To wrap up National Stress Awareness Month, Pure Parima brings you a special blog post detailing our dream bedtime routine!

There’s no question that some quality rest is a great defense against unhealthy stress levels.  It’s the human equivalent of turning your phone off when it starts to overheat and turning it back on! But with all these new stressors in life stemming from the global pandemic, you may find it harder to fall or stay asleep at night.

Many people are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety. According to Dr. Julie Kolzet, Ph.D., “Those feelings often translate to sleep disturbances.” While it’s completely normal to experience this “coronavirus-induced insomnia”, it’s important to build a bedtime routine and sleep schedule to help you get a good night’s rest. Adequate rest and a healthy sleep schedule can help you reduce stress levels, be more productive, and feel better!

Set a Sleep Schedule

Before we break down our dream bedtime routine, we want to emphasize the importance of setting a sleep schedule. It can be tempting to sleep in late now that you don’t have a morning commute, but sleeping in late can make you feel unproductive during the day, which in turn leads to more trouble falling asleep at night. It also might be easier to stay awake later than usual now. Perhaps you get sucked in to catching up on the news, or maybe housework is put off until after the kids go to bed. While it may be challenging, try wake up and go to sleep around the same time every day.

Other Helpful Hints

If you’re working from home, try to keep your work away from your bedroom (or at least your bed). Also, try reserve about 30-60 minutes before bed for screen-free de-stressing! Many people are spending more time in front of a screen now whether for work, shopping, connecting with friends, or boredom. This increased screen time also impacts our ability to fall asleep.

If you look at a screen to help de-stress (like reading e-books), try blue-light blocking glasses or turning on night mode if your device has that feature.

Getting Ready for Bed

Bedtime rituals can help your body recognize when it’s time to go to sleep. Doing the same things every night before getting into bed will help you fall asleep faster.

Our dream bedtime routine begins with a hot shower! A hot shower will increase the body’s temperature, and when you step out of the shower and cool down, your body’s temperature decreases. This drop in body temperature is necessary for falling asleep.

Soothing Your Senses

The rest of our dream bedtime routine slowly relaxes our senses, one by one, helping us unwind from head to toe.

Smell: Fresh out of the shower is the perfect time to moisturize your skin with your favorite lotion. Or turn on your diffuser to fill the room with a soothing scent. Check out these scents that help you sleep!

Hearing: Many people find it helpful to fall asleep when there is a gentle humming sound in the background. Turn on a white noise machine to relax to the sounds of waves crashing on the beach or heavy rainfall.

Taste: Have a warm drink like chamomile tea to unwind. If falling asleep is particularly difficult, talk to your doctor about the benefits of melatonin supplements and if they’re safe for you!

Sight: Use blackout curtains to block any light coming in from your windows and keeping you awake. Or maybe try a soft eye mask!

Touch: Soothe all of your nerve endings by crawling into the softest sheets. Pure Parima bedding is made with 100% Egyptian cotton, certified by the Cotton Egypt Association. The extra-long staple fibers are handpicked and spun into the softest yarn, and woven into silky, breathable sheets, perfect for keeping you cool and comfortable while you sleep.

Winding Down in Bed

Now that you’re cozy in bed, try some bedtime yoga or guided meditation that you can do from the comfort of your Pure Parima sheets. Both are likely to soothe you to sleep, but if they don’t, try counting sheep or counting down from 1000.

We hope our bedtime routine helps you get some well-deserved rest, and that the rest keeps you healthy and your immune system strong! Shop the best Egyptian cotton sheets here and experience your best night’s sleep.