A good night's sleep is important for both body and mind - especially in a different and somewhat unsafe time like the one we are living in right now. Sleep is absolutely essential for our well-being, regeneration and healing, and in fact, good (preferably consistent) sleep is just as crucial to our well-being and well-being as a healthy diet and exercise.
The fact that there is a World Sleep Day , which this year falls today, Friday, March 18, and which is the end of Sleep Awareness Week - a whole week with increased focus on sleep, testifies to how important a topic like sleep is.
At CARE BY ME, we prioritize self-love moments. Taking time for yourself in a busy everyday life, getting your body and mind to rest and paying attention to what your needs are gives you more energy to be of service to others – family, friends and colleagues. The same applies when it comes to sleep. Make sure to prioritize it, and create some good, calm and aesthetic settings around yourself and your bedroom. Maybe you can find a good sleep routine that can be a firm foundation in a busy everyday life, and thereby help you achieve the peace and recovery you need both mentally and physically, to recharge for a new day. However, it is important that you do not see sleep as a stress element if you sleep less than others for periods - we have all experienced that. It is just important to keep in mind that you will find your way back to a good sleep routine when the time is right, and thereby create a good balance.
Even though we run fast at CARE BY ME, it is always in the back of our minds that sleep and self-care are very important to our well-being. And without being saints, we ourselves here at the office each try to prioritize healthy eating, exercise, calm, presence, smiles and good bedtimes in a busy everyday life - all in a delicate balance of course. Sleep and self-care go hand in hand.
We hope that with this article we can inspire you to prioritize yourself and your night's sleep, give you good tips for a good sleep routine, and inspiration for a more sleep- and environmentally friendly bedroom.
Sleep well <3
TEAM CARE BY ME
Healthy & sleep-friendly bedroom – sleep with a clear conscience
The bedroom is your private space.
This is where you both start and end your day.
It is a space for rest and recharge.
The start of a new day should never be busy or stressful. It is one of those sacred moments that you can spend on yourself. Wake up quietly, notice how your body and mind feel, and give yourself a few minutes to get out of bed and get ready for a new day. Depending on where you are in life, you might have your morning coffee served to you in bed, meditate, do yoga exercises, swim in the lake, wake up slowly while you spread packed lunches for the children, or enjoy a warm bath – all to yourself.
Almost everything is better after a good night's sleep, and it is our dream to help give you just that.
Make sure your bedroom is decorated calmly, without too many disturbing elements that can disturb your sleep. At CARE BY ME, we ourselves love the slightly minimalist, simple and raw Nordic style. Simple, natural colors, soft nightwear, warm cashmere socks, crisp organic bedding without harmful chemicals, delicious pillows, a good book, fresh flowers and lots of love, light and fresh air.
GOTS-certified organic cotton
With our luxurious bedding in GOTS-certified organic cotton, you can feel well-rested and comfortable with a clear conscience, without compromising on design, quality and comfort.
All our cotton – both bedding, sleepwear and homewear – is made from GOTS certified organic cotton, because this is a much more responsible way of producing cotton compared to conventional cotton. Furthermore, the GOTS certification is your guarantee that the production is 100% organic and free of harmful chemicals all the way from seed to finished product.
If we delve a little deeper into the certification, it means that all of our organic cotton styles are made in a way that minimizes damage to the environment while also taking care of the people who work with the material. The finished bed linen you save your bed with, the soft nightwear you snuggle up in and the flowy dress you wear for summer are created with respect for both people and nature, and that is the most important element for us.
You can see our entire selection of delicious organic cotton here.
Angelica Daniella Dahlquist – on finding the way to good sleep amidst changing work hours and a toddler's everyday life
Angelica Daniella Dahlquist, 39 years old and a nurse in a pediatric intensive care unit. Mother of two lovely children, Josephine, 9 years old and William, 1 year old, girlfriend of Patrik, who is self-employed, lives in the heart of Copenhagen, close to greenery, the water and the beautiful old surroundings of Frederiksstaden.
