In terms of my progress in improving my sleeping habits, I have spent the last week continuing to sleep earlier as well as ensuring that I am reducing my cellphone usage before bedtime. For this week, I also began incorporating non-medicinal sleeping aids; more specifically, aromatherapy, to assist my anxiety and improve the quality of my sleep.
Aromatherapy, particularly in the form of essential oils, are often used to heal the mind, body, and soul. Essential oils can be used for a variety of purposes, from boosting one's mood to relieving migraines; however, for the purpose of my genius hour project, I am focusing on how they can be used to calm and relax the mind and body, preparing one for sleep. Choosing scents that promote relaxation can help get our bodies into a restful state ready for sleep. Essential oils also smell nice and can be a pleasant way to enhance the sleeping experience. Making essential oils part of your bedtime routine can also help train your mind to associate the specific scent with falling asleep. Many people prefer to use essential oils because they’re natural and don’t create the common side effects associated with many sleep medications, such as daytime drowsiness or more serious health risks.
For my research specifically, I decided to invest in a sleep remedy oil (Sage: 'Sleep Well') as well as a pillow spray (This Works: 'Deep Sleep Pillow Spray'). For the oil, you can massage a few drops onto a specific part of the body, such as the forehead, neck, chest, wrist, hands, or toes. I personally prefer applying the oil to my temples and jaw line, and have found that it is best to be used on nights that I am really struggling to fall asleep (not every night). For the pillow spray, I spritz the bottle a few times around my pillow and have found that because it is not as heavily concentrated, it is more preferable to use each night. Either way, I am really enjoying both products and am finding myself feeling less anxious throughout the night. The only sort of 'obstacle' that I encountered while incorporating these products was determining how much to use of each product. After about the first two nights though, I was able to figure out the appropriate dosage of each product.
For next week, I plan to continue my sleeping routine from last week as well as continuing my new pattern of using non-medicinal sleeping aids. As for new goals, I would like to start taking notice of how these changes are affecting my academics and my ability to function throughout the day. I am hopeful that by week four, I will see a substantial improvement in my physical and cognitive functioning.
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