If you’ve noticed yourself feeling tired earlier this Fall, waking at different times, or simply feeling like your sleep rhythm is a little off lately, you’re not imagining it.
One of the biggest reasons is light — and how that changes in this season.
As the days get shorter and the nights get longer in Autumn, the changing amount of sunlight affects our circadian rhythm. This is because our internal clock helps regulate when we feel awake and when we feel sleepy.
Here are some of my favorite ways to support sleep in this season:
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Get outside in the morning. Morning sunlight helps signal to your body that the day has begun.
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Dim the lights at night. Lower the lights and reduce screens as bedtime approaches to help your body recognize that it’s time to wind down.
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Keep a consistent rhythm. Regular waking, eating, movement, and bedtime routines can help your body find its seasonal groove.
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Create a nighttime ritual. A cup of tea, a bath, reading, stretching, or taking your herbs at the same time each evening can become a cue that the day is ending.
A few of our favorite Mountain Song allies for this transition:
Sweet Sleep Tea — a nourishing nighttime herbal tea for relaxation and rest with sleepy herbal favorites like passionflower, hops and lavender.
Sweet Dreams Sleep Elixir — herbal support for those evenings when settling into sleep feels a little harder with chamomile, hops, and California poppy. A great alternative to tea if you often wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Magnesium Lavender Tallow Balm — massage into tired legs, feet, shoulders, or areas of tension as part of your nighttime routine. Great for relaxation prior to bed, and magnesium helps with sleep and restless legs.
Calm Kiddo Glycerite — gentle herbal support for little ones who need some extra help winding down with a herbal trio of lemon balm, linden, and lavender.
Autumn naturally asks us to slow down.
The sun sets earlier. Plants begin drawing their energy inward. Nights become longer.
Maybe we can follow the season’s lead and allow ourselves a little more rest, too.
Sometimes supporting better sleep starts simply by remembering that we are seasonal beings.