How to get sleep when you're restless + Sweet dreams pillow spray recipe

Enjoying hours of restful sleep is on the top of my personal self care list. I don't know about you, but I've always loved sleep. It just seems to be the perfect reset button for me. If I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I do my little night time ritual and go to bed early. 
I wake up rested and feel like I can focus on problem solving with a clear head.

Lately, many of my clients have been talking to me about their lack of sleep these days. They say that they are having a hard time winding down in the evening. Of course we know that massage helps people get better quality of sleep and eases insomnia so they are already in the right place to received sleep related benefits. 
Recent seasonal changes and lunar events can also make it difficult on our sleep patterns.
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Some people turn to alcohol or prescription medications to help them achieve restful sleep.
I checked out the long list of side effects some people have experienced from medications, so I thought that I'd write about some natural ways to catch some high quality zzz's.

Lifestyle:
First, consider your current lifestyle. Look at it from a holistic point of view. That means examine all of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of your life right now.

• How much exercises do you get and how is your daily diet?
• Are you stimulated mentally?
• Do you feel balanced emotionally?
• Do you feel a spiritual connection regularly?

Make some changes to your lifestyle that feel good to you and see if it has a positive affect. I also love this list of questions to ask yourself when you're feeling overwhelmed. It's a big help to me when I need to put things in to perspective. An excellent self care list!

Bedtime routine:
Some of my favorite bed time routines are taking a hot bath with bath salts and massaging my feet with an aromatherapy salve. I also love to do a few restorative yoga postures to get my body ready to sleep. Spinal twists are my absolute favorite before bed. 

Sleeping space:
Now, set up your sleeping space.
Make it cool and dark. Consider removing electronics from your bedroom.
Make yourself a retreat that you enjoy going to every evening. I always have a book and a flashlight on my bedside table so I can read because i've found that it puts me right to sleep. Find out what works for you and make it easy to access. Some other suggestions are aromatherapy eye pillows or deep breathing exercises.
I've also included this great pillow spray recipe below the picture. 

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Recipe for a simple pillow spray:

2 oz empty and clean spray bottle
1 tsp. vegetable glycerine (can be found online) to help disperse EO's
Distilled or filtered water
7 drops of Lavender ( Lavendula angustifolia) essential oil
7 drops of Ho wood (Cinnamomum camphora ct linalol) essential oil
6 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) essential oil
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First, fill the bottle almost to the top with water (make enough room for the other liquids that you're about to add).
Then, add essential oils drop by drop.
Next, add your vegetable glycerine.
Put the top on the spray bottle and shake it up. 
Spray your pillow before bed and enjoy!

Did you try the pillow spray recipe?
Share your experiences in the comments.
If you made alterations to the recipe, which scents did you use and why?

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Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I'm the Author of Ayurvedic Head Massage For Beginners and I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, Texas. specializing in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Barefoot Bar Therapy and iRest® Yoga Nidra.

The Heeling Hut Offers the best Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage in the Dallas Texas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051​