Sleep – it’s more than how you spend your nights. Sleep enables so many important functions: the production of numerous important hormones, our creative thinking abilities, regulating our metabolism, and it even impacts our immune system function.
What’s more exciting than that? Dreaming! Our dream time is powerful and sacred. Some call it “overnight therapy“! In dreams we access our subconscious – we can process, create, and imagine in ways that we often don’t in waking life. In order to dream well, we must sleep well.
Creating a nighttime ritual that supports deep + restorative sleep can be totally life-changing. Here are a few ideas:
- Unplug: Turn off bright lights + screens 1hr before bed. They are more stimulating than you might think! Favor soft twinkle lights, candles, or lamps. Take time to read, write or craft before bed.
- Cool Down: Keep your window cracked open (yes, even in winter!) – the fresh, cold air helps you sleep more deeply. You’ll get used to it!
- Routine: Prioritize sleep by sticking to a regular ‘wind-down’ time. Don’t let peer pressure get the best of you – excitement can wait, sleep can’t! Late nights + early mornings can catch up with you.
- Herbal Support: Herbs are our best friends at bedtime. Rather than forcing sleep (and resulting side effects, like many medications), herbs gently remind our bodies to do what they do best!
Our SNOOZE tea was crafted to help you get to sleep and stay asleep. The herbs within calm + strengthen the nervous system and relax nervous tension (physical & mental). Knowing about our herbal allies, or the plants that can support us in our wellness goals, is empowering and fun! Here’s a little more info on each SNOOZE herb:
- Chamomile (Matricaria recutita): A mild nervous system sedative and anti-spasmodic, this lovely flower helps you unwind while easing any muscular tension from the day. It’s also safe and well-loved by children!
- Hops (Humulus lupulus): Hops is well known for it’s power to ease sleeplessness from worry and anxiety. It’s ‘strobiles’ (the hops flower, that is used medicinally) are covered in a beautiful, glowing yellow powder called “lupuline” that we like to call real sleeping dust!
- Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifolia): This lovely plant is a powerful friend to those whose nerves are just shot. Skullcap eases nervous tension while reviving the central nervous system.
- Oatstraw (Avena sativa): Who isn’t familiar with the soothing capability of oats? The oat plant not only soothes your skin and GI system, but it happens to be a powerful soother of the nervous system as well. It’s known as a nervous system “trophorestorive”, ie it restores a nervous system that is overwhelmed by anxiety and fatigue – it is essentially food for your nervous system!
- Peppermint (Mentha piperita): This well-known garden plant is so much than a refreshing flavor. Those potent volatile oils that lend it’s characteristic scent also happen to help relieve spasms and gas in the GI system! Who doesn’t love a settled tummy before bed time?
As with all of our herbal tea blends, we see SNOOZE as a tonic – a tonic for the nervous system. What does this mean? It means that by enjoying SNOOZE each evening, you are actually strengthening and restoring your nervous system; revitalizing your body’s ability to do what it’s supposed to do… sleep well and deeply!
Ready to give herbal sleep support a shot? You’ll brew your SNOOZE blend using 1 tbsp herbs per 1 cup of water. Steep for 15 min. in a covered vessel (french press, tea pot, mason jar). Pour your tea through a strainer + enjoy with honey 30 min. before bed time. Sweet dreams, dear one!