Are you craving deeper, more restful sleep? With all the demands of modern life, it can be difficult to fit in the recommended eight hours, and even when you do, you may not wake up feeling as rejuvenated as you hoped. But quality sleep is vital to your well-being because it’s the only time your brain, body, and even your skin truly recover from the environmental stressors of the day.
To help you achieve your best night’s sleep, we’ve compiled our favorite bedtime rituals. These simple practices are an easy way to prepare your mind and body for sleep so that you can fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Play soothing sounds
Set the tone for your bedtime ritual with a playlist of your favorite nature sounds like rain, beach waves, or a crackling fireplace. It’s proven that naturalistic sounds affect the systems that control the ‘fight or flight’ response, promoting relaxation.
Light some incense
Did you know smells can impact how you feel? Functional fragrances like incense, activate one of the oldest parts of our brain using the olfactory system to control mood, memory, behavior and emotion. Calming aromas like Japanese cypress induce relaxation and promote better sleep.
Bathe in comfort
In Japan, it’s customary to bathe at night to cleanse away the dirt and pollutants of the day while relaxing the mind and body. More recently, research has shown that an evening soak also helps you fall asleep faster, too. The warm water stimulates blood circulation from your core to your hands and feet, reducing your internal body temperature by 2-3 degrees, which is ideal for falling asleep.
Drink in calm
Wind down with an herbal tea like chamomile, which is thought to have anti-anxiety benefits. The bedtime tea is rich in an antioxidant called apigenin, which binds to receptors in your brain that can decrease anxiety and help initiate sleep.
Release tension with healing touch
Elevate your evening skincare ritual with a short facial massage with your favorite moisturizer. We recommend the Indigo Overnight Repair, because it's made to amplify your skin's nightly recovery cycle so you can wake up to calmer, more luminous skin. Massaging the cream into your skin for just a few minutes, you can stimulate circulation while releasing tension to calm the body and mind. Follow the instructions below for our custom Yuyake Face Massage, which can be performed with our Akari Gold Massager, or just your hands.
Yuyake Face Massage
Step 1: Begin just above the hairline and move in a back-and-forth motion on the scalp.
Step 2: Press the massager above the inner corner of the eyebrow and slide outward along the brow, stopping in front of the ear.
Step 3: Press tool to the base of the nose and move outward along cheekbone.
Step 4: Place the massager behind the ear and draw down along the jaw and neck to the collarbone.Repeat five times on each side of the face, using the narrow side.
