FIND YOUR ZEN WITH MONTHLY COLUMNIST FEARNE COTTON f you follow me on Instagram or have read any of my books you’ll have heard me moaning about my often troubled nights. I have periods of great sleep where I waltz off into vivid dreamland and only pee once in the night. Yet I also lumber through horrific periods of either very broken sleep or a complete incapability to fall to sleep if I’m experiencing anxiety. My heart races and my mind wanders off into different aisles of my brain like a toddler at the supermarket. Whenever I post on social media after a night of broken sleep I’m inundated with kind advice and ‘sleep hacks’. Believe me when I say, I’ve tried them all. I’m always grateful for the tips and tricks but usually stick to the routine I’m used to now. It’s a security blanket that notifies my brain I’ve done all I can to ensure sleep arrives at some point. This is by no means a set of rigid instructions, but maybe it’ll help you create your own night-time routine that makes you feel safe, too. My routine is a little bit ‘bye bye fun’ and ‘hello structure.’ The first moment of party pooping comes with turning off my phone at 9pm (sometimes 8:30pm!). We all know that blue light that phones emit is one of the main culprits for stealing our zeds, yet many of us rally against it. I took the TV out of our bedroom about six years ago and I’m so glad I did. Now let’s talk pillows. I’m extremely picky and through great trial and error have found my soulmate pillow. I have used a Tempur pillow for ages and there is no going back. There are parts of my routine that are non-negotiable and one of them is reading. I have to read for thirty minutes before bed. It helps to click my brain into escapism or thinking about other people’s lives so I can forget my own worries. At some point my eyelids start to move in slow motion and I know I’ve hit the sweet spot: time to
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head to sleep town. After a quick pee to reduce the amount of times I have to go in the night (the joys of ageing) I pop on my silk eye mask (sounds super diva but it’s old and smells of face cream) and one earplug. That’s right, one. I sleep on my side and don’t like an ear plug in the ear I’m lying on. As I’m drifting off I mentally list the things I’m grateful for then move onto listing people I wish to send love to. If all is going well I won’t make it to the end. Q
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There is no normal with sleep routines, so find one that makes you feel safe
MARCH 2022
BEDSIDE BUDDY ‘Bell Hurley metal tumbler. The ladybird design is so gorgeous.’ SNUGGLE UP ‘A beautiful throw by Denim and Bone. I have one on my bed.’ AND RELAX ‘Hayou metal body gua sha tool for giving myself a soothing massage.’
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157 IDEALHOME.CO.UK
