Guests leave the spa leaving rejuvenated, but to completely do your job, they must also leave with
the tools to improve their sleep once they return to their stressful lives.
Dr. Martins
Tips for
Getting a
Good Night’s
Sleep
The Lodge at Woodloch’s special
treatment, the Restful Retreat features a
specially designed chair that embraces
guests in comfort and is shaped to
contour the body in a relaxed lounged
position. The specially crafted oil blends
used in the treatment feature sleep-
inducing herbs from a local
aromatherapists and are applied with
gentle massage techniques to the head
and feet to help ease guests into a
restful state.
At The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, an
intuitive healer and certified hypnother-
apist, Nancy Furst, offers sessions to
guests that begin with a blessing of
Native American prayer song accom-
panied by soft drumming. A selection of
crystals, stones and wisdom cards
initiate a path of self-discovery and clari-
fication, lovingly inspired by her intuitive
skills.
“Many guests are drawn to Nancy to
help address sleep disorders,” notes
Morrison. “One suggestion she offers is
to create a bedtime ritual to manifest a
sense of peace and calm at night. This
can be accomplished by writing down
any lingering thoughts or feelings from
1. Turn off the lights of your bedroom (the blue light emitted by your phone, tablet,
computer, or TV is especially disruptive) to stimulate melatonin secretion, the sleep
hormone. Your brain secretes more melatonin when it’s dark.
2. Have a relaxing ritual before going to bed: take a warm bath, meditate, listen to soft
music, read a book by a soft light and control your mind with positive thoughts to help to
release serotonin—a key hormone that helps to promote healthy sleep.
3. Be smart with what you eat and drink. Avoid caloric food within three hours before going
to bed to help with digestion. Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol stimulates the central
nervous system, avoid them within three hours of your bedtime. Also, drink water, but try
Your guests aren’t
the only ones who
need some shut-eye.
Follow these tips for
getting your much-
needed rest.
not to drink anything after 8 p.m. to avoid waking up to go to the bathroom.
4. Vigorous exercise just before bed can make you alert; it may be best to exercise late in
the afternoon.
5. Avoid self-medication. Besides increasing the risk of mortality, sleeping pills can have a
damage effect and worsen the quality of your sleep. You also may experience a light
drunkenness effect in the following day, which can lead to car crashes.
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July 2017