HOW TO HANDLE THE CLOCKS GOING BACK

British Summer time ends next weekend. Time to wind the clocks back an hour and get used to darker mornings and fewer hours of daylight. Even a one hour time shift is enough to knock our internal body clock out of synch a little and mess with our sleep

Here are our four top tips on how to handle the time change without it messing with your sleep patterns

1. Get light smart

Light regulates sleepiness levels. Clocks going back mean lighter mornings (for a while anyway). Good news as waking up should be easier so throw open those curtains on waking to take advantage while you still can and walk or cycle to work to dose up on daylight. The flip side is darker afternoons and evenings. That means through the winter we're reliant on artificial light. The blue light that screens and bulbs emit help to keep us awake through the afternoon as light levels fall, but they also confuse the brain into thinking it's perpetually daytime. The trick is knowing when to switch them off. Lower the wattage at night to help you get sleepy and stay away from backlit screens (computers, phones and TVs for example) for at least an hour before you want to go to sleep

2. Have a Plan B to hand

For nights when you struggle to drop off, or get woken midway through the night and can't get back to sleep, have something by your bedside to help you. Our Sleep Balms work a treat for this - soothing essential oils mixed with a lovely to the touch blend of shea butter and sea buckthorn oil. Just apply to wrists and temples before bed or through the night to help you drop off. If your mind is whirring and keeping you awake, try our Kiss the Moon CALM Sleep Balm - the mix of jasmine, chamomile, ylang ylang and sandalwood are perfect to quieten overactive minds at bedtime

3. Eat and drink clever


Disrupted sleep patterns can mess with our appetite. When we don't get enough rest our body produces more of the hunger hormone, grehlin. So watch out for night-time munchies and a craving for sugary breakfasts. If you do feel peckish before bed, choose things that can help you feel sleepy - oats, dairy, nuts, bananas, cherries, turkey in small enough bites that they'll fill a hole before bedtime without making you feeling heavy are all good options. Avoid stimulants including anything with caffeine in it (not just coffee and soft drinks) watch out for it in tea and chocolate too

4. Stay positive

Darker days can be a downer. So put some time aside each night to help you end the day feeling positive as the evenings get inkier. A natter on the phone with a friend, listening to some music you love, reading an uplifting book - can all help you go to sleep feeling happier and more content. Our sense of smell has an amazing power to change our mood so if you are feeling a bit blue as the dark evenings draw in, try a little bedtime pampering with our GLOW bedtime treats. The essential oils of GLOW have been specially selected for their ability to lift the spirits at bedtime (the warm citrus notes of a mood-brightening Orange, Geranium, Myrrh and mind-clearing Litsea oil). Close the bathroom door light a GLOW candle and prepare to pamper. We recommend a weekly exfoliation with our GLOW After Dark Face Polish, and a nightly massage with a few drops of our deeply nourishing GLOW Night-time Face Oil to care for skin through the Autumn months and to lift your spirits as you prepare for sleep

Sleep beautifully. With love from the team at Kiss the Moon xx