Get Your Best Sleep Yet- Steal Our Sleep Cheat Sheet to Nail Your Night Routine

There’s no wonder lack of sleep is a form of torture- yet so often, in the name of productivity we are the first ones to inflict the pain of sleep deprivation on ourselves.

It’s normal to carry the stress of the day home — through overstimulation, blue light, cortisol, mental tabs that don’t close. Which is why the most restorative sleep begins hours before you close your eyes. Here’s how to design a nighttime ritual that supports real rest — one that feels as beautiful as it is effective.

1. The Transition Tea (9:00pm)

Start with a tea that signals to your body: the day is done. Choose herbs that calm the nervous system, lower cortisol, and gently prepare for melatonin release. Sip slowly, ideally from a ceramic mug — a sensory anchor that’s warm and grounding.

Ingredients to look for:

• Chamomile – calming and anti-inflammatory

• Lemon balm – reduces anxiety and promotes GABA

• Passionflower – shown to improve sleep quality

• Tulsi (Holy Basil) – balances stress hormones

• Lavender or rose petals – adds softness and scent

Saint Aymes pick: Pukka Night Time, or Vahdam Sweet Dreams blend. For a luxurious touch, infuse loose herbs in a glass teapot.

2. The Bath or Body Ritual (9:30pm)

If the mind is busy, start with the body. Water resets the nervous system — especially when paired with warmth, scent, and softness.

• Run a magnesium-rich bath (use flakes not salts — they absorb better), add a few drops of lavender, clary sage, or ylang ylang essential oil.

• No bath? A hot shower with a slow oil massage after does wonders. Use a grounding body oil — sandalwood, vanilla, neroli — and press it into skin like a closing ritual.

Optional touch: Dry brush before bathing to stimulate lymph and relax the fascia.

Saint Aymes pick: Neom Magnesium Bath Milk or Olverum Bath Oil.

3. Power Down Ritual (10:00pm)

The hour before sleep should be decluttered. No decisions. No phone. No stimulation. Just softness.

Swap:

• Scroll time for a low-lit read (fiction, poetry, or something sensory).

• Overhead lights for warm lamps or candles.

• To-do lists for a 3-line journal:

  
  

  What I’m grateful for.

  
  

  What I’m letting go of.

  
  

  What I welcome tomorrow.

Optional:

• Sound: Gentle instrumental, rain, or Solfeggio frequencies

• Scent: A pillow spray with vetiver, lavender or frankincense

Saint Aymes pick: This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray or Bodha Smokeless Incense in “Calm”

4. Supplement Stack for Sleep (10:15pm)

Support your biochemistry without sedation. These gentle, non-habit forming supplements work in harmony with your circadian rhythm:

• Magnesium glycinate (200–400mg) – calms muscles and mind

• L-theanine (100–200mg) – quiets anxious thoughts

• Tart cherry juice (1/2 cup) – naturally contains melatonin and tryptophan

• GABA or PharmaGABA – for women prone to overthinking at night

• Apigenin (from chamomile) – helps initiate sleep without grogginess

5. Bedtime Meditation or Breathwork (10:30pm)

Stillness is a skill — and bedtime is where it’s most powerful. Choose one of the following to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest-and-digest mode):

• Box breathing (4-4-4-4)

• Yoga Nidra (try Insight Timer app: “Yoga Nidra for Sleep” by Ally Boothroyd)

• Body scan – mentally soften each part of the body, head to toe

If thoughts come, let them pass like clouds. The goal isn’t silence — it’s surrender.

6. The Bedroom Itself (10:45pm)

• Temperature: 16–18°C for optimal melatonin

• Lighting: blackout curtains or a silk sleep mask

• Bedding: natural fibres (linen or bamboo), nothing tight or synthetic

• Tech: phone on airplane mode, placed outside arm’s reach

• Presence: a carafe of water, a small ceramic dish for rings — small acts of care that signal sanctuary

Final Word

The best sleep begins with softness. A sense of safety, slowness, and a nervous system that feels seen. You don’t need perfection — just intention. Rituals that feel good in the doing, not just the result.

And in a world that rushes us toward more, faster, louder — the most radical act might be this: to power down early, light a candle, and rest like you mean it.