ONE SMALL STEP Planet

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 them all. I’m always grateful for 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. “ say, I’ve tried the tips and tricks

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 LISTEN TO FEARNE’S HAPPY PLACE motion and I know I’ve hit the sweet spot: time to PODCAST ON YOUR FAVE PODCAST APP

I

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.

There is no normal with sleep routines, so ” find one that makes you feel safe

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.’