My sleep routine is ever-evolving as my needs change and I try different things to help to sleep better but this is my current sleep routine that I promised you a few blogs ago. It's what I've been doing for about the last three months.

My sleep routine starts early in the evening as when I get in from work I get into my pyjamas to help me wind down and decompress from the day.  I find it draining being around people all day, (INFJ over here) and use my evenings and days off to recharge myself.

After I've eaten my tea and I've washed the pots and prepared my breakfast of overnight oats for the morning, I either watch TV, catch up on some shows I've missed recently or I watch a DVD.  I'm currently re-watching Downton Abbey in preparation for the film that comes out next month.

By 9 pm the TV is off and I tidy my things up in the living room and make sure the house is all locked up; the windows are shut and the doors are locked.  Then I head upstairs to clean my teeth and pee,  I get into bed and read either a chapter or two or a few pages on a book. It all depends on the book I'm reading at the time and how tired I am as to how much I read.  With the current book, I read a handful of pages as the chapters are quite long.  

I spray 1 1/2 sprays of CBD oil* under my tongue, put on either a free audiobook from the Calm app, some white noise or a CD of Gregorian Chant's.  The later is a recent thing I'm trying and it seems to be working as well as the other two so far.  I used to listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks read by Stephen Fry but as the books get darker through the series I wondered if that wasn't helping my insomnia or my anxiety.  I spray my duvet with a lavender pillow mist, switch off my lamp and salt lamp, swaddle myself in my duvet, do my slow deep breathing and say some affirmations.

If I wake in the night, I get up to pee and then I spray my duvet with a couple more lavender pillow mist sprays, re-swaddle myself in my duvet, take some more slow deep breaths and say my affirmations again.  I have been much better at getting back to sleep the past few months if I do wake up early.  I'm sleeping longer and am just starting to get some deep sleep in the second half of the night this week as well.

I currently wake at around 4 am but am able to get back to see and average around 7 1/2 - 8 hours sleep compared to previously when I was getting between 6-7 hours sleep.  I'm sleeping longer and getting better quality sleep now.  

* A trusted friend of mine advised me on the use of CBD oil, so please speak to a professional health practitioner if you wish to try CBD oil for your self.  Thank you.