Sleep is my specialist subject. Long before I began working in wellness I had a multi-step bedtime routine, comprising head-to-toe moisturising, misting a pillow spray and putting on a sleepy playlist before popping Kalms and getting into bed.
My "nightly rituals", as my friends call them, always helped me sleep well, and I was unfamiliar with poor sleep until a spell of horrendous anxiety in 2015 kept me up all hours.
Since then, I've been more dedicated than ever to my sleep routine, adding CBD oil and a sunlight lamp to my bedside table, as well as JSHealth's 'PM+' sleep supplements.
You name it, I've tried it when it comes to sleep hygiene, but adding a new step last week has made me sleep better than ever.
My tip for better sleep
Last week, during a treatment with osteopath Nadia Alibhai, she recommended that I spray magnesium onto my feet at bedtime before slipping into a pair of socks.
This was in response to a running injury, with magnesium believed to aid recovery – sleeping well happened to be a happy by-product.
My ailment is in my leg, so I was confused about why spraying magnesium on my feet would help – and wondered why the socks were involved.
"The skin is the biggest organ in the body and it absorbs whatever you spray onto it," Nadia explained, sharing why applying magnesium can help support injury recovery.
As for the socks, Nadia explained that socks warm up our feet, increasing blood flow and circulation, which will help the magnesium absorb into the body.
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"Even without magnesium, socks help you sleep," Nadia added, thanks to their warming powers.
Certainly, since I've been spraying magnesium on my feet and adding socks – sometimes soft cashmere ones, other times basic cotton trainer socks, I've been sleeping like a dream.
My magnesium of choice is the KIKI Health 'Magnesium Oil Spray', £12.50. I apply it after my bath or shower, to further increase absorption, and while it doesn't feel as luxurious as my usual night moisturiser, this is one step in my sleep routine I'll be committing to for the foreseeable future.