The Art of Sleeping Well

“Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day—Mother Nature’s best.”―Matthew Walker

Now that summer is winding down, vacations are over, and the kids are returning to school, settling back into our routines means shifting gears.

Although we are just weeks away from the Autumn Equinox, many of us are still experiencing hot days and warm, sultry nights, which can disrupt our sleep.

In our busy lives, it is easy to prioritize work, social commitments, and daily responsibilities over a good night’s sleep. Yet research shows sufficient sleep is crucial for maintaining a robust immune system, a healthy brain function, and emotional equilibrium. 

If you’re struggling to drift off, tossing and turning all night long, then I’ve got just the solution for you.

This scenario is why I created Nidra Rest & Restore Sleep Oil, which contains the perfect blend of soporific essential oils to promote relaxation and an optimal night’s sleep.

Today, I’m focusing on powerful natural solutions to enhance your health and wellbeing and improve your sleep.

In this blog, I will explore the importance of sleep and how using Sweet Dreams Spray and Nidra Rest & Restore Oil can improve sleep quality and help you feel your best.

Leverage the restorative effects of a peaceful night’s sleep to prioritize self-care. Let’s harness the power of flower essence aromatherapy to promote personal wellness and wellbeing.

 

August is National Wellness Month!

Celebrated nationwide, August offers us many opportunities to embrace wellness on many levels.

Wellness is critical in shaping our quality of life. Prioritizing wellness is a fundamental aspect of a fulfilling life, encompassing mental, physical, social, intellectual, and other dimensions.

It is about more than just the absence of illness; it’s a dynamic process of change and growth to achieve one’s full potential.

Fleur’s mission is to help you prioritize self-care, reduce stress, embrace healthy habits, and improve overall wellbeing with flower essence aromatherapy tools.

We recognize that quality sleep is a vital component of wellness. We empower you to achieve the restful nights you deserve.

 

Summer Sleeping

Prioritizing high-quality sleep is essential, regardless of age or profession. Summer especially sees us staying up later, waking earlier, and sleeping less overall. (read my blog: Too Hot to Sleep)

As if the heat weren’t enough, late sunsets can make sleeping difficult in summer. I am no exception. I love the longer days, and sunlight energizes me. I tend to do more than I should instead of maintaining an earlier bedtime.

Although I love my sleep, I seem wired to take advantage of spring and summer’s increased daylight through my life-long habit of waking early, just before dawn, and going to bed about three hours after sunset.

However, extended daylight can affect sleep habits and patterns, making it harder to let down and relax at night. That’s when I include Nidra Rest & Restore Sleep Oil in my nightly bedtime routine to drop into deep sleep.

Indulge in the soothing benefits of our Rest & Restore Oil, designed to lull you into restful sleep and ensure you wake up rejuvenated and ready to conquer the day.

 

Most Critical for Wellbeing

Most people think nothing of losing an hour of sleep for a single night, believing it to be trivial and inconsequential. It is anything but.

Almost all chronic diseases are associated with sleep disturbance. A lack of sleep can affect a person’s long-term health and wellbeing. The good news is that we can restore our sleep cycles.

Sleep has been proven to be more critical to a person’s wellbeing than food and exercise combined. Yet, two-thirds of adults are still not getting the eight hours of nightly rest that the World Health Organization recommends.

The amount of sleep you need each night depends on your age and lifestyle, but the average adult generally requires at least seven hours.

Struggling to get a good night’s sleep can have a detrimental impact on your overall wellbeing. It can affect your mood, lead to weight gain, diminish concentration, and make daily activities less enjoyable.

Furthermore, disruptions in your sleep-wake cycle can throw off other natural rhythms, leaving you feeling tired during the day and wide awake at night.

Too often, being unable to sleep becomes a habit. Some people worry about not sleeping even before they get into bed. Mental ruminations may make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

And, while sleep deprivation and insomnia are common challenges for many, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution that ensures blissful, deep slumber.

Moreover, sleep medications work for some people, but they can cause adverse effects. However, this doesn’t have to be your reality!

Anyone can improve their sleep quality with our flower essence aromatherapy formulas, enhancing mental, physical, and emotional health.

