Tag Archives: Sleep

Aug 17 2015

Lala and Bea Organic Sleep Tight Pillow Spray Review

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Since having Heidi, Craig and I haven’t managed more than 3 hour stretches of sleep. I’m not exaggerating and it’s becoming a real problem, made all the more worrying with articles such as this one from The Independent that purports that not sleeping releases hormones that increase stress levels, speed up the heart rate and raise blood pressure, and could lead to diabetes, obesity and heart disease… frightening stuff.

It’s not all Heidi’s fault. She suffers from crippling night terrors (averaging 2-3 a night, lasting around half an hour each) - these involve violent thrashing, screaming and profuse sweating as a result of increased heart rate. As night terrors occur during deep non-REM sleep you’re not advised to rouse them (much like a sleepwalker) so we’re very limited in what we can do to soothe her. It’s scary, dramatic and emotionally draining as a parent, and both of us openly admit to crying on her nursery floor in the dark.

Hearing of our plight, Katie and Caroline of proud to be British brand Lala & Bea sent me a gorgeous Sleep Tight Pillow Spray from their organic skincare range for families.

Sleep Tight Pillow Spray contains the relaxing and calming aromatherapy scents of Lavender and Ylang Ylang which create a sleep-inducing aroma. It also has a base of Lavender filtered water for longevity of scent. The spray is safe for use during pregnancy, and for children from birth, and can be sprayed as a mist directly onto bedding, or as a room spray to help create a calming environment before bedtime.

We worked with an amazingly talented Medical Herbalist from Brighton Apothecary. Marion’s background in Pharmacology from her degree at UCL teamed with her Herbalist Medicine degree (plus being a mother of two) makes her expertise second to none and the perfect choice for Lala & Bea. Free from parabens, we use natural and organic ingredients in our skincare and where possible, all ingredients are grown here in the UK

What do we make of it?

First up it’s packaged beautifully and really looks the part on a nursery shelf. You get a full 100mls for £14, which used daily, should last you a good 3 months. This is because you don’t need to use a lot of this product to get a result. The relaxing scent hits you immediately and it’s easy to tell there’s a high concentration of pure essential oils packed in there. A few quick sprays linger for a good hour on your bedding - so plenty of time to get your sleep off to a cracking start.

I’ve long believed in the healing powers of essential oils and have written a great deal about it on this blog; especially those used in skincare. The relaxing power of lavender has also been harnessed in many baby products, from bubble baths, to massage oil, to cot toys. It’s a go-to scent for many mums, myself included, so I was excited to try this out on all the family.

I tend to have real trouble switching off, and will read a book and fiddle with my iPhone in bed (I know, I know) and I have had some success with this spray. The time taken for my eyes to droop has reduced from 2 hours, to 1 hour - so I am waking slightly more refreshed. It’s the same with Dex, who used to be awake and alert after a bedtime story, yet is now yawning and rubbing his eyes midway through.

But the real breakthrough has been with Heidi.

She’s always fought sleep, which is known to exacerbate her night terrors. She’ll still nap, but the slightest noise will wake her and she insists on a bottle to suckle for comfort. Without a daytime nap, bedtimes become much more challenging and her night terrors increase in number and ferocity. Using this spray has certainly helped her relax in the day, and she’s now regularly managing 2 hours solid sleep mid-afternoon.

Although this hasn’t directly affected her night terrors, the fact she is recovering some lost hours sleep in the day has made her a happier child, and gives me the option of grabbing a few hours too - success!

More from Lala & Bea

I’m also loving these brand new super soft 100% merino wool hats, available from September 2015 (RRP £24). The muted palettes are right up my street and I also love the simple (almost Scandi) traditional patterns, and of course the adorable oversized pom-poms! Tell me what child wouldn’t look super cute in one of these this autumn?

They also have some 100% Pure New British Wool pram blankets starting from £35. The designs are all gender neutral, would suit any nursery theme and are bang on trend. Extra fluffy, wool is a breathable fibre that provides instant warmth, unlike synthetic materials, and is naturally hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant. It regulates itself to individual body temperature and really is warm in winter whilst cool in summer - perfect as we approach cooler bedtimes.

To find out more about their incredibly stylish designer baby & child ranges, head to LalaandBea.com or follow on Twitter.

If you found this Lala and Bea Organic Sleep Tight Pillow Spray Review useful, you might be interested in some of my other sleep related posts - check them out here.

Jul 20 2015

The Warren Evans Sleep Naturally Campaign

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How much sleep do you get in your house?

