PR / UNPAID AD - Leave No Trace With The Festival Bag From Paper Bag Co.* **

Whilst I'm not trying to sound too morbid, I'm wondering if any of you guys out there have a bucket list? You know, a list of things that you want to do or achieve before you depart from this crazy world that we all call home. 

Since my life seems to have been pretty much on hold for the last few years, I have a huge list of things that I still want to do and places that I want to go to. I'd love to go to Japan, to do my doctorate, to write a book, to see a volcanic eruption,  and I'd also like to do something that's probably a bit more achievable and go to a proper music festival.

I love music, and live music in particular, and seeing a whole load of different musicians, and artists of different genres sounds perfect! The UK especially is literally music heaven when it comes to festivals, with Glastonbury last weekend, and the Isle Of Wight the week before that, and with other large festivals such as Wireless, Latitude, Kendal Calling, and of course Reading and Leeds still to come, as well as numerous smaller, more niche festivals. the UK really is the place to be if you love live music!

So come on Lou, why don't you just bite the bullet and grab your tent and go to one? Well apart from the obvious health reasons at the moment, I love music but I think I love my comfort more. I think I'd be okay hanging with the VIP's in an RV, but I don't think that I'm really built for festival life, or even camping when I come to think about it. I need good toilets, hot showers, and a clean, comfortable bed. I've heard far too many horror stories about gross toilets, mud, horrendous traffic jams, my fellow human beings, and of course the mountains of rubbish to put me right off!

On the rubbish front though, despite the pictures that you may have seen this week about the aftermath of Glastonbury, things are changing. Whilst piles of rubbish aren't really a great look, Glastonbury has a longstanding with environmental campaign group Greenpeace, and caring for the environment has always been at the forefront of any planning or decision making. They have a full 'Reuse Reduce, Respect' policy which includes a focus on renewable energy, use of electric vehicles onsite, and an onsite recycling plant, and has the tagline 'Love The Farm Leave No Trace', and thankfully in festival and environmental terms they're not alone, with Kendal Calling's 'Leave Nothing But Memories' pledge, and the 'Green National Sustainability Charter' which is in place at all Live Nation festivals including Reading and Leeds.

It isn't just down to other people though, whether you're heading to a music festival or for just a quiet weekend of camping, we all need to do our bit as well, by reducing waste, and environmental damage , and recycling and also by thinking a bit more careful about exactly what we take with us on our trip, and no I don't mean what flavours of vodka to pack!

With an impressive CV when it comes to producing high quality retail and promotional paper bags, including working with brands such as Audi, Christian Dior Parfums and Converse, British brand Paper Bag Co. and their sister company Cotton Bag Co might not be at the top of your list when it comes to packing for a festival, but if you care about the environment then they probably should be.

First introduced in 2022, the Festival Bag from the Paper Bag Co. is the perfect accessory for the festival goer that wants to be a bit more eco conscious. With UK festivals alone generating over 23,000 tonne of rubbish every year, the Festival Bag and it's eco-friendly contents are all specially designed to leave no trace, even if everything get trashed and ends up being left in a muddy field when the festivities are over, oh and that also includes the bag itself! 

Unlike the majority of other rucksacks that you've probably seen on your travels this one isn't made from vinyl or plastic, believe it or not it's actually derived from paper! If you've ever had one of the large paper, or fibre filled padded envelopes, then that a bit like what this bag feels like. Don't worry I can hear what you're all saying, 'paper surely that can't be very durable', well that's where you'd be wrong! This backpack actually feels really strong and sturdy, and as if it could take a real battering, not only that but believe it or not, it's also waterproof. 

The Festival Bag comes into 2 eye catching modern designs, the 'No Trace' hand design and the bright pink, and black 'Festival' design which is the one that I was very kindly sent.

So it looks great, it's better for the environment, and it's sturdy but what else does it have going for it? Well sticking with the construction the bag features two strong webbed fabric and paper derived straps, that are fully adjustable, so it will fit all heights, sizes and wearers, comfortably and securely.

The backpack features a secure, side zipped pocket ideal for your phone or wallet, and it fastens with both a velcro tab and with full top zip for double the security. The main compartment of the bag is super spacious and would easily hold a change of clothes, a towel and a swimsuit or even a couple of folders. It also has a little loop inside the bag so you can attach your keys to keep them safe and secure.

Can you see what I did here? I shot a lovely picture, with a nice clear shot of the bag to give you an indication of the size, and I completely forgot to get a picture of it on my actual back! Seriously I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached - anyways once I realised I quickly remedied it and shot some pics all be it in a different location, and I can safely say that it felt both secure and comfortable and as I say there was plenty of room for adjustment, 

I don't know if your childhood was anything like mine but I always used to, and still do tend to carry backpacks slung over just one shoulder rather than wearing it properly. I always just found it more comfortable that way and this one was no different. I always used to get wrong off my mam for carrying rucksacks like this when I was younger, she kept telling me that it would ruin my posture and I guess it comes as no surprise that my posture now is indeed terrible - it only goes to show that you should always listen to your mam!

If you can get past my strange facial expressions, my awkward modelling poses, and the sight of me in shorts then you might have already noticed my snazzy t-shirt which is the first item that comes inside the Festival Bag. Made of 100% organic cotton, and printed with water based inks, this t-shirt features a really vibrant, modern, 'Leave No Trace' design. It's a really good quality shirt, made of a nice thick cotton, it's comfortable to wear and it also washes really well with no fading or cracking on the design - it's great for everyday wear, and it will make a great cover up it you've caught the sun ;)

As well as the t-shirt, as I said earlier, the Festival Bag also contains a selection of festival, camping or even just travel essentials, all of which are eco-friendly and biodegradable, and that will leave no trace.

The first thing in the backpack is attached to the little loop inside the bag via a metal carabiner clip, and it's a foldable cup! All you do is just pop off the cap / cover, and pop out the cup, and you have a small but sturdy drinking vessel that's perfect for those shots, a sneaky glass of wine, or if your being good a glass of water!

To be honest I have seen cups like this before, but I've never seen one quite like this before. Although it feels like the plastic cups that I've seen in various camping, garden and outdoor retailers, this cup is actually made from wheat fibres! Like the bag it feels surprisingly strong, and it's obviously reusable, just give it a rinse and you're good to go again, but if it ever does break then you are safe in the knowledge that the cup itself and the lid are both fully biodegradable, and of course you could use the carabiner clip for something else.

The next item in the bag, or should I say items, is a paper bag which contains a variety of eco friendly, not trace hygiene items including a good quality bamboo toothbrush, and of course some tooth paste. No, your eyes aren't deceiving you, there is indeed some toothpaste in the picture that you can see below, I can see why you would be confused after all there are plastic or metal tubes to be seen anywhere in my photo, and that's because instead of a conventional tube of toothpaste the festival bag instead includes some packaging free toothpaste tabs. You can find these in a few places now, and they are really simple to use, just pop one in your mouth, give it a quick chew, wet your toothbrush and brush away! They feel a touch chalky in your mouth, but they were nice and minty and they left my teeth both feeling and looking clean.

All of the items in this bag are super innovative in both their use and their construction but the next two items in the bag will really blow your mind! My bag contained two body wash sachets, one was unscented, and the other was scented with coconut, sea salt and jasmine. I've only tried the unscented one, and on opening it (with dry hands as instructed) I was a little bit confused, instead of being greeted by a liquid shower, instead the sachet contained a a flat, white square that felt a bit like really thin foam. After getting wet in the shower and the rubbing the square over my skin, it actually started to dissolve and foam up! For something so small and unpromising looking I actually got a really decent shower out of it, oh and don't worry about the paper sachet that it comes in, just drop it on the floor of the shower and it will safely and quickly dissolve away, and disappear down the plughole, again leaving no trace. In case you haven't realised I'm completely blown away by this vegan and cruelty free product, and I'm definitely going to be hunting some of these down for travel, and overnight stays, they weigh next to nothing and there are no liquids to worry about.

Sticking with the whole idea of keeping clean, the 'wash bag' element of the Festival Bag also contains some compressed bamboo based face and body towels. Again they look pretty innocuous but just pop one of these natural coloured tablets into some water, and they will expand to create a biodegradable cloth perfect for washing your face or body, or just freshening up.

One thing that festivals aren't known for is peace, and quiet, and as much as you'll probably enjoy the noise, and the hustle and bustle, we all need to sleep at some point, and that's why the Festival Bag also contains a pair of cotton and natural beeswax ear plugs, so even if your campmates are throwing an all-nighter you should still be able to catch up on your beauty sleep.

Now as nice as the weather in the UK has been over the last few weeks, and even though weather forecasters are predicting a few more heatwaves before summers out, never forget that this is the UK and what does it do here? It rains! and that's why no festival survival kit is complete without a rain poncho! The one that comes in the Festival Bag isn't just your typical plastic bag style poncho though, instead this adult sized, hooded poncho is made of biodegradable cornstarch so it will keep you dry, and when you've finished with it, you can bin it or compost it and it will rot safely away.

For a festival virgin such as myself, something that has always put me off seeing some of my favourite artists in the festival environment is the horror of the portaloo! Whilst I have heard good things about at least some of the toilets at Glastonbury, I've also heard some pretty ahem.. interesting stories about festival and camping toilets, and whilst alas this backpack doesn't contain and clean and fully functioning bathroom, it does contain a 100% recycled, full size loo roll from the fabulously named 'Who Gives A Crap'.

Whether you're a fan of his music or not, I've got to say that Sir Elton's Glastonbury set was something else, both me and my mum thoroughly enjoyed watching his performance last Sunday night, and if the majority of the crowd watching him were to be believed then you can't have a festival without a bit of sparkle. You're probably well aware though that the majority of glitter is still made out of plastic, not the glitter in this bag though! The final item in the Festival Bag is a little packet of super sparkly, fully biodegradable glitter that is actually made from plants!

Whether you're heading to a festival this summer or not this bag is fabulous for any camping trip or weekend away, and even if like me you're planning on staying at home this summer, you could still find a lot of uses for both the Festival Bag and its contents.

As well as being eco friendly the bag is really spacious and good quality, and everything inside is both useful and innovative. I'll definitely be popping both the cup and the poncho in the car for both hydration and rain emergencies, and I'm also going to be on the hunt for some more of those body wash sachets,

No matter what your plans are this summer, if you want to be a bit more eco friendly and be prepared for all eventualities when you're out and about and beyond then I would definitely recommend picking up the Festival Bag. The Festival Bag retails at around £39.95 and is available exclusively from Paper Bag Co. 

If the Festival Bag isn't your thing though then don't forget to check out the Cotton Bag Co and of course their sister company Paper Bag Co, which offer other eco friendly products that can benefit you or your business. Their printed tissue paper is sustainable, eco friendly and branded which is a great way to personalise and add value to your packaging and branding.

Are you a festival fan? Let me know in the comments and make me jealous and let me know what you're up to this summer, and of course if you have any questions let me know below x 

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PR / UNPAID AD - Boost Your Mood And Your Senses With The New Radox Shower Gel Range* **

If you're a regular reader of my blog then you'll know that I've always considered myself to be 100% a bath girl, and whilst I don't half miss lounging in a tub full of bubbles, I'm definitely becoming more of a convert to the power of the shower, and it seems as though I'm not alone.

According to research carried out on behalf of heritage UK bath and shower brand Radox, whilst we're predominantly still a nation of bath lovers, over 56% of people that they surveyed are new showering more than now than ever before, with some people showering up to 10 times a week! Showering definitely has it's advantages, having a shower takes less time, and you use way less water than you would if you were filling a bath, so it's no wonder that in such a time poor, more environmentally conscious, and cash strapped society, that the popularity of the shower is increasing.

Whilst a shower is at its heart a practical experience, a shower very much like a bath can also be used to alter your mood, calm you down, clear your head and lift your spirits, it all depends on your set up, and what products and fragrances you use.

With over 100 years of bath, and shower experience, the UK's number one shower brand Radox, recently relaunches it's entire shower range, with new and improved formulations, and a range of 12 core products which are contain fragrances which are specially formulated to to boost your mood in various different ways.

As well as introducing new fragrances and new formulations, the entire Radox shower range has also now been repackaged, and each bottle is now made of 50% recycled plastic (excluding the label and cap), and as you would expect 100% of the bottle is now recyclable, potentially saving 450 tons of virgin plastic in the UK every year!. Not only that but the new flip up, sit up, twist off design of the cap also allows easy refilling. Yes you read right, Radox have also recently introduced 500ml refill pouches in 3 of their most popular scents, 'Feel Awake', 'Feel Refreshed', and 'Feel Uplifted' with fingers crossed, more varieties to come in the future.

Whilst some of the scents have just been repackaged, reformulated, and improves, there have also been of couple of brand new introductions including the one that Radox were lucky enough to send me, the Radox Feel Radiant Strawberry and Raspberry Shower Gel.

Designed to leave you feeling refreshed and radiant, the Radox Feel Radiant Shower Gel contains Radox's signature 4 mineral, and secret herb blend which has helped ease bodies and minds for decades, alongside blackberry, sour cherry, strawberry, bilberry, and raspberry juices and extracts.

Packaged in a simple but chunky east to hold bottle, with a flip top cap, this bright berry pink, slightly pearlised shower gel has a slightly runny consistency, if you tip the bottle upside down it will either collect inside the lid or if the caps open it will spill out - just something to bear in mind.

You don't need a lot and it foams up easily with water, producing a soft creamy foam, which rinses away easily and leaves the skin comfortable and not tight or dry.

Although it's described as a strawberry and raspberry shower gel, as you can see from the ingredients list, it probably has more of a tart, natural berry scent. If you don't like sweet or artificial strawberry scents, don't worry, this has much more of a 'green' berry scent, almost like freshly picked berries with a few of the leaves mixed in.

As well as boosting your mood on a scent level, for me these shower also appeal to another sense and are also visually appealing. I love the rainbow look of all 12 core bottles all lined up together, and whilst I haven't managed to replicate that display in my own bathroom, I couldn't resist buying another scent to try. I am a huge fan of fruity scents, and there was something about the bright and vibrant colour of this one that just drew me in.

The Radox Feel Revived Mandarin & Apricot Scent Shower Gel just ticked all the boxes for me - the same environmental credentials and the same trusted Radox blend of 4 minerals and 13 herbs, teamed up with fabulous sweet, fruity slightly citrus scent, and a brilliant orange colour. Okay, this one doesn't contain quite as many natural extracts as 'Feel Radiant' but I kind of like it more, it's zingy, fruity and the colour which my photo definitely doesn't do justice to, just screams sunshine!

If you don't fancy either of these fragrances, or if you want your shower to induce a different kind of mindset, there are 10 other scents to experience in the Radox core range, including 'Feel Refreshes' with a eucalyptus and citrus scent, 'Feel Awake' with fennel and sea minerals, and 'Feel Energised' with a key lime and peppermint fragrance. Although I really fancy trying them all and having my own rainbow shower gel display, next of my list to try are 'Feel Relaxed' which contains lavender and waterlily, and given my love of fruity scents, it goes without saying that I want to try 'Feel Ready' which has a sweet pomegranate and apple scent.

Whatever fragrance and formulation it is that you go for, or whatever feeling or mood you want to achieve or even dispel, these dermatologically tested shower gel are a real budget beauty must have that will take even the quickest shower to the next level.

Like with so many products at the moment, if you've got the time or if you're watching the pounds and pennies, it pays you to shop around a bit. I've seen these 225ml shower gels for as little as £1 and for as much as £2.75 each, with the 500ml refill pouches retailing at around £1.75 each. The shower gels and refills are available from a variety of retailers including Superdrug, Boots, Wilko, Asda, Tesco, Poundland, B&M, and Savers, and you can also by multipacks from Sephora. You can find out more about the full range on the Radox website x

Are you a bath or shower person? Let me know in the comments x 

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*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, And Added Non Affiliate Links

PR / UNPAID AD - Sleepy Showers And Scrubs With The Lush Co-Mingle Body Scrub*

Unlike a lot of bloggers with disabilities and chronic illness I don't actually talk about my health that much - my blog has always been a place to escape rather than dwell on my limitations but every now and then I throw the odd thing into the conversation and today I'm talking again about my issues with sleep! 

As you would probably expect from a condition named 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome', some of the main symptoms are tiredness, and exhaustion. Even if I've had a real 'lazy' day, I can go to bed and sleep solidly for 12 hours plus, and still wake up feeling just as shattered as I did when I went to bed! It's both annoying and debilitating, but what a lot of people don't realise though is that ME, CFS, or whatever it called this week, can also cause chronic insomnia! If you've ever suffered from the inability to sleep, even if it was just a one off, then you'll know just how frustrating it can be. I regularly have nights when despite being almost delirious with exhaustion, I just don't sleep! If I'm having one of those nights, there isn't always a lot that I can do about it, but I can at least try and prevent it by adopting a good sleep routine.

I've talked quite a lot on the blog in the past about establishing a good sleep routine, so you should know the drill by now - establish a regular bedtime, have a comfortable bed and bedding, cut out the caffeine and have a warm drink, say goodbye to electronic devices, and have a warm but not too hot bath or shower.

I love having a shower just before bed, I don't know whether it's the warmth or the sound of the water, but it really helps me switch off and wind down. Sometimes I'll just grab the first shower product that I come across, but most of the time I'll trigger 'operation sleep' and use something lavender scented. At the moment I'm using the shower gel and the body lotion from the Lush Sleepy range, which has a beautiful relaxing lavender scent. When I'm having a late night, pre bed shower I normally just foam up, rinse, dry and then moisturise - no treatments, extra products or anything that takes too much time or effort, recently though I was sent a product from Lush that works perfectly with the Sleepy range, and amps up your nighttime routine, without too much extra effort, and yes it's one of my favourite ever things, a body scrub!

As much as I love my body exfoliators when you're feeling tired, adding in that extra step is often a bit of a chore, that you could probably do without, but if you love the idea of a body exfoliator without the effort then Lush Co-Mingle could be the answer to your prayers!

Designed to be quick and easy to use, Co-Mingle is the perfect product for that late night shower. It's basically a 3 in 1 product - a gentle body scrub, and a body wash with built in moisturisers, so you can just scrub, wash and go!

Crammed full of shea butter, cupuaco butter, cocoa butter and argan oil, as well as natural exfoliators bamboo stem extract and tagua nut powder, this scrub is pale pink in colour, and has a creamy, almost whipped mousse like texture, permeated with very fine but noticeable exfoliating particles.

Just apply it as you would any other body scrub to damp skin, and massage it on to the skin. In seconds it goes from a creamy exfoliator, to a creamy, milky foam, cleansing and gently exfoliating your skin. Even though the particles are quite small they still rinse away fairly easily and the skin is left feeling clean, smooth and smelling heavenly.

Oh yes, the smell! As you've probably already guessed this scrub has the same beautiful lavender scent as the Sleepy range. This isn't your old fashioned powdery lavender it's has a gorgeous, relaxing aromatherapy like lavender scent that makes this product perfect for those nighttime baths and showers. 

It obviously works perfectly as an accompanying product to the similarly scented Sleepy Shower Gel, or Showder, or even the Sleepy Bubble Bar, or the Deep Sleep Bath Bomb, but if you're extra sleepy then you could just use this use this over your whole body, I'd probably avoid "ahem' certain areas but the particles are fine enough, that it shouldn't cause too many issues elsewhere. So all you really need to do is take this one tub into the shower, and then because of the moisturising ingredients, you can either dry yourself off and pop your PJs straight on, or you can do what I do and team it up either with the Sleepy Body Lotion, or Lush's fabulous Dream Cream, and then you'll be in the land of nod before you know it!

You should know by now that I do love a full on scratchy scrub, and whilst this one is never going to win any awards for its scrubbiness, it should win an award for its convenience, and for it's fabulous scent. When used alone or with some other similarly scented products, it really helps you get in to that bedtime mind set whilst at the same time giving your skin a much needed treat.

Lush Co-Mingle Body Scrub comes in a 225g tun and retails at £20. It's available direct from Lush and from your local Lush store x 

I'd love to know if you have a specific nighttime routine and what products you use to help you get a good nights sleep, so please let me know in the comments and don't forget to let me know if you have any questions x 

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PR / UNPAID AD - Finding That Perfect Pillow With The Fine Bedding Company*

If you're a regular reader of my blog then you'll know just how important sleep is to me. Amongst other things I have ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia, and sleep issues are a major part of my chronic illness experience.

As well as pain and muscle cramps and spasms that can affect the quality of my sleep, I suffer from bouts of severe insomnia, and then periods of extreme tiredness when I can literally sleep for 18 hours straight, and then still feel exhausted and like something the cat dragged in! I never feel truly rested and I always feel tired even when I'm struggling to sleep!

Whilst not everyone experiences the sleep issues that I do, I can pretty much guarantee that most of you that are reading this post either don't get enough sleep, or you have the occasional sleepless night - that's modern life for you I guess, If you do struggle with your sleep though , I've posted about a lot of things in the past that help me, such as adopting a proper night time routine, avoiding screen time before bed, and partaking in more restful activities before bed such drinking herbal teas, and meditation, but there is something else that you can do, and whilst it seems like such as an obvious, more often than not it's probably a bit of an afterthought. 

Due to the old chronic illness thing I spend quite a lot of time in bed, and it really is my sanctuary and safe space. It sounds obvious but it is so important that your bed itself is welcoming and conducive to sleep, and as well as the bed itself, that starts with your bedding, your comforter or duvet, and your pillows!

If you're having trouble sleeping, or you're waking up and feel headachy, stiff or tired, one of the things that could be affecting your sleep are your pillows! Whether you choose feather or down, fibre fill or memory foam, if it isn't the right type of pillow for you build and your sleeping position, you're opening yourself up to sleepless nights and a world of pain.

For as long as I can remember I've used proper feather and down pillows, (not the same ones obviously, unlike a lot of people, I do try and replace mine every few years or so :), and whilst the constant plumping, and loose feathers can be a pain, up until recently I'd always been fairly happy with them.

Within the last 12 -18 months or so though all of that changed. I bought new allegedly firm, feather and down pillows in that period, and for some reason I felt as though these ones weren't giving enough support, I was waking up with an even stiffer neck than usual, and no matter how much I thumped and plumped them, they kept ending up floppy and flat, and they just didn't feel firm enough.

One day though after a not so great nights sleep, I received an email on behalf of The Fine Bedding Company that was potentially the answer to my prayers.

If you an unfamiliar with them, The Fine Bedding Company are a 4th generation owned, UK based bedding company, that have been producing and retailing, down, feather and innovative fibre bedding for over 100 years. Their top company priorities are sustainability and comfort, and their UK factory works on an eco friendly, zero waste philosophy using only ethically sourced materials. They do a whole range of different bedding products including duvets, pillow and mattress protectors, toppers and enhancers, linens and pillow cases, and of course pillows.

I kindly given the chance to try out a pillow of my choice from the extensive range on their website, but with more than 20 pillows in their range, how earth do you choose one? Well The Fine Bedding Company  make everything simple, and their website features amongst other things a handy guide to help you choose your perfect pillow!

I'm predominantly a side sleeper. so according to their guide I needed a firmer, more high profile pillow, that offered extra support to my head and my neck, and that would help to align my spine. I also wanted to try a firmer pillow so the pillow that was recommended to me was the Dual Support Memory Foam Pillow.

With their first class heritage and quality, a 14 day return policy, and free delivery on all orders over £50, it's no surprise that The Fine Bedding Company supply a whole host of 4 and 5 start hotels, everything about my experience was first class! 

My pillow came via courier service and it came wrapped and then packaged in a good quality reusable storage bag with rubber logo zip fastening and rope handles - great for storing bedding, or even clothes or soft toys. Alongside my lovely pillow the bag also contained a care and a information leaflet to help you to get the best out of your pillow.

Thanks to the winter light these pictures don't really show this pillow off in it's best light but with this particular pillow you really do get the best of both worlds, it's basically two pillows in one, with one side being  made from "ultra fresh microbial treated" temperature controlled memory foam for ultimate support

That piece of memory foam then slips inside a zipped cotton pillowcase, which features an attached, fixed section of sustainable smart fill, soft breathable, light as down microfibres, which is machine washable at 40℃, so you have one side for support or structure, and one side for cloud like snuggly comfort.

Now I like height and support so I normally sleep on two pillows, but to give this pillow a good work out I started off by trying it on it's own, so I cleared all of the rest of the pillows off my bed to ensure that I was just sleeping on this one!

Given the lack of height I was expecting to struggle a little bit, but by lying with my head directly on the foam side I found that it offered more than enough support for both my head and my neck, that being said though I did miss my usual height, so after that little week long experiment I switched out and I've been using this particular pillow on top on one of my usual feather and down pillows, and I all I can say is wow!

I didn't really expect to much of a difference but by using predominantly the memory side (my favourite side by far) up over, I felt supported, and I seemed to less better,  I didn't seem to toss and turn so much, there was no middle of the night pillow plumping, and although I still experience a bit of stiffness in the morning I've definitely been waking up with less neck pain and fewer headaches.

I'm a fairly hot sleeper, and I was a little bit worried, even though that it was designed to be temperature controlled, that the memory foam would retain heat, and I would be too hot, but I needn't have worried, I still experienced that fabulous cool side of the pillow feeling, and I didn't experience any strange rubber or plastic smells, even when the pillow was fresh out of the bag! 

I've been using this pillow since just before Christmas (as you can see from the picture above ;) and I have to say that I'm a total convert to the world of memory foam, and even though I'm still to manage it, I'm definitely going to be picking up a least one more matching pillow for the other side of my bed.

The Fine Bedding Company Dual Support Memory Foam Pillow retails at £47 and it available directly from The Fine Bedding Company as well as from selected retails.

If memory foam isn't for you though don't worry, The Fine Bedding Company stock a while variety of different pillows including traditional feather and down, vegan friendly fill, as well as duvets, mattress toppers, sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers, in other words pretty much everything that you would need for the perfect nights sleep, bar the bed that is ;)

Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope that your dreams are as sweet as all the chocolate that I've consumed over the last week and a bit was ;) Thanks for reading xx 

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Press Samples / Unpaid AD - Sleep With Ease With Pukka Herbs*

It's really hard, especially at the moment to overestimate the importance of sleep. We're all feeling a little bit frazzled, stressed out, and a little bit under the weather at the moment, and more often than not life's upsets are reflected in our quality of sleep.

Good sleep plays a huge role in both our physical and mental wellbeing, it's essential for cell regeneration, to recharge our cardiovascular system, and to support our immune system, as well as improving mental clarity, helping with decision making and helping us to cope with stress.

I probably struggle more than most with my sleep. Thanks to my struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / CFS / ME and Fibromyalgia, I alternate between utter exhaustion, I can go without sleep for more than 24 hours, or I can sleep for 18 hours solid and still feel exhausted, there really isn't a lot of middle ground. 

Alongside medical advice and intervention, I'm always looking for new ways to improve my sleep health. I've tried a lot of things from acupuncture, to cognitive behavioural therapy, and various other little things that I'll mention later in this post, but I am always on the look out for new ways to help me sleep.

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Pukka, and I was invited to take part in their "Sleep With Ease" campaign. If you haven't heard of Pukka, they are a substantial, ethical and organic herbal company that produce a wide range of herbal infusions that aim to benefit the health of people, plants and the planet and they very kindly sent three boxes of caffeine free, herbal blends from their range to help me on my quest for better sleep.

Pukka recognise the importance of sleep for our mental and physical health, and in an attempt to help us improve both our sleep health and our wider health, they have introduced their 7 day Sleep With Ease programme, which is specifically designed to help us create a space, pattern and routine to help us sleep better.

Designed to be used alongside their herbal blends, their website contains a whole load of information and downloads to help you eliminate bad sleeping habits, establish routine, and train both your body and brain to help you sleep better.As I say, I'm up for anything that can send me into the land of nod, so I decided to give the 7 day Sleep With Ease programme a try.  

The website features a downloadable sleep diary that you can fill in, as well as a list of changes that you can can make across the course of a the week to help you improve your sleep.

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The idea is that you introduce one new element everyday until all of the tips become a part of your daily sleep routine. Some of the tips as you can see are actually quite simple, and in theory they are, it's just about putting them into practise. 

My biggest issue sleep wise has always been with routine, going to bed late, sleeping late, and then wondering why I can't sleep at night. It makes total sense, go to sleep at roughly the same time of night, and wake up at similar team each morning. It takes a little bit of effort and I'm not going to lie dragging myself out of bed when I'm exhausted is difficult but after a few days it begins to feel normal, and now I can pretty much wake up without having to set an alarm.

Another thing that I have an issue with is technology, I have a tv and a dvd player in my bedroom and whilst I don't usually have my MacBook in my bedroom at night, I do have my phone, and my iPad plugged in, in my room, but the key is to have cut off times, plug things into charge by all means but don't check your phone, or start flicking through Instagram when you're trying to get ready for sleep.

We are all guilty of it, if it's not watching one more episode of a tv show, flicking through Facebook, or getting annoyed with someone on twitter, it's watching the late night news and depressing yourself. Sleep is all about de-stressing, and concentrating on something, or getting stressed and upset just sends your brain into overdrive when you really should be preparing for sleep, so switch off the tv, your computer, and phone for an hour or so before you go to bed and you really will notice a difference in your sleep health.

One of the other tips, that the team from Pukka recommend is to cut down on your caffeine consumption. I'm not a huge tea and coffee drinker compared to lot of people, but my nightly cuppa is definitely a thing, and even though tea usually contains less caffeine than coffee, it is still a stimulant and it could be disrupting your sleep without you realising.

The Pukka Sleep With Ease programme advises that you should try to avoid caffeine after 12pm, so instead of caffeine filled soft drinks, the odd latte, and iced coffees, I've switched to some of Pukka's caffeine free herbal blends including their Elderberry & Echinacea, which has lovely some fresh hedgerow berry, ginger, and liquorice flavours, their Lemon, Ginger and Manuka Honey blend, and their chamomile, fennel, and ginger flavoured Relax blend.

As part of their sleep programme Pukka recommend that you drink a mug of their 'Night Time' tea every night. So instead of my caffeine laden cuppa, at around 8pm, I've been drinking this blend of lime flower, chamomile and lavender flowers, oat flower tops, liquorice root and valerian root instead

Designed to help you unwind before bed, this particular tea is caffeine free and contains 28% fair wild ingredients, and 33% fair trade ingredients, the bags themselves are plastic free, are fully recyclable and compostable, and they also feature organic cotton strings.

All you