We talked to Angelica about what sleep means to her and why it is an essential part of a busy everyday life as a mother of young children, a career woman in a very meaningful and rewarding job, and as a modern woman in a society where you should ideally be superwoman to everyone, but not least yourself – and finding that balance is an important element for Angelica.
What does sleep mean to you?
Sleep you say...? What is it about sleep and is it even that important? For me it is. I don't believe in the saying that you can sleep when you get old . No, I don't want to sleep my retirement away – I want to be as energetic, fresh and active as my own mother is. It is enormously life-affirming and what I strive for – and that is why I also know that I have to prioritize sleep in my daily life.
I was raised from a young age to believe that sleep is the root of a strong and healthy body and a brain that can receive. When I practiced ballet at an early age, for many years I was the one who went to bed the earliest of all my friends, and I understand why now. The evenings in my childhood home reflect a lot of what my boyfriend and I give our children. Regular routines, structure, coziness and love. We always eat dinner early, and enjoy the time with the children afterwards. We have consistently always made a lot of use of bath and diaper time afterwards. Always enjoyed giving them baby massages, cuddling and smearing them with cream, thereby giving them a feeling of getting their bodies fully into gear. Since they were little, I have always played calm music for them. I have even used the same Goodnight playlist I created on Spotify almost 10 years ago, and still put it on at home.
Sleep is truly essential for me to function optimally, and to put it bluntly, sleep also means that I am the best version of myself - both for myself and my surroundings, hehe.
For me, both sleep and rest are about showing my body and mind respect, and acknowledging how much both are actually at work every day.
I have just returned after almost 1.5 years of maternity leave to a busy and exciting everyday life – and I am COMPLETELY done. It is one thing to start working again, another to throw myself into something new just '5 minutes after closing time'. I chose to start a new exciting job, with a completely new specialization, so I have put myself to the test. It has been and still is challenging, as it is like starting a whole new education, where the brain just needs to be awakened again. And it is precisely in such a situation that being able to shut down, find peace and get a good night's sleep is absolutely essential for me. Fortunately, we have been lucky enough that both children have always had a good sleeper heart.
What is a good night's sleep for you?
It's getting to bed before 10pm. Often I end up going to bed earlier. Sometimes I need to lie down and listen to a meditation or podcast of some kind, just to get my body in order or after a night shift. I'm lucky enough not to have night shifts, and that's crucial for my health. Podcasts have only just become part of my world, and I've listened faithfully to all the To The Moon Honey podcasts, Oprah's Super Soul or Meditations Minis.
A good night's sleep for me is preferably 7-8 hours of sleep.
Why is a good night's sleep important to you?
I am the best mother and girlfriend when I have slept well. It also means that I can avoid as many migraine attacks as possible, despite the fact that they are often hormonally related. I suffer from epilepsy and am on medication regularly. I have just turned 3 years old without a single attack, and I am so happy and proud. My body is really cool. But it is also probably a lot about the peace and life I have with my little family. Thank you.
My job requires me to have both day and evening shifts. The changing working hours can be difficult for my body to adjust to. So when I have evening shifts, I've started to focus a lot on when I drink my last cup of coffee at work, getting my 1.5L of water during a shift, and not eating dinner later than 7 pm - which we never do at home either. When I'm home in the evening, my stomach can always relax, recover after eating and I can lie down. For good reasons, we certainly can't do that on an evening shift, so Pukka's Night Time tea is good.
Do you have a good tip for getting your beauty sleep?
You can believe I have! And whether they help is up to you, but I can see a difference (Angelica laughs)
- Always cleanse your face before bed. I use Bioderma
- Give your skin a nice massage with either a Gua Sha or crystal roller
- Apply a night mask to your face
- Take good vitamins as a regular part of your routine. I have mine from Puori and Vitaviva
- Keep the bedroom cool and cool
- Exercise regularly, which, quite honestly, I'm a bit behind on.
- Drink water
Bonus: Sex before bed is effective as it releases substances in the body that make us relax…
Do you do anything special to have peace and good energy in your bedroom?