For us, with two children, not a lot! In fact, bedtimes are fairly dramatic in our household. Just yesterday we had to call out an ambulance at 1am as Heidi awoke hyperventilating and writhing around her cot. It turned out to be a night terror, but it was utterly terrifying for us at the time. Toss in Dexter (a.k.a. “The Silent Assassin”) who will sneak into our room in the middle of the night, pillow in hand, and Craig and I are averaging just a handful of hours of sleep every night.

Silent Assan

Hearing me complain on social media, the fabulous guys at Warren Evans, sent me two luxurious pillows to help Craig and I achieve a deeper sleep. They’re stuffed full of duck down and feathers and are nothing short of heavenly at the end of a busy day. With our memory foam mattress and super king-size bed, you’d think we’d be all set for our 8 hours every night, but life just isn’t that simple.

Bed

Looking at a recent study by Warren Evans as part of their Sleep Naturally campaign, it seems we’re not alone in our night-time battles and too many of us are going about our day having had an insufficient amount of shut-eye.

Gemma

“We have lost connection with our natural bodyclock that help us sleep. With modern technology and the internet we are living in a time where we expect everything to be instant. People expect to fall asleep on demand but you cannot switch the human mind and body on and off like a power switch, so we’re left feeling tired but wired.” Dave Gibson, Warren Evans’, sleep advisor

It seems our lifestyle choices aren’t doing us any favours and we’re all sinking too many expressos throughout the day. More of us than ever are also allowing our worklife to follow us into bed, and mentally running through presentations, meetings and the like when our brains need to switch off. Our bedrooms have also been taken over by technology and most of us are sleeping with our iPhones less than a metre away from our heads.

Moreover, some 66% of us cite our partners as the main reason our sleep is disrupted. A combination of snoring, rolling into one another and fighting over covers is not only making getting to sleep more challenging, but staying asleep too. Bed size plays a key role with couples sharing double beds 49% more likely to be woken by their partner (4 nights a week or more) than those in king-size beds or larger.

In bid to help us all with our nightly commute to the Land of Nod, Warren Evans is working with a team of specialists in order to provide expert advice, helpful tips and useful tools, all to help you sleep naturally. There’s also chances to win sleep-time bundles and more, blogger diaries and great deals on mattresses so you can finally join the king-size club. Visit Warren Evans’ online magazine, Inspire Me https://www.warrenevans.com/inspire-me/ and follow on Twitter and Facebook to discover more about the Warren Evans Sleep Naturally campaign.

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Mar 31 2015

Helping your child to sleep through the night in their own bed

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Many parents will know the frustration that comes with trying to transition a young child to sleeping through the night in their own bed. When your young child has been used to sleeping in your room and in some cases even sharing your bed, it can be difficult to wean them off this habit and get them used to sleeping independently in their own room and their own bed. However, unless you want to be in for many sleepless nights, this is something that you have to focus on doing sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, there are a number of tips that can help to make this process a little easier on both the parents and the child. By taking a few key steps and making sure that you stick to your guns, you can help to get your child used to sleeping in his or her own room and bed far more quickly making the transition less stressful for all parties.

Some of the steps you should take

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In order to avoid having to share your own bed with your child for years to come, putting these simple steps into place is vital. Some of the key steps to take in order to make this transition as painless as possible include:

  • Make sure the room is properly equipped: It is important to ensure that the room you have selected for your child is properly equipped. Spend some time choosing the right decor based on your child’s age and interests, as this will encourage them to want to spend time in the room. You can even get your child involved when it comes to choosing the decor for the room. Also, make sure you invest in a comfortable and practical bed, such as the Bedstar single ottoman bed. This will ensure that your child not only gets to enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep but that they also have a plenty of storage space for toys, books and other items that might otherwise clutter up the room.
  • Develop a routine: It is important to have some sort of routine in place for younger kids, as this will help them to settle more easily. Make sure you establish bed times, how long they can read or watch television for, and when lights need to be out. A routine could help if your child experiences sleep problems when it comes to sleeping alone.
  • Don’t give in: It is all too easy for parents to give in and let the child sleep in their room for ‘just five minutes’ or ‘just one night’. It is important that you also stick to the rules that you put into place, as giving in simply sends mixed signals to the child.
  • Help them to settle: It is well worth investing in some appropriate reading materials so that you can either read to your child each night to help him or her settle or so that they can read for a while themselves.

All of these small steps can help to make it far easier to settle your child into a regular routine whereby they sleep through the night in their own room and bed.

 

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