Spilling The Tea On Sleep with Pukka Herbs

I haven't been sleeping right for months - but even as I write that, I wonder, surely everyone has the same complaint, since we're living in a global pandemic. I have no trouble getting to sleep, but staying asleep is the hard part. I wake up at least twice nightly. With this in mind, when Pukka Herbs reached out to ask if I'd like to take part in their Sleep With Ease programme, I said "sign me up!". 

Image: PukkaHerbs.com

I've been a big fan of herbal teas for a long time now, even going so far as getting myself known in an old office workplace as the one with the "smelly tea"! 

Before we get into this, I will preface the rest of this blog post with the following: I work from home for a company that deals with US timezones almost exclusively, I exercise gently (I miss the gym!), and I have gone to great lengths to ensure my bed/sleep environment is exactly the way I prefer. I've been trying to read more so that I can unwind without any screen time, but it can be quite hit and miss. 

Now, with all that said, I have been incorporating the Night Time tea into my routine for the past week and here's what I've noticed. 

I loved the smell of it, first off. A good smelling tea is a really pleasure, though I usually opt for more fruity and spicy (think ginger, not chilli!) teas, this one was incredible with lavender and chamomile notes. I found it very palatable, not very strongly flavoured at all, which is a good thing in the evening if you ask me. Taking some time, even ten minutes, in the evening, to sit with a cup of tea, drink it mindfully, and clear my head helped me to se the intention of a night of restful sleep. 

Since Pukka Night Time tea has Valerian Root in it, which is a natural sleep aid, and it actually helps anxiety. If you check out Velerian Root on t'internet, you'll sometimes see it mentioned as a sedative, but I didn't find this tea made me particularly sleepy. It helped me to relax in a mindful manner, but it didn't knock me out. I'd say if you were to chew on the actual Valerian Root you'd miss your alarm, but in tea, it's much milder. 

To that end, it's worth mentioning that in the last few days, if I felt stressed with work, I would step away, make a quick cup of this tea and sit for a few minutes to decompress. It helped to take some time away from my dual-monitors and work environment, take some breaths, sip something delicious and gather myself. 

All tucked in for bed! 

Combining this tea as a de-stresser during my work days and with a pre-bedtime ritual of turning on some soft lighting, and either watching a movie or reading in bed has helped immesurably - even when I read true crime, not what you'd call relaxing content!  

Drinking the Night Time Tea has made it so that I'm much more mindful in my bedtime routine and I don't feel like I'm simply finishing a list of tasks, taking a restless nap and then waking up to repeat the cycle. It unwinds me so that I'm not waking up between 2am and 4am nearly as much as I did. 

I hope that this was helpful to you guys! I'd highly recommend trying the Pukka Night Time tea, and combining it with a mindful bedtime routine for a more restful sleep. Give it a few days, create a habit, and sweet dreams. 

My favorite mug! 

You can snag it on Holland and Barrett HERE if you fancy picking up a box - safely, given lockdown! 

Let me know how you get on, if you try it out. 

Love you guys

Amy 

xo

This post contains items sent to me by Pukka for review - All opinions are my own.