It's been 8 years since I've had a TV in my bedroom and it's the best thing I've done. For all sorts of reasons. I always make sure it's well-aired before we go to bed and that the duvets have been aired out and shaken out. Until my boyfriend moved in, it was rare that I made my bed with a bedspread, pillows, etc. I felt like some of my duvets were suffocating a bit in the bedspread and I wasn't fresh when I went to sleep. But now it's very nice that the bed is made and looks inviting with nice pillows.
I was raised with alternative treatments, spirituality and crystals. My grandmother has initiated me since I was very little into her fantastic universe of crystals, essential oils and healing, and I especially love lavender and peppermint oil, which reminds me of her. I smile at the thought of her and our wonderful days together – she was a loner and I think of her often. When she passed away, it was a long time before I felt like dealing with those things again. But one day in the attic I found old pictures of her and me and a Rose Quartz she had given me. That was the start of my renewed interest.
It now sits in our bedroom on the windowsill and gives off good energy. Along with it, there is a rose quartz angel, my newly purchased rock crystal and another nice angel I got from a good friend who said it would look after us as a family. And I love that.
Last but not least, bedding is simply alpha and omega for me. The very best (at least close to it) feeling for me is when I can lie down in our bed in freshly washed bedding after a long, nice bath - right now my favorite bedding is this one in crispy white organic cotton from CARE BY ME with some soft pillows. One thing I dream of adding to my bedroom is an alarm clock. I would really like to get the mobile chargers out of the bedroom. In winter, I appreciate snuggling up in soft nightwear - I really like both my long shirt and pajamas from CARE BY ME.
Do you have a sleep ritual?
I have many good ways to get to bed properly. But I take a big glass of water and my evening vitamin pills every night; I absolutely love Amalie Reedtz Thott's series from Nurture Vitaviva, Be Sleepful. Highly recommended. They give a good and restful night's sleep. I also like to drink a cup of Pukka tea on the sofa while I'm relaxing with my daughter and boyfriend.
I try to brush my teeth when the children are supposed to brush their teeth, as I currently have less cravings for sweets and thus a calmer stomach before bedtime – except on weekends!
On weekdays we always put the children to bed between 7pm for the youngest and 8pm for the oldest. Before that, they have bathed, changed clothes, read a story and come in a few times to say goodnight. Security is so essential before they go to sleep, and with both children I have enjoyed putting on soothing music when they were in the bathtub and singing Lille Blop to them.
I always kiss my boyfriend goodnight and cuddle him close. The best way to fall asleep. Safe and loved.
If you want to follow Angelica's beautiful and self-loving universe, you can find her under @angelicadanielladahlquist on Instagram.
Facts about sleep
This is what happens when you sleep too little:
- The ability to learn and concentrate is reduced
- Mood and profit decline
- Increased risk of developing anxiety, stress and depression
- The immune system is reduced
- The risk of life-threatening diseases increases
When you get enough sleep, it means that:
- Mood rises
- Both physical and mental efficiency is higher
- There is less risk of developing diseases as the body is given time and rest to heal and recover.
- Concentration and the ability to learn new things increases
Our best tips for a good sleep, which we use ourselves:
- Air out before going to bed
- Dress for the night according to the season, so that your body is neither cold nor too hot.
- Reduce screen time before bed. It is said that the cool light from mobile phones, iPads and laptops is thought to suppress the release of the sleep hormone melatonin, which can mean it takes longer to calm down and feel tired.
- Exercise regularly so that your body feels used, but not right before bed. Your body needs time to calm down after your heart rate has been high.
- Eat healthy, varied food and not too fatty food, which makes you feel bloated and thirsty during the night
- Drink plenty of fluids during the day – but not right before bed, as this will cause you to need to go to the toilet during the night and disrupt your sleep.
- Avoid alcohol as it has a negative impact on sleep quality.
- Avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks before bed as they increase energy levels.
- Meditate or do a few yoga/relaxation exercises to feel the calm coming on.
- Kiss your loved ones
