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Who doesn’t love a good ritual? With a unique ability to make us feel grounded, safe, and help us stick to a healthy schedule or routine, rituals are powerful tools when used correctly.
So many of us—with our green smoothies, matcha, and sunrise yoga sessions—are bursting with morning rituals, but it can be easy to run out of steam by the end of the day and abandon our self-care intentions, which can disrupt our sleep quality and overall health. That's why we think our nighttime ritual is even more important than what we do in the morning. Here are some expert tips guaranteed to take your nighttime ritual to a new level.
1. Diffuse calming essential oils.
Smell is one of our most powerful senses, making it perfect to incorporate into a nighttime routine. Diffusing some lavender, bergamot, or lemon balm will send signals to your body that it’s time to wind down and prepare for a peaceful night’s sleep.
2. Give your feet some TLC.
It’s easy to forget just how important our feet are to our overall health and well-being. Think about it, they support our entire body weight as we go about our day. That’s a big job for such a tiny part of the body! It’s safe to say that our poor feet—especially if we’re working out, walking long distances, or squeezing them into not-so-supportive shoes—might need some extra love at the end of the day. Using a magnesium-based cream can help relieve acute or chronic foot pain and is a great excuse to give yourself a five-minute foot massage before bed.
3. Supplement wisely.
Want to drink your way to instant calm? You can mix one of Natural Calm’s powdered magnesium drinks into any beverage, hot or cold, for a delightfully fizzy late-night treat. The body needs adequate magnesium to fully relax, and powdered magnesium is actually the best and most immediate way to absorb the supplement—so drink up!
4. Banish blue light.
Research shows that exposure to blue light—also known as the light blaring from you phone or laptop—late into the night can disrupt sleep. That’s because it sends signals to your brain that it’s still daytime and messes with your melatonin and cortisol cycles, which help you get out of bed in the morning and fall asleep at night. Try turning off the overhead lights and powering down the electronics about two hours before you plan to close you eyes. Your circadian rhythm will thank you!
5. Indulge in an Epsom salt bath.
If you take a magnesium supplement to help ward off stress, headaches, or fatigue, why not also treat yourself to a magnesium salt bath as part of your weekly wellness regime? Studies have shown that we can, in fact, absorb the mineral through our skin. Why not embrace the opportunity to add a little luxury and self-care into your week? This bath salt combines gourmet sea salt and magnesium for total cellular relaxation.
6. Put pen to paper.
Grab your journal and get to it! No, you don’t need to be a celebrated author or an ultra-creative type; before bed, spend just five to 15 minutes writing what out you’re grateful for, a stream of consciousness journal entry, or maybe even a to-do list to quiet your mind. With a clear head, you can curl up in peace and get some well-deserved zzz’s.
