I had a hectic weekend pounding the shopping belt of Singapore and catching up with my sister late into the night so sleep was sacrificed. I got home late Sunday night and had to be up early for work on Monday. Needless to say, my body was aching the whole of Monday (getting older does that to you :P) and I was feeling like a zombie. And then, I open the newspapers on Monday and am confronted with this article about sleep.
In gist, the latest findings are that more sleep may be better for you, because less sleep can kill you earlier 😛 Yet the study balances itself out by saying that too much sleep may be bad too. So the optimum seems to be 6-8 hours of sleep a day. I guess that rules out the Rip van Winkle sleep therapy 😛
I personally think how much sleep you need depends on your own body. I know of people who can function on little sleep because that’s all their body needs to recharge. Perhaps their batteries are the quick charging kind 😛
I on the other hand, need a minimum of 8 hours uninterrupted sleep before I can fully function. The only time I can get by with very little sleep is if the adrenaline is rushing e.g. during exam periods or stressful work times. Otherwise, its 8 hours or be an unproductive zombie the rest of the day. So having mild insomnia really sucks for me! Thankfully, I’ve since worked out 2 products that pages Mr. Sandman to send me on my way to Dreamland pronto!
The 2 products I use to send me packing to Dreamland are the Badger Balm Sleep Balm and Les Floralies Sleep Sniff Box.
I apply the Badger Balm Sleep Balm under my nose and on my temples. I then open up my tub of Les Floralies Sleep Sniff Box and take 3 deep breaths of the scent and settle down to let them take effect.
The Les Floralies Sleep Sniff Box contains little scented beads as you see in the picture and the Sleep version contains Neroli, Lavender and Camomile essential oils. All you do is open the cap and take a few deep breaths of the scent and then relax. The Sniff Boxes can last about 6 months and you must close the cover properly or the beads will lose their scent and efficacy.
Used together, the scents calm me down thus promoting a sense of relaxation and helps me sleep more easily and deeply. For most people, using either will do. For me, I need a double dose before I get knocked out for the night. But I’m glad I discovered both these products or I’d be tossing and turning half the night and then, probably die early if the studies are anything to go by 😛
Do you have problems sleeping and do you have something that helps you fall asleep?
I actually tried a herbal sleeping pill containing valerian many years ago. I took it once but will never take it again because it made me feel groggy for close to 48 hours *shudder* I’d stick to my Badger Sleep Balm and Les Floralies Sleep Sniff Box for now 🙂
Paris B
p/s I thought the lead researcher in the article was Francesco “Cappuccino” and had some punny joke all planned, but upon close inspection its in fact Cappuccio so no jokes 😛
I got my Badger Sleep Balm overseas for RM18 but check out the local Facebook profile. Les Floralies Sniff Boxes are RM65 each and can be found at Parkson Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and Gurney Plaza. More information on their Facebook page.
I used to have such problems sleeping due to past issues that i even took drugs to sleep. then i stopped..
then i had skin problems, so i had to take an anti biotic which made me drowsy, and it was great until i realized i really was getting too dependent on stuff to make me sleep…
now i’ve started working and boy is that the best drug. hahaha! instant sleep. but then again, me life has been really good and happy, and i really think that’s the best thing u need to have a good night’s sleep.
hope u can.=)
Thing is life is pretty good now – I just have developed a bit of trouble dropping off. Used to sleep like a log 😛 But I do find that a bit of exercise helps
Must try the sniff box, I am one of those who have difficulty falling asleep or hardly have any quality sleep. Badger does help to certain extend.
I have also read to much electromagnet radiation exposure (to our computer, handphone) can also disrupt our sleep. I have tried this method, soak your feet in warm water with seasalt or himalayan salt, it helps to “detox” from the radiation. Other methods I read is also walking barefoot on grass for 10-20 minutes, or better go for a nature walk every 2 weeks if possible which most of us probably do not have time for.
Thanks for this tip! Ironically when I was doing weekly walks in the park, I didn’t feel much better. I think my life at that time really sucked 😛 But I like the idea of soaking your feet 😀
Yes I was using the Badger Balm before I got the Les Floralies sniff box but used together, its a much bigger help! 🙂
Morning Paris! Thanks for the post and for letting us know where to get the goodies. Was gonna ask you till I saw your note : ). Have a great day!
You have a great day too! 😀
there’s a herbal mix tea from Biossentials that sends me off to beddy-bye land…although I gave it once to an aunt to try and she drank it in the morning, and was wondering why she was so drowsy the entire day!
I’ve just finished my supply and haven’t had a chance to restock yet though, so for now it’s just a dark room and some Badger Balm. 🙂 I picked mine up in UK – 3 tins for 10 quid.
Ooh I remember you telling me about this tea! But I detest the taste of tea 😛 I found that warm honey helped a bit sometimes
I’m not getting enough quality sleep of late… too many changes in my life, I guess? 😛 But I’m trying not to rely on any sleep aids, even natural ones like Badger Balm and Les Floralies are. My tactic is to refrain from sleeping no matter how tired I am during the daytime and knock out on a regular schedule – e.g. 11pm to 6am daily.
