Accouterments for a good night’s sleep

Back in high school, sleepovers are as frequent as school projects go. It was the ultimate excuse of youth to stay up without breaking daddy’s curfew. Fast forward to the year of the late 20s, sleepovers are replaced by out of town, out of country trips. Nevertheless, a pajama party is always a nice way of having fun with your girlfriends, and/or discovering new things.

As in my case, discovering new things to come with me to sleep. With the increasing number of factors such as 24-hour vehicles on the streets (even residential ones), work stress, daily commute fatigue, complicated relationships and job juggling, falling asleep these days have become harder than it was years ago. While I thought I already had some sort of ritual for falling asleep, a recent sleepover helped me discover more ways of getting into fitful slumber.

Ladies and (maybe) gentlemen, meet my sleepover friends:

L-R: 1) Apollo Pure Petroleum Jelly 2) Satin Eye Mask (from Apostrophe) 3) Knit socks (bought in Tokyo) 4) So True Naturals Peppermint Linen Spray, Php 285 available via SoTrueNaturals.com 5) Zenutrients All is Well Php 190 via Sesou 6) Zen Zest Room Fragrance in Calming variant (Php 180)

1. Petroleum Jelly – Walking in high heels all day plus open shoes can harden one’s feet. To restore lost moisture, apply pure petroleum jelly on your entire foot. I once got face to face with my foot during yoga and I was petrified at how dry mine were. I never forgot to apply petroleum jelly since then.
2. Do yourself a lovely favor and the benefit of long, uninterrupted sleep by using an eyemask. I started wearing one since I started working and while friends complain of insomnia and short bouts of sleep, I still manage to maintain eight hours of shut eye every single day. 
3. To complement #1, don’t forget to lock in the moisture by wearing soft, cute socks. Yes, they must be cute to add to the relaxing feeling of going to bed! 
4. One of two things I discovered from my friend Sophie, So True Naturals is a local brand, which uses topnotch aromatherapy oils. Their lavender oils are a winner though my personal preference remains to be the peppermint and grapefruit one. To use, I spray this all over my pillows and believe it or not, I get knocked out in 1, 2, 3…
5. Probably our generation’s Tiger Balm equivalent, Zenutrients All is Well oil is like a magic potion to one’s muscle pains. I rolled this one onto my aching neck and legs and instantly, the cold sensation wiped away the tiredness and I was lulled into relaxation. The minty scent is a very welcome bonus, too.
6. Here’s a secret why I get sleepy almost immediately when arriving home: I spray Zen Zest’s room spray in Calming as soon as I get into the door. As evidenced in this article, I am an aromatherapy person and I get sleepy at the whiff of something relaxing. If you have trouble getting into sleep, try spritzing this into your bedroom while doing your night skin regimen and (maybe this is just me) see yourself wakeup with very good dreams.
7. Last and definitely not the least: Read the Bible and pray. I do not claim to be the best Christian but as a human who sins every single day, one way of relaxing is praying and telling Him everything in my heart to ask for forgiveness and to hope. Lately, it's been Philippians, which is my favorite. What a joyful read. 

Any slumber secrets you got there?

Share with me through the comments section!