Good Morning!  So, how did you sleep last night?  Oh, I’m sorry.  Me?  I actually slept great, and I have been, ever since I discovered the perfect sleep-inducing cocktail – and I don’t mean a double vodka.  Like many people, I am guilty of too much screen-time before bed.  I am usually watching an episode (or three) of House of Cards with Richard or I’m here writing/shopping/checking email.  As you probably know, these activities overstimulate the brain and make it nearly impossible to wind down and fall into a deep slumber.  Want in on the recipe?  Read on, sleepyhead.

I just started taking a teaspoon of Moon Juice Good Night Dust each night for the last two weeks.  I add it to a small mug of hot water and down it at the end of the night.  The gals at The Detox Market warned me, “take it right before bed – this nightcap is potent”.  They weren’t kidding.  Wildcrafted herbs like Chamomile and Lo Han Guo promote natural melatonin release and stabilize REM.  Cost: $55 for 25-50 doses (depending on desired potency).

Until Annabel found the bottle and dropped in onto the marble bathroom floor, I was using Lotus Wei Quiet Mind Serum every night.  (I seriously almost cried, but then I realized that she was in bare feet and the bottle was glass. We are all okay.  #momfail)  Geranium.  Coriander.  Clove.  Mandarin.  This serum smells like heaven.  It just makes me happy and calm.  I apply it to my pulse points (behind my ears, on my wrists, some on my palms and even on the soles of my feet) and I kind of “huff” this goodness as it lulls me to sleep.  Cost: $50 for 50 ml (if used regularly, the bottle will last 6-8 weeks).

I’ve been taking 400mg of Magnesium Citrate each night ever since I was pregnant with Annabel when my naturopath recommended it for sleeplessness and irregularity. It worked like a charm then and it still does.  Most Americans are Magnesium deficient, and this is one mineral that we don’t want to miss out on.  Read Dr. Mark Hyman’s short and fascinating blog post on Magnesium to learn more.  Just one little gelcap reduces stress, relaxes muscles and helps me sleep without giving me that hungover feeling that over-the-counter meds do.  Cost: $14 for 120 caplets.

Try adding these to your nighttime routine – I bet it will make a difference.  And, let me know what you think!  Okay, I’m going to stop staring at this screen and make my lil’ nightcap.  Sweet Dreams!

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