I Love My Sleep — 7 Things I Do to Protect It After 50
I consider myself quite the expert when it comes to sleep.
As Liam Neeson would say, I have a very particular set of skills.
Mine just happen to involve being able to wake up in the middle of the night, deal with whatever needs dealing with and then go straight back to sleep.
My husband Damon is still envious.
I didn't acquire this particular talent through choice.
When my youngest son, Kian, was born, he didn't sleep through the night for three and a half years.
Yes. Three and a half YEARS.
So I learned to wake up, sort him out, settle him back down and go back to sleep myself.
These days, thankfully, nobody needs settling in the middle of the night (although, let's not forget that incoming grand-daughter!)
And given the choice, I'm definitely not springing out of bed at 5am to seize the day either.
Damon is the early bird in our house. I am absolutely not.
A good morning for me is having nowhere I need to be immediately, dozing for a little longer in a warm bed with Ernie the cat beside me, demanding the occasional stroke.
I love that quiet bit before the busy starts.
Perhaps that's partly why I've become so protective of my sleep.
Reading time: 8–10 minutes
1. Why sleep matters so much to me now
2. - 8. The 7 things
9. You don't need my bedtime routine
1. Why sleep matters so much to me now
I joke about loving sleep, but I've also learned to appreciate just how important it is.
Sleep isn't wasted time.
While we're asleep, our bodies and brains are busy with essential processes involved in recovery, immune function, memory, emotional regulation and tissue repair.
And for women around our age, sleep can suddenly become a bit more complicated.
Perimenopause and menopause can bring hot flushes, night sweats and changes in sleep patterns. Some women find themselves waking more often or staring at the ceiling at some ridiculous hour wondering why their brain has chosen 3.17am to revisit something that happened in 2004.
And when we don't sleep well, we often feel it everywhere the following day.
Energy. Mood. Concentration. Appetite. Motivation.
Even the things we know make us feel better can seem much harder when we're exhausted.
Our skin is part of the picture too. Sleep supports the body's normal repair and recovery processes, including those taking place in our skin.
No, eight hours isn't going to magically remove our wrinkles overnight — and we're not trying to erase ageing anyway.
But looking after our sleep is another way of looking after the body and skin we're actually living in.
That's why sleep became one of the things I started taking more seriously when I decided to look after myself better.
I don't see getting enough sleep as lazy. I see it as looking after myself.
And yes, that includes a lie-in when I can get one.
I'm not giving those up in the name of wellness. 😂
So, here are seven things I've introduced or become much more conscious of.
Not rules.
Not another enormous list of things you should apparently be doing after 50.
Just things that work for me.
2. I let daylight in before I let my phone in
One of the things I've become much more aware of is my circadian rhythm, our body's internal 24-hour clock, which helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle.
Morning light is one of the signals involved in that rhythm.
So I try to get natural daylight into my eyes before disappearing into screens.
And no, this does not involve pulling on my trainers and going for a wholesome sunrise walk.
We've already established I'm not that woman. 😂
Sometimes I simply open the bathroom window and spend a couple of minutes looking outside and taking in the world.
If I'm heading outside anyway, even better.
For this particular habit, I don't stand behind a closed window and count that as done. I open the window or go outside so I'm getting direct outdoor light. It does matter. Direct light on eyeballs, however that is for you
No elaborate morning routine.
No 5am alarm.
Just open the window and let the day in.
3. I try to reduce screens before bed
This is probably one of the harder ones because screens are everywhere.
Phone. Television. Laptop. Tablet.
Ideally, I like to have about an hour without them before bed.
Does that happen perfectly every single night?
Of course not.
If I do need to use screens later in the evening, I've started wearing blue-light-blocking glasses.
But there's another reason I like reducing screen time before bed that has nothing to do with the light.
It stops my brain consuming things.
Messages. Emails. Social media. Other people's lives.
At some point, my brain needs to know the working day has finished.
4. I make my bedroom somewhere I actually want to sleep
This sounds obvious, but I think we sometimes overlook the basics while looking for clever solutions.
I like my bedroom dark and cool.
We have blackout curtains.
I want a comfortable mattress.
I want comfortable pillows.
I want bedding that feels good.
If I'm going to spend roughly a third of my life asleep, I'm quite happy to take the environment I'm doing it in seriously.
And I'm definitely not interested in earning imaginary points for sleeping uncomfortably.
5. If I'm struggling to wind down, I get in the bath
I am absolutely a bath person.
Not a quick splash about and get out again person.
If I'm having a bath, I'm having a bath.
And when my brain hasn't quite got the message that the day is over, a warm bath is one of my favourite ways to start winding things down.
