Never one to shy away from testing and experimenting, I was intrigued by the Breathe Right strips and when I learned they were introducing a lavender scented strip I was ready to give it a try for a few days and see how it would affect my sleep. Their slogan caught my attention: Breathe Right, Sleep In.
Sleep in! An unimaginable luxury as a single parent.
To set the stage, I tend to go to sleep late and get up early to get my kids to school by 8:00am. A typical night might have me heading to bed around midnight and up before my 7:00am alarm. Night after night. Why do I stay up so late? Part of it is because I am by habit a night owl, but part of it is that for my sanity I find that I need an hour or two after everyone else goes to sleep, time to catch up on email, watch an episode of a favorite TV show, whatever. Net result is that I get between 6 and 7 hours of sleep every night.
On the bright side, I do fall asleep very quickly, so it’s very, very rare that I lay in bed and have my brain spin. When that does happen I can invariably then remember that caffeinated beverage I had an hour or two prior. Dumb, I know. But que sera, sera.
Not one to take drugs to help me get to sleep — even if I am caffeinated — it’s good to know that Breathe Right strips are drug-free and are basically a stiff adhesive strip that’s designed to slightly spread your nostrils when worn. If you have nasal congestion or nighttime allergies, if you’re snoring and bothering your partner, well, this is perfect for all of those.
I tried a strip on my nose last night, as you can see in this extraordinarily flattering photo:
In fact, not so glamorous, I know! 🙂
The experience was initially a bit weird and took some getting used to, having my nostrils essentially flared and open wider than normal. Since Colorado is so darn dry, it proved a bit uncomfortable after a few hours, but that’s also because 1. I wasn’t congested, and 2. I haven’t yet turned on my all-house humidifier. The lavender scent was subtle but quite pleasant, I am happy to report, and as it happens I have lavender candles and soap already, so it’s a favorite.
The actual “Sleep In” challenge is tied to the upcoming daylight savings time switch, and I’ll challenge you to take it too: On Nov 1st and 2nd go to sleep an hour earlier and use the lavender Breathe Right strips to help get a great night’s sleep each night.
The strips are small too, just look at the photo on the left, comparing one to a shiny new penny. Then again, you can see that on my photo above too.
The net result of you taking the daylight savings time challenge, by the way, is that you’ll adjust to the new DST schedule far more easily than if you just keep up your own sleep routine. Especially if it’s not particularly healthy like mine!
You game? Cool. You can get those lavender strips for free by simply signing up here: Free Breathe Right Lavender Strips sample. And keep in mind that the better you sleep the more productive and efficient, the more alert and calm you are the next day, something of particular importance to us parents, right?
I’ll be taking the pledge: This Daylight Savings, I pledge with Breathe Right to get epic sleep every night. Please join me! #BreatheRightSleepIn http://www.breatheright.com/offers
And now, I’m off to bed. An hour earlier. Booyah!
Definitely worth a try