Today is World Sleep Day, the annual celebration of healthy sleeping patterns and awareness day for sleep disorders. Over the past year, we have all probably suffered the effects of a sleepless night or two, for some of us, it has become the norm that sleeping through the night is an almost alien concept. With that in mind, I am a huge advocate of sleep sprays and mists. many of which are designed to help send you off into a peaceful slumber, some help you to relax and unwind before bed and others are perfect for creating that calming atmosphere.
When it comes to our bedtime routine, many of us will have our own way of managing that and for me, it starts with my skincare routine and then before getting into bed, I will use a pillow spray or mist as I am getting ready to get into bed.
What does a sleep spray and mist do?
A Sleep Spray or Mist is a product which is infused with essential oils and ingredients which helps to ease stress, anxiety, nervous tension and restlessness. These essential oils and ingredient blends work to encourage your mind and body to switch off, wind down and relax and there are some studies which suggest that certain aromas and blends encourage our bodies to produce melatonin, a hormone which promotes a restful sleep.
My 7 best sleep sprays and mists
As with the title of this post, I have quite the collection of sleep sprays and mists within my collection and whilst I am trialling a few new ones currently, I thought I would share the ones I currently have on rotation and why I use them.
- Mio Liquid Yoga Stress Free Space Spray (£15.75*) - Created to induce a sense of peace and calm, Liquid Yoga uses a powerful, blissful blend of uplifting essential oils, including Lavender and mentha arvensis which help to refresh and calm, Cypress which rebalances and cistus ladaniferus whose job it is to ease anxiety and fatigue. I have a full review of this spray here.
- Olverum Restful Sleep Pillow Mist (£25*) - This mist features a unique blend of soothing essential oils which are natural, vegan and cruelty-free. Those essential oils include bergamot which helps the body to relax as well as to improve the mood, Amyris which is great for calming and helping to relieve anxiety, Geranium which helps to ensure a disturbance-free transition into the calming, restorative second stage of sleep, Chamomile oil which helps to maintain and extend the period of deep rest, this then ensures you awaken looking and feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and then finally we have Lavender which helps to promote deeper sleep. I have a full review of this mist here.
- Bloom & Blossom All Night Long Calming Spray (£12*) - Referring to itself as the pillow mist of dreams, this spray boasts a formula which is fuelled by natural ingredients such as Frankincense and Linden Blossom which come together to help create a calming environment before you sleep and it smells just incredible. Added to that we have Rose Flower Water with its healing, anti-inflammatory power. This Sleep Spray is 99% natural, vegan and cruelty-free.
- Ren & Now To Sleep Pillow Spray (£19*) - Described as being ideal for all those who need help to ‘switch off’ pre-bed, this spray uses a blend of frankincense, hops and lavender, all of which are said to be natural sedatives which have been used since ancient times to relax the mind and reduce anxiety, relieve inner tension and contribute to a healthy sleeping pattern. The floral notes of lavender work to reduce anxiety, frankincense helps to put your mind at ease. I have a full review of this spray here.
- Aroma Associates Sleep Mist (£7.50*) - The newest product in my collection and one I absolutely love to use, it is described as being a calming and relaxing mist to induce and improve quality of sleep. It features a relaxing blend of Lavandin and Valerian which are known for their calming effect plus the inclusion of Ylang Ylang and balancing Buddhawood for their calming & centring effects. I have a full review of the entire Sleep Collection here.
- Beatitude Peace Pillow Spray & Room Mist (£24) - This mist is made with a blend of 7 pure essential oils which include anxiety reducing Lavender, calming Ylang Ylang, mind-clearing Frankincense and super-grounding Patchouli, Mandarin which helps relieve stress, Cedarwood which is calming and relieving and Petitgrain which is said to be great for those with insomnia. All of these oils come together in a base of Orange Flower Water and as you can imagine it smells incredible. Together, these oils creates a product which soothes, de-stresses and assists a calmer state of mind allowing you to drift off to a good night's sleep. I have a full review here.
- Lush Twilight Sleepy Body Spray (£20) - when this body spray first launched it sold out immediately because of the amount of praise it got from customers. It contains Tonka Absolute which has a soothing and comforting aroma. Lavender Oil which is naturally soothing and the flowers release a beautiful fragrance that quiet the mind and promote restful sleep, plus we have Ylang Ylang which helps to reduce anxiety.
Whatever scent, mist or spray you believe is going to help you relax, unwind and de-stress if worth trying, as is creating that entire relaxing routine.
How to use a pillow spray
There are quite a few different ways within which you can use a spray or a mist. The first is to spritz a few pumps over your pillows and sheets around 15 to 30 minutes before you go to bed, this then gives the essential oils time to settle. You can also spritz the product around your bedroom if you prefer not to use it on your bed linen, again, between 15 to 30 minutes is said to be the optimum time to do this.
Having shared so many amazing products in this one post, I have become accustomed to knowing what essential oils I need to help me to wind down and become calm before bedtime, now I just need to figure out to stay asleep and the last things to do on my list is to change both my bed and my mattress which are more than 13 years old, just deciding on something new is time consuming and confusing, not to mention difficult during a pandemic.
