On sleep and relaxation

Pukka Night Time tea
AD/PR post

I am a hyper person. If you do know me, that is not a revelation. I find quite hard to relax, to stop, to breathe. Anxiety, my old friend, feeds off it, and vice versa.

Sleep however, was never a problem for me. I never needed loads of it, and rarely struggled to sleep.

Recently though, with the new waves of worry brought by COVID-19 and lockdown I found myself struggling to fall asleep, waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to sleep again and/or just having terrible quality, disturbed sleep. And feeling exhausted.

Pukka Night Time Tea

I then reached for a few aids to help me sleep better and Pukka teas, a variety of which are regular in my cupboard, came in very handy.

I had been a fan of Night Time for quite a while so it was no effort to say yes to a couple more boxes sent in. Night Time contains oat flower, licorice root, chamomile flower, lavender flower, lime flower, valerian root, tulsi leaf to help you unwind, settle and enjoy a moment of calm before bed.

Its taste is quite delicate, with the liquorice, a flavour that is definitely not my favourite, being quite subdued. I usually drink it half an hour before bed as part of my settling down routine.

And they have a really nice 7-day Sleep with Ease programme to help us create a sleep space, pattern and routine naturally, with a digital diary to document the journey to better sleep.

Pukka Love tea

The programme touches on usual suspects like avoiding distractions blue light from electronic devices before bed (which was and is my main struggle!), avoid caffeine (THE biggest struggle), meditation and relaxation techniques applied during the day to steps we may take for granted: create a relaxing sleeping environment and surroundings, a sleep schedule and a post sleep routine – especially when we are have our usual work routines disrupted by the pandemic. For me, that was really important.

And of course, introduce relaxing natural ingredients like the ones in Night Time: valerian acts like a natural sedative, with lavender, oat, chamomile and lime flowers acting as soothing, calming and grounding ingredients.

Pukka teas, a relaxing selection

I must admit that after a little while my sleep pattern was almost back to its optimum.

If you want to follow the tips, go to the Pukka website to access all the free Sleep with Ease resources they made available to help you get better sleep.

Pukka teas are widely available at the best supermarkets and retailers, RRP £2.80 for 20 bags of Night Time.

And they have a fantastic selection of high quality organic blends for all tastes and needs – look how pretty and delicious – trust me – they are! A delight!

written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples as products were sent to me free of charge, with no obligation to post. Opinions are honest and my own.

That monthly thing

pink-parcel-review - 2Girls don’t really talk about our periods a lot. Not that it is the kind of thing that comes up in conversation all the time, but many tend to avoid any mention.

Truth is, it is (almost) always there. There is the discomfort, the PMS, the tenderness, the bloating, swelling, cramps… some have it much worst than others, but for most of us, it just doesn’t go unnoticed.

I am quite sensitive in my privates (sorry, over sharing), so I always keep an eye on it; I get irritation, thrush and UTI quite often if I don’t look after myself properly; that include trying to control the stresses of daily life, which do not help the cause.

That’s why I welcomed the Pink Parcel this month, my first since coming off the pill for a very long time. I was expecting it to be a nightmare, which it wasn’t, but this monthly useful treat really made it a bit better.

The Pink Parcel comes with all your tampon and pads needs – when signing up, you can pick your brand so you stick with what you like, and you can mix pads and tampons, to suit your taste. They send you enough for a normal 3-4 period so you don’t have to worry.

They have three shipping dates in the month, so you can pick the one closer to your time. Personally, I think getting it 3-5 days before my period is the best, so I can reach out for treats during the dreaded PMS.

The box comes split in neat (I love that) “sections” if you wish; “for now”, a fabric pouch, comes with pads and tampons for every day, to go in the handbag; “for later”, more pads and tampons to keep and replenish that handy little bag, “for down there”, some soothing and/or cleansing product (mine came with one of my faves Femfresh wipes) and “for you” comes packed with treats.

pink-parcel-review - 10I was very impressed with the amount of pads and tampons, as well as the “for you” treat box: something sweet, but not too much, some relaxing items, like the Badger Sleep Balm and tea plus beauty treats including favourite brands like Simple and lottie London, and some new to discover, like True Brit nail polish.

Every month, you can count on the box to come with tampons (your selected brand and something new to try), pads, tea, something sweet and beauty products.

Beauty boxes for me are not that appealing, but this is actually useful as  it comes in the right time, giving me exactly what I need!

You can subscribe to your Pink Parcel via their website, the first one costs only £6.99 including P&P, and the following one, £10.50, P&P also included!

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This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.