 

Rest & Restore

No matter what season of the year, while we all know what actual sleep is, to be clear when we sleep, our bodies undergo crucial processes that help us fight off illnesses and recover from stress—this is also known as “rest and restore”!

The body and brain need time to rest and recover, which is critical to our health and longevity.

Several critical processes during the sleep cycle facilitate recovery from awake time. Waking up at any point during this cycle may reduce sleep’s restorative benefits.

You progress through four to five sleep cycles during an average sleep period. A sound, uninterrupted sleep

• Repairs and regenerates tissues, including muscle
• Supports immune function
• Enhances hormone function
• Betters cognitive function, including memory consolidation, attention, and decision-making skills
• Aids in heart health and blood sugar regulation
• Restores organ function. 

Ensuring we get ample, uninterrupted sleep is essential for our bodies to function optimally and to navigate physical and mental stressors effectively. 

Sleep is the most essential resource we require, whether engaging in a rigorous physical workout or expanding our cognitive capabilities.

 

Immune Health

Here are some essential points about how sleep impacts our immune health:

• Immune System Regulation: Deep sleep is when our bodies produce cytokines, proteins necessary for managing immune responses. Without enough sleep, cytokine production decreases, leaving us more vulnerable to infections.
• Enhanced Recovery: Sleep is the body’s time to heal. When we get sufficient rest, our immune system becomes more effective at fighting off pathogens, helping us bounce back from illness more quickly.
• Stress Reduction: Quality sleep reduces stress hormones like cortisol, which can weaken our immune response. We are better prepared to tackle stressors without compromising our health when well-rested.
• Cognitive Function: Good sleep enhances focus and decision-making, enabling us to make healthier choices that support our immune system, such as eating well and exercising regularly.

Remember, prioritizing sleep goes beyond simply feeling rested; it’s about fortifying your body’s defenses. Let’s commit to getting the rest we need to stay healthy!

 

Sleep is Vital for Brain Health

Sleep is vital for brain health and is essential for many brain functions, including: 

• Learning and memory: Sleep helps form long-term memories and is essential for learning new things. 
• Cognitive function: Sleep helps with concentration, mental acuity, and the ability to respond quickly. 
• Brain cell communication: Sleep is critical for how nerve cells communicate with each other. 
• Brain waste removal: Sleep helps remove toxins and waste products from brain cells. 
• Alzheimer’s disease: Sleep helps clear plaque-forming proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. 
• REM sleep: REM sleep, or the dreaming phase, is vital for memory, learning, and emotional wellbeing.

During sleep, the brain efficiently eliminates harmful waste products, promoting rejuvenation and restoring optimal function for peak performance.

When deprived of sleep, the glymphatic system doesn’t have enough time to perform its function, allowing toxins to build up and affecting cognitive abilities, behavior, and judgment.

 

The Glymphatic System

I am fascinated by the glymphatic system concerning brain health. Relatively recent research has revealed the existence of a fluid-filled channel that circulates cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid around the brain.

We know the lymphatic system plays a vital role in waste clearance, helping to remove excess fluid and waste from the spaces between cells and the blood.

However, lymphatic vessels have only recently been identified in the outer covers of the brain. They are still yet to be observed in brain tissue.

So, how does your brain, which creates an abundance of waste, clean itself?

Your brain is surrounded by cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). This fluid is produced inside large ventricles (big holes) inside the middle of your brain. CSF flows through the various ventricles in your brain into the surrounding space of the brain.

This intricate network efficiently eliminates soluble proteins and metabolites while we sleep, allowing the brain to start afresh.

Intriguingly, the glymphatic system functions mainly during sleep and is primarily disengaged during wakefulness. The brain must enter a state of non-wakefulness during sleep to eliminate potentially harmful waste products.

Plaque β-amyloid protein, a degenerative component in Alzheimer’s disease, underscores the imperative to fully grasp and prioritize the role of sleep and the glymphatic system.

Besides waste elimination, the glymphatic system may also help distribute non-waste compounds in the brain, such as glucose, lipids, amino acids, and neurotransmitters related to volume transmission.

The implications of this system shed light on the aging brain, as sleep quality decreases with normal aging and total sleep time becomes shorter and more disrupted.

