Princess Lessons ~ Sweet Slumber
Just a simple lesson today, for those who may have trouble sleeping, find they do not get quality rest or simply wish to make their bedtime a little more princess like.
Sleep is one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself, as much as healthy food and excercise it will contribute to your general health and beauty (the phrase ‘beauty sleep’ is no lie!) Ideally we should get at least eight hours sleep a night, with going to bed early and rising early being preferencial. I try to be in bed by 10:30 most nights, and rise between 6-7am, often as the sun does. I’ve always been a morning person and am most alert from the moment I get up to around midday. However, even if you’re used to sleeping in and staying up late, you can retrain your body and may find you have a lot more energy when you do!
Read a book before bed. This is my favourite way to wind down and relax my mind, escaping from daily stress and perparing for beautiful dreams. I especially love reading fairy tales and fantasy at this time. If you can find someone to read to you, then you are extra lucky!
Wash your pillowcase regularly and scent it with rose or lavender water, the latter will help you sleep even more. Try making your bed each morning, getting in to a freshly made bed at night is much more comforting than crawling under a heaped pile of covers.
If light bothers you, aquire a sleeping mask. There are many beautiful ones out there, embroidered or quilted or even bejewled! It adds a little bit of luxury and is useful when travelling too.
Wear beautiful nightwear, I love nightgowns best, with lace and chiffon or cute ruffles! There are lots of adorable pajamas out there too. You may like to look at BABY’s nightwear section for ideas.
There’s nothing worse than getting in to a cold bed in winter! Historically ladies have had their beds pre-heated by warming pans, however a much easier option for us is a hot water bottle. Pop it in to bed at least ten minutes beforehand and it will be nice and cosy when you get there. I also love wheat packs, the sort you heat in the microwave, scented with lavender and rose petals they are very soothing.
Make yourself a ‘posset’ before bed. A Posset is a hot milk drink consumed before bed, traditonally it had alcohol added to curdle the milk but I make mine without using the recipe below. If you don’t drink milk, there are lot of great herbal teas that contain herbs which will help you sleep. A favourite of mine is Celestial Seasonings ‘Sleepytime’ which tastes of mint and chamomile, yum!
1 Cup of milk
1 tsp honey
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
A few drops of natural almond or vanilla extract
Heat the milk in a saucepan, add the honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and almond or vanilla extract. Take off the heat just before it scalds. Pour in to your favourite cup and sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon.
Welcome to the Princess Portal, a blog about finding your inner princess and living every day with beauty, grace and a sense of childlike wonder. This is both my diary and a way of sharing my writings on the Princess lifestyle. Please feel free to comment on anything that interests you! I'd love to hear from you ♥
April 29th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Great tips! The posset sounds lovely, I’m going to have to try that recipe sometime. I love Sleepytime tea, it always helps me sleep and it’s yummy too, especially with a spoonful of honey added to it! :)
April 29th, 2008 at 2:50 am
Very appropriate entry, considering the new, cute Poupee sleepwear.^_^
April 29th, 2008 at 2:51 am
This is my favourite lesson so far.
Ironically, I write this as 2am approaches. I guess I should work on that :Þ
April 29th, 2008 at 6:49 am
lol, I like the same tea! I used to drink it when I went to bed, or when I’m sad or nervous. Very relaxing! And also, A Victorian Maiden / Beth nightgown wouldn’t be bad. :3
Thanks a bunch for all the tips, even if I fall asleep in seconds, literally. There are a few tips I didn’t know about.
I wish I took longer to fall asleep, so I can daydream more time about my beloved Prince… .__. It’s hard daydreaming at school, but oh, I guess you’re not interested of knowing about him.
Thank you very much
April 29th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Thanks for the tips!
I have trouble absorbing enough energy from the sleep I get (I’m afraid of sleeping, it’s a long story) and I usually have to sleep 10 hours to feel rested.
Perhaps these tips could make bedtime more relaxing for me :D
April 29th, 2008 at 9:58 am
I drink a similar concoction before going to bed. Milk, cinamon, vanilla,and cajeta.
It’s curious how great minds think alike. You host such a lovely site. Is there a way to subscribe?
I truly love the work you’ve done. It’s inspired me to do my own.
Best Regards,
Claudia
April 29th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Sweet Tsuki - You are lucky to fall asleep quickly! It takes me ages to get to sleep usually.
Muffin - Some people just need a lot more sleep than others. I function better if I get 10+ hours aswell, because I dream a lot.
Claudette - Your posset sounds delicious too! You can subscribe to PP via this link. Thank you for your comment!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Thank you for this!! I love that kind of posts. And it was really nice to read and usefull. I don’t sleep so well those days and find myself tired during the day. I’m not sure drinking milk before going to bed would be a good idea for me, but I love chamomile and I will try to drink more of it.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I actually have a perfect sleeping potion- a glass of warm, spiced mead sends me to sleep no matter what! This mead is alcoholic though, I guess it’s a sleeping potion for grownups. Now that winter is coming I should order some again. ^^;
April 30th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Princess Skye,
I’m pleased to report that I got the greatest sleep I’ve had in a long, long time last night thanks to your tips.
Today, my Prince told me that my undereyes were not looking nearly as tired (normally, they are really, really purple).
Thank you so much!
May 1st, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Princess Muffin,
I am so happy to hear you got a good night’s sleep and that you recieved some good effects from it! I hope that you sleep as well every night from now on ^_^
<3 Skye