The first weekend of Autumn has arrived.

For most of us, September is a time of letting go of our usual routines and enjoying the shorter days as much as possible. However, with fewer schedules and demands, comes a less rigorous sleep-wake schedule. As we officially enter a new season and prepare for the impending clock change in October, it's *time* to reset your sleep patterns so you can go into autumn experiencing your best night's sleep.

Settle into the back to school and back to business routine, and re-tune your sleep cycle with our expert tips below.

1. Sync Your Bedtime

Time change, no matter how big or small, acts as a society-imposed jet lag. As we gain an hour of time back when the clocks change next month, your circadian rhythms, or sleep-wake cycle, will cause you to want to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier than your external environment.

To ensure a regular bedtime and 6 to 9 hours of sleep, aim to go to bed and wake up in the morning at the same time daily. Regular sleeping hours programme the brain to a routine which ensures a rested mind and body.

Exposure to as much sunlight as possible in the morning can also help your body sync with a new sleep schedule. If you live in a winter climate or have a schedule that doesn’t allow for morning sunlight, bright light therapy is a wonderful substitute to simulate sunlight and reset your circadian rhythms.

2. Wind Down with your Evening Ritual

A good night's rest requires a quiet mind, so ensure you have given yourself time to wind down.

As humans, we have become conditioned to distinct patterns of behaviour through repetition of cues and responses. Routines can make actions almost instinctive in numerous aspects of daily life, including bedtime. Cue: cultivating a healthy sleep routine.

By creating habits and cues that promote sleep, the norm becomes falling asleep quickly and staying asleep through the night. And with more repetition, this routine gets reinforced, paving way to an increasingly stable sleep pattern over time.

"As soon as work is done, I love lighting my Deep Relax Candle while I write my to-do list for the day ahead, as it signals a full stop on the day just finished. And you also can’t beat a soak in the bath with our iconic Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil - I have used this blend so many times before bed that my mind and body associate it with sleep as soon as the scents hit my nose."

Amy Bonfield, Head of Spa

3. Ensure your Bedroom is your Sanctuary

It is oh-so-tempting to catch up on social media or finish off those last e-mails in bed, however if we are struggling to reset we need to ensure we keep our bedrooms for the purpose of resting our bodies - so make it an environment you want to be in. Diffuse our Deep Relax Pure Essential Oil Blend on The Atomiser, and mist your nightwear, linens and body with the Deep Relax Sleep Mist. Then make sure you have the Deep Relax Sleep Well Nourishing Body Treatment on your bedside cabinet to apply either to the whole body or just hands and feet as a short self-care ritual before bed.

Behind Our Bestselling Blend

"I would go as far as saying it’s the nearest thing we have to a sleep medicine"

Luke Taylor - Master Blender

It is the knowledge of what each individual essential oil does therapeutically as well as the know-how of what works well together to have an appealing aroma that is the secret to its success.

Deep Relax was created by one of our founders, Geraldine Howard, after her Aromatherapy tutor found out she was taking sleeping pills. She urged her to create a blend for herself, and we are so fortunate that she did, as over 35 years later the iconic blend is still our most to date.

Our Bath & Shower Oil has stood the test of time, simply because it works. Blended therapeutically, it combines ingredients that are not softly relaxing, but that are deeply sedating and truly restful to mind and body – in short it was created to get you to sleep.

The essential oil mainly responsible for this is Vetivert, an earthy aroma that may or may not appeal to you on its own, however blended with sweet, calming and homegrown Camomile as well as woody and grounding Sandalwood, makes it the incredibly powerful blend it is.