This post is written in partnership with Beam, a Boston-based company who are passionate about producing the best possible CBD products for the wellness-minded community. However all opinions are my own and I only work with and recommend companies whose products I love and love to share with my clients.

The end of Daylight Saving Time can take its toll on our energy throughout the day, and can negatively effect how quickly we fall asleep in the evenings, and the quality of the sleep that we do get. I’ve partnered with my favorite organic, THC free CBD oil Beam to give you the lowdown on why a pre-bed restful ritual may be the best thing you do this winter for healthy sleep, and how I use Beam to give me 8 hours of deep, restorative sleep on a consistent basis.

One of the biggest challenges we face in our modern world is the constant stimulation we receive from technology: electric lights, emails, texts, social media, Netflix – all of these things are vying for our attention, causing us to be alert and stressed out at times when we should be relaxing and preparing our bodies and minds for sleep. On a biochemical basis these numerous ‘stress spikes’ cause our bodies to release cortisol (our stress and energy hormone), that in turn suppresses the release of melatonin, the hormone that causes us to fall asleep.

To help counter these stress spikes, lower cortisol levels and prepare mentally and physically for sleep I love to help my clients create their ‘restful ritual’, a series of steps that not only helps on biochemical level, but also trains the body and brain to know when its time to power down and recharge.

A new part of my restful ritual is to take one serving of Beam CBD Oil an hour before I go to bed, either stirred into a little water or sublingually (under the tongue). Taking it an hour before bed gives it time to help reduce any anxiety I may be feeling from the day’s events and helps to balance my cortisol levels, enabling my body to release the hormones and neurotransmitters needed for sleep. Beam CBD Oil is also a great alternative to melatonin, which, whilst is fine for short term use, in the long term it can actually stop your body producing its own melatonin, exacerbating the problem of nighttime wakefulness.

Next, I’ll take my Beam The Fixer CBD Salve and use it on any tight muscles (think of it as a much cleaner, more effective version of icy hot) – for me this is typically my low back and my shoulders and neck. I’ll then foam roll those areas with our vibrating foam roller, and using the salve before I foam roll helps my muscles relax and release tension more effectively than without.

By the time I get into bed I’m thoroughly relaxed and ready for sleep, and because of this, and my body knows that sleep is coming, I barely get through a few pages of my fiction novel that is the next step of my restful ritual. Sweet dreams!