 

A Dysregulated Nervous System

Often, the issue of struggling to fall and stay asleep is due to an overstimulated or dysregulated nervous system. Stress is the primary factor contributing to this imbalance.

Perhaps you’ve noticed a faster heart rate, shallow breathing, tension, tightness, jumpiness, fear, anxiety, and panic. Your body may be so stressed that it is on high alert and feeling threatened.

It could be due to daily overwhelm and anxiety, or it could have followed a significant period in your life when you felt threatened.

Additionally, this could stem from prolonged nighttime activities such as excessive screen time, extended work hours, or late-night gaming sessions.

Whatever stress causes dysregulation, these symptoms are significant as they signal a need for change.

 

The Role of the Parasympathetic Nervous System

The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) works in opposition to the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the “fight or flight” response.

When the PNS is activated, it helps to slow the heart rate, increase digestive activity, and promote relaxation. This system is essential for maintaining homeostasis and facilitating recovery from stress.

Interest in the impact of essential oils on the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is growing in both traditional and modern medicine.

The parasympathetic nervous system is a crucial part of the autonomic nervous system and helps us with rest, digestion, and recovery processes.

Understanding how essential oils influence this system can offer insights into natural methods for stress management and overall wellbeing.

 

Essential Oils affect the PNS

• Olfaction: The olfactory system is closely linked to the limbic system, allowing certain scents to trigger parasympathetic responses. Inhaling essential oils can directly influence the brain’s limbic system, which regulates emotions and the autonomic nervous system. 
• Topical Application and Transdermal Absorption: The same olfactory receptors in the nose thrive in the skin. When applied to the skin, essential oils can be absorbed into the bloodstream, affecting various bodily systems, including the nervous system. 

 

Soporific Essential Oils 

Something soporific is sleep-inducing.

Throughout history, humans have turned to oils and herbs for their calming and soothing properties.

Nonprescription sleep aids are typically considered natural. They promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and support sleep without causing addiction or dependence.

Nidra Rest & Restore Sleep Oil is a complex alchemical blend of 10 organic essential oils formulated with a proprietary combination of Jojoba and St. John’s Wort herbal oil to enhance the parasympathetic nervous system let-down response.

I created Nidra Rest & Restore Sleep Oil by combining a synergy blend of soporific oils: organic essential oils of clary sage, spikenard, vetiver, and vetiver, known for their calming and sedating effects.

These oils have traditionally been used in folk medicine to help regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

Expertly blended to help you relax and prepare for sleep, the warm, earthy aroma encourages deep nervous system relaxation. Paired with top notes of sweet floral aromas of Neroli and Ylang Ylang organic essential oils, this blend may balance the brain and the limbic system.

 

Like Magic

Creating a nightly routine with Fleur Sleep formulas offers a quiet time to reflect on your day and nurture yourself. 

Use as part of your nightly bedtime ritual ten minutes before bed to initiate readiness for sleep.*

• Rub a little Nidra Rest & Repair Sleep Oil on your hands.
• Cup your hands before your nose, and inhale the warm aroma deeply. Exhale slowly.
• Repeat the breath four more times.

Apply a small amount of oil and massage into touch points, applying gentle pressure counterclockwise motion for four to five seconds.

• At the temples and between your brows
• The back of the neck at the base of the skull
• Below the cheekbone in front of the ear
• Behind the jawbone
• At the wrists
• The inside of the inner leg just above the ankle
• On the soles of the feet.

Massaging these areas will activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you fall asleep.

*Use sparingly with children.

 

Sweet Dreams

Children, on the other hand, do well with our Sweet Dreams Spray.

Sweet Dreams Spray alchemical blend is formulated with a proprietary synergy of flower essences and botanical essential oils to help you or your kids naturally relax and enter a parasympathetic state to help dream sleep. Created with children in mind,

The blissful aroma of bergamot and ylang-ylang organic essential oils encourages the release of tension and supports a quiet, calm state. It invites the body to gently unwind, relax, and slip into a restful slumber.

Sweet Dreams Spray is reminiscent of a mother’s lullaby and warm embrace. As Annie Lennox sings: “Sweet Dreams are made of this!”

Recommended reading: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker