Sleep Tight, Right Through the Night

No matter how much you love your winter woollies and cups of tea, this season can be a challenging time for all. To keep the spirits high, supporting your body with immune strengthening herbs should remain top of the TO-DO list right throughout the winter. A focus on prevention is key – which means looking to immune tonics containing the potent Echinacea root, as well as Olive leaf, Thyme, and the antioxidant support of NZ-grown berries. However, sometimes the bugs still manage to get their way through – particularly when we are bombarded with sickness from every angle at kindy, school or work, or when we getting run down from dealing with life’s physical or emotional stresses. At this time of year, when the days are shorter and colder, we find ourselves spending a great deal more time indoors. This is a reminder to embrace the natural rhythm of winter, allowing ourselves to slow down and focus on getting those much-needed hours of rest.  Sleep is our healing time, our time to take a break and let the body do its work on getting us prepared to cope with whatever the next day might bring. It is more than simply an old wives’ tale that sleep and sickness are closely related, however the immune system functioning is more complex than what our mother might have mentioned! Sickness normally begins with some sneezing, and then maybe the throat tickle sets in….and then this can really turn to trouble when the nights become interrupted with fever, coughing, sneezing and continuous reaching for tissues!  This is even more challenging for our little ones, that do not have the ability to relieve those congested nasal passages.  We have lots of different remedies to reach for during the day time to combat coughs, sniffles and congestion, however, we often need something complementary to add to the night-time mix. Something that will gently works its magic while we try to catch those much-needed zzzz’s. And this is where a decongesting chest rub can really come to the rescue! To get that delightful full-scented healing action, you want to look to highest quality pure essential oils. There are a couple of things a good chest rub will do. Decongest – we want to help clear those airways and air mucus removal so we choose Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Pine needle, Thyme and Rosemary oils. Protect against bacteria – Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Pine needle, Thyme and Rosemary each help to fight infection by keeping microbes at bay. Calm and soothe – For a gentle relaxant to aid sleep and healing, you cannot look past Lavender. Another important thing for little ones is that their sensitive skin is looked after, which is why Kiwiherb makes sure our product is free from parabens, petrochemicals, artificial fragrances, colours and preservatives. We also focus on using organic carrier oils that are both healing and protective to the skin. Coconut and olive oil as well as beeswax, do a great job at ensuring the rub is easy to apply and gentle on the skin. For the under 2’s, we are careful about applying essential oils directly on their skin so they are a couple of options Diluting the DeStuff Rub in Baby Balm before applying to the skin Putting the rub on a tissue and securing under the sheet near your child’s head Using in a steam inhalant to provide the scent throughout the room Or for a real mum’s touch, we recommend rubbing the product onto the feet to ensure the product is absorbed without affecting the more sensitive chest area. Whether it is nasal or chest congestion, Kiwiherb DeStuff Rub is the perfect addition to your bedtime routine this winter.