The Nightstand Essentials An Interior Designer Uses For A+ Sleep

I used to be a solid sleeper who could fall asleep and stay asleep for the whole night. Those were the days, right? After three babies, my sleep has suffered. Couple that with a partner who has a growing snoring issue, and my nights continue to be fragmented.

I’ve had to work at making my sleep better, especially in the past few years as I wrote my first book Home Therapy, and spent chunks of time on the road shooting homes. For me, that means each day I make a mental note to go to bed on time—and make that time a non-negotiable.

A good night's sleep allows me to think clearly. My eyes get tired easily so my vision is impaired early in the day if I don't get enough sleep. (With such a visual job, I need to make sure my visual game is on point.) Restorative sleep provides the anchor I need to make good decisions throughout the day. Not only that, I have a predisposition to anxiety and depression, so the second I don't have solid sleep, my reality is skewed. I find myself leaning towards irrational thoughts and mood swings. Sleep puts me on the path to a positive mindset.

8:32 p.m.: It’s a Wednesday night and I’m starting to get into a wind-down mindset after a busy day visiting client renovation sites, creating content, and playing Uber driver to my kids' afterschool activities.

First, I get my 9-year-old daughter ready for bed. Then I take a hot bath and relax my mind and muscles. One of my favorite bath salts to use is Gigartina Therapy bath salts. The temperature drop from going hot to cold when I get out of the bath gets my adrenaline pumping and endorphins in. This is truly a favorite moment I savor and I am mindfully setting an intention to think positive thoughts about the night and day ahead. 

9:08 p.m.: I get into my cozy PJs (Splendid has the softest fabrics for soothing sleep IMO) and I head downstairs and clean up the kitchen a bit so it's a clutter-free zone when I wake up in the morning to start my day. 

9:25 p.m.: I go back upstairs and wash my face while repeating a nighttime mantra, "I am taken care of, everything I need is here." I brush my hair and put it in a scrunchie... I have long hair and hate sleeping with it in my face. 

9:48 p.m.: I say goodnight to my older two teen daughters (and remind them to make sure they are getting enough sleep too!). I also check in with my partner and say goodnight as he goes to bed after me.

10:00 p.m.: I hop into bed and snuggle and relish the weighted blanket and organic waffle quilt bedding enveloping me. I write down a few notes of gratitude for something that happened earlier in the day or something in the present in my journal.

If I am not too tired, I allow myself to watch a Netflix show that is less than 30 minutes for a good laugh or inspiration. My guilty pleasure is true crime but I don’t like to end the night with that. 

5:27 a.m.: I wake up earlier than usual but didn't have any middle-of-the-night awakenings. I am thankful I slept longer than expected, yay! I immediately take a deep breath and meditate and journal. Then I drink a glass of lemon water. I might hop on the Peloton for 30 minutes before taking a shower and starting my day.