy way to live your life, and over time, the less the sleep the more of a horrible human you become; they say that practise makes perfect, and well, over years and years of trying new ways to perfect my craft, i've nailed it. wanna know how? read on.

nesting/rituals

first things first, is that i have little rituals that "get me in the mood" for falling asleep. they're silly, but they work. like, i do my personal hygiene routine of taking off my make up, brushing my teeth, and applying whatever night cream junk i'm using that week, as well as moisturising my neck and arms with a lavender-based cream that gets me all prepared for sleepy town. i then nest. i tidy everything off of my bed, folding clothes and putting them away. rearranging my shoes. making sure my plants are watered. once everything is in its place, and my bed is made, i'm good to go.

facial mist

i'd tried using your traditional sleep sprays, and to be honest, haven't been able to find one that really does the job without any worries, until i randomly received one of the neil's yard facial mists in a goody-bag one time, and it changed my life. it's a frankincense hydrating mist that smells divine, and it's the most relaxing scent i've ever used at night time. i spray it on my face once i've moisturised my body, and the smell stays all around me when i get into bed. it's honestly amazing. i've also now tried the neil's yard goodnight pillow mist too, which - while isn't the same scent, is a really nice back up for when the mist runs dry. it's a good'un.

white noise

this is a big one for me, and one that pretty much will guarantee if i have a good sleep or not: i use a fan for white noise. i know a bunch of people who do this, or a version of this - like, white noise apps, mindfulness apps, etc, but for me, the fan is everything. whatever the season, the fan is on, and honestly it just helps to block out all the thoughts that whizz around my head at night, as well as any noise from the street, or around the building, that would otherwise frustrate the living hell out of me. it does sometimes give me a cold tickle in my throat, so i keep my throat pastilles by the bed too; the glycerine in these ones sorts it out almost immediately.

phenergan night time 

on those particularly tough nights when my three preferred methods don't work, i do have to rely on a little help from big pharma. i've been using the antihistamine phenergan for yeeaaaaaars to help me fall asleep, as it's the only antihistamine i've tried that genuinely makes me drowsy enough to fall asleep, and this month i found out they have released a night-time version specifically for help falling asleep. so, i guess they worked out that's what their customers were using it for, and focused on that. the active ingredient (promethazine) acts as a sedative when used at the correct dosage (for an adult, no more than 50mg per night, for no more than seven days in a row), and no shit, has me dozing off in no time. it's a last-ditch tactic, but it's one i know i can count on.

visualisation

and the one thing i probably do every night, is do a bit of visualisation. not the counting sheep nonsense, no, more like a "think of a name for every letter of the alphabet for a boy, and then girl, and then hopefully fall asleep" type visualisation. truth be told, i've never made it through the alphabet twice, so i know it works. other fun games are: decide what to wear tomorrow by taking a mental polaroid of every item of clothing that i own; naming every tube station in london; doing my times tables; etc.

these are the five hacks i've totally whittled down after years of systematic insomnia, and after trying just about every tip in the book. i do hope that over time i won't need to rely on these tricks to get me off to the land of nod, but i'm very grateful to have them in my arsenal of tools when things get a little tough! do you have any of your own tips you use when things are a little tense in the sleep department?

*this was sponsored by phenergen, but honestly, i have been using this medication for more than a decade so it's all above board - i swear!