I'll often add Epsom salts or magnesium flakes, and sometimes Tropic's So Sleepy Luxury Bath Foam too.
The So Sleepy Bath Foam contains lavender, chamomile and frankincense essential oils, so it fits naturally into the sort of evening ritual I already enjoy.
Then I actually let myself stay there.
No rushing.
No trying to be productive from the bath.
Just warm water, lovely smells and some quiet.
Revolutionary, I know. 😂
6. Magnesium is part of my own evening routine
I also take two magnesium bisglycinate tablets each evening.
That's what I take as part of my personal routine rather than me telling you that two tablets is the right amount for you, supplements and doses aren't one-size-fits-all.
Alongside that, I sometimes use magnesium flakes or Epsom salts in my bath and magnesium balm on my feet.
For me, it's simply become part of the collection of little things that tell me:
We're winding down now.
8. I've made scent one of my bedtime cues
I've used marjoram essential oil on my pillow as part of my bedtime routine, and I also use Tropic's Evening Unwind Pillow Mist.
The mist contains lavender, chamomile and frankincense essential oils and is designed to be spritzed over your pillow and bedding.
There's also a So Sleepy Temple Balm with lavender, chamomile and frankincense essential oils, which can be used on pulse points such as your wrists and behind your ears.
I don't think one spritz of something lovely suddenly knocks you unconscious.
For me, it's much more about association.
When you repeat the same little rituals night after night, they become part of the transition from doing to resting.
Bath.
Skincare.
Magnesium.
Bedroom.
Pillow mist.
Bed.
My brain knows what's coming next.
9. I stopped treating sleep as the bit I could steal time from
This might actually be the biggest one.
For years, sleep can become the thing we borrow from.
There's something to finish.
Something to watch.
One more email.
A bit more scrolling.
Everyone else has finally gone to bed and, hallelujah, you've finally got some time to yourself.
So you stay up.
I've become much more protective of that boundary.
Not perfectly.
I'm human.
But I know how different I feel when I've slept well, and I've stopped thinking that sacrificing sleep is some sort of badge of honour.
Because looking after ourselves isn't only about what we put on our faces.
It's what we eat.
How we move.
How we rest.
What we expose ourselves to.
The little decisions we make repeatedly.
And sometimes it's simply deciding that our own wellbeing deserves a place on today's list too.
10. You don't need my bedtime routine
That's probably the most important thing I can tell you.
You don't need to copy everything I do.
You might hate baths.
You might not want pillow mist.
You might be one of those deeply suspicious people who voluntarily gets out of bed at 5am. 😂
The point isn't to create the perfect evening routine.
It's to notice whether you're giving sleep the importance it deserves.
Maybe there's one small thing you could change.
Put the phone down a little earlier.
Open the window when you wake up and let the morning light in.
Make the bedroom cooler.
Create a little ritual that tells your brain the day is done.
Or simply go to bed when you're tired instead of watching another episode of something you don't even care about.
I've made lots of changes over the last 18 months.
How I nourish myself.
How I move.
How I look after my skin.
How I spend my time.
How I talk to myself.
But underneath all of them has been one bigger change.
I didn't suddenly start putting myself first.
I simply started putting myself further up my own list.
Protecting my sleep is one of the ways I do that.
And if protecting my wellbeing occasionally requires a lie-in with Ernie...
I'm willing to make that sacrifice. 😂
If you're a woman over 50 who's also trying to look after yourself a little better, without turning wellness into another full-time job, come and join me in my Facebook community.
Looking After Ourselves After 50 is where I'm sharing what I'm learning about changing skin, nourishment, movement, sleep, wellbeing and the small things I'm trying myself.
I'm not pretending to have all the answers.
I'm simply a woman who's made quite a few changes and feels a whole lot better for them.
Come and join us and tell me: what's the one thing that helps you sleep well?
Let's keep the conversation going
If you're a woman over 50 navigating changing skin, I'd love to support you.
💚 Join my Facebook community, where we chat about skincare, wellbeing and the simple rituals that help us look after ourselves.
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Before you go....
Your body has been with you through every chapter of your life.
It deserves more than being an afterthought.
Perhaps tomorrow morning, instead of rushing straight into the day, you could spend just five minutes looking after yourself.
Because healthy has never been about perfection.
It's about creating small rituals that remind us we matter too. 💚
Take care of yourself.
You deserve it.
Natalie x
Hi, I'm Natalie, a Tropic Ambassador
Supporting midlife women with natural skin care and simple routines, so you can feel confident in your skin, prioritise yourself, and create flexible income - all on your own terms.
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