Ah yes life changes can be very disruptive to sleep. I don’t nap – it stops me from sleeping at night but when I don’t use my sniffy sleep aids, reading a book helps me. Nothing heavy of course. Just light fiction and I’m asleep before I know it
i remember my english teacher used to tell us that try to press your wrist, that will slow down the O2 to the brain and then you will sleep. but to stay awake, press the thumb!
well i dont really know if this works. but it does to me. sometimes!
Gosh! Does that work? I’ll have to give it a shot
A great post Paris ! I’m going to try both items that you suggested. I am currently using Alqvimia Lavender Relaxing Range (Bath&Shower gel, RM198 and Body oil, RM140). It indeed improved much on my sleeping.
Question: I sleep 7 hours per night, but in between i woke up 3-4 times as i have a baby to take care. I wonder, do i still consider to have an enough sleep?
Mmmmm lavender body oil!! Sounds lovely 😀 I think whether you feel you have enough sleep depends on whether you wake up feeling tired. Sometimes, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I end up feeling more tired when I wake up than before I went to bed. Other times, I feel alright. But most mothers rarely have enough sleep right?
This is really a great post Paris. I used to sleep at 2am or 3am and woke up at 12pm! I have sufficient sleeping hours but I am still very tired when I woke up! I know this is not healthy & I don’t want to sleep THAT late! My insomnia just doesn’t allow me to rest earlier. I am so gonna try both of them!
You’re right. Sleeping late and then getting up late, whilst giving us that 8 hours just doesn’t quite do it. I always wake up feeling tired and lethargic the whole day. I do sleep in on weekends but I do make it a point to go to bed relatively early. Hope one of these helps you go to bed more easily
YAY to Les Floralies SLEEP Sniff Box!! I find that it helps my sleep a lot too. It gives quality sleep in that, even when I sleep for just 3-4 hours, but before I go to sleep, I take several sniffs of it, I would wake up after the short sleep feeling very refreshed and as good as I have slept 8 hours or more. It’s amazing and hard to believe. But that’s the truth!
A great product indeed!
Yep the sleep sniff box does help me sleep better. At least I sleep through the night instead of getting up in the early morning which can really suck
Hi Paris!
what a timely post! i was having sleepless night last weekend. over anxious over my trip down south to meet my hubby. Body was drop dead tired but the mind was still active. I woke up the next day feeling like a zombie…arh! terrible indeed!
Will try your suggestion as above. anyway, did u spot any good bargains in Sin?
cheers,
lemon ;-D
Ah anxiety does make a bad bed fellow! I hope one of the products I use will help you 🙂
As for the sales in Singapore, most of the malls have good discounts between 20-50% I think the 70% discounts will hit towards the later part of the sale. Designer goods are averaging about 30%-40% off. Guardian was having sales in store with about 20% off most items. I picked up my La Roche Posay sunscreen then. Sephora too is on sale but I didn’t get anything. I only ended up with a few dresses which were best buy items with prices ranging from S$9-69 Bargains! 😀 Have a great time shopping down south!
I’m so glad you wrote about this. I DO have problems sleeping! I would toss and turn for what feel like hours before finally zonking off. The only cures I have so far that worked for me are 1) getting really drunk or 2)a cough mixture called cough-en.
If I take either in excess I might die earlier with or without sufficient sleep, lol.
I wished I could get my hands on those 2 items you wrote about, like right now!!!!! 🙁
Yikes! Most cough mixtures send you to sleep – DON’T take them unless you have to! 😛 Hope you find either one of these products around – give them a shot if you do
I must have my 7-8hrs sleep everyday. I fall asleep easily. Did I mention I love sleeping? 😀 When I used to live in an apartment with a small sauna, I’d go in for 15mins, showered, dried my hair and I fell asleep like a baby until the next morning.
Nowadays my spoilt little doggy will wake me up (scratching on my bed) at 6am so I can pick him up and he can sleep on the bed too. I find it hard to fall asleep again – I usually wake up at 7:30am 🙂 I think that’s a bonus to live so near to the office.
Lucky you to fall asleep easily! Oh I do find that things like saunas help relax the body which promotes sleep. I do enjoy the benefits of living relatively near my place of work too. Gone are the days of 2 hour commutes! 😀
Thank you for a nice post.
I also like Origins Peace of Mind! But sometimes nothing helps 🙁
You’re right – sometimes if there’s too much on my mind, I stay up anyway.
I am a chronic insomniac and when it hits, NOTHING helps me fall asleep. I used to go around zombie-like for 3 day stretches. The only thing which helped was a Kiwi herbal tea but alas, the company shut down. I then turned to valerian but it only worked off and on. I ended up dispensing it to sleepless friends come exam time. Running didn’t help either — it made things worse.
Oddly enough, I don’t have a problem sleeping while I am in Sabah. The insomnia only crops up when I am in KL or elsewhere. It must be the air.
Maybe its the stresses of the city in KL 😀
hey hey it’s me again. I found out that we can get badger balm at bodybar outlets. They are at Sunway pyramid, pav and tropicana city mall and also at a place called organic recipe. (i asked them).
But it’s more than 2x of how much u paid for yours.. It’s about 32.90 . 🙁
Mine was a special price – if you have friends in HK ask them to go to City Super in Times Square and see if they are still selling at HKD38/tin Otherwise, I’ve been informed that RM30+ is about the price to expect to pay 🙂