Aliyawanders

It’s been a while since I last shared anything here… hope you guys actually missed me a little 🫣

Anyway—

I went for my regular check-up and my doctor asked,

“Do you practice sleep hygiene?”

And I confidently said:

“You mean shower before sleep?”

The doctor: 🙃

The table: 🙃

The chair: 🙃

The monitor: 🙃

The curtain: 🙃

I was SO ready to share my full routine okay.

Because I LOVE my night routine.

Cold showers (no heater, thank you ),

music blasting in the bathroom,

almond oil shower, body cream,

scrub here and there, hair mask every shampoo day…

Gentle, calming, while enjoying the pitter-patter of the rain shower.

But turns out… I was wrong.

Sleep hygiene is not only about showering. Go figure.

Did You Know Sleep Hygiene Can Start as Early as 2 PM?

It actually starts as early as 2–4PM 

(yes, this is your sign to rethink that 5PM coffee…)

If you’re someone who struggles to sleep… like me,

maybe it’s time we fix this together.

1. I don’t drink coffee, but I do love my tea…

Both the kind you drink and the kind that gets spilled online while it’s still hot. Oops 👀

But apparently… tea also has quite a high amount of caffeine

So maybe it’s time to skip that afternoon tea and just keep it to mornings?

2. Light dinner only, and try to finish before 8PM—very much like our Ramadhan buka puasa schedule.

3. Lights off by 9PM, or at least 2 hours before I plan to sleep.

This one is tough for me because my working hours are all over the place.

And the hardest?

4. Putting my phone away at least 30 minutes before bed.

I’m sure you guys can relate… especially moms.

Night time is probably the only quiet “me time” we get.

5. As night approaches, I like to prep my room with a bit of aromatherapy.

I keep an aromatherapy stone beside my bed and add a few drops of essential oil every night. 

6. I also like to spray and rub magnesium oil on my neck and the soles of my feet.

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But heads up—magnesium oil can cause dry skin for some people. Even though it’s called “oil,” it’s actually a solution of magnesium chloride, which can have a drying or slightly irritating effect. So this is how I counter it: I apply it on damp skin (after a shower works best), start with a small amount and gradually build up, and always follow up with a moisturizer or body oil to keep my skin hydrated.

7. I used to love sleeping with the lights on…

But after 15 years of being married to a man who I suspect is a vampire —because he wants everything pitch dark, even the whole house if he could—I’ve finally learned to sleep with the lights off which is what our body actually needs.

But… curtains must stay open okay.

At least let me have some moonlight.

Some other things that are hard to relearn?

8. Sleeping and waking up at the same time every day—even on weekends.

Because honestly… if I don’t have any appointments, I will go back to bed to catch up on all the sleep I missed the night before.

When actually, I’m supposed to wake up, get some morning sunlight, reset my body clock… and collect that bonus vitamin D.

10. Light stretching at night? Okay.

But save the heavy workouts for the daytime.

11. My doctor even suggested coloring books.

Have you tried that? 

Will all of this cure my insomnia?

Probably not… because mine comes from deeper wounds.

But it does help me navigate this healing journey.

And slowly… give me a little bit of respite 🤍

Here are some of the things I use at home to help me sleep better. Some of the links are affiliate links—won’t cost you anything extra, but if you purchase through them, it helps support me and keeps this site going.

Magnesium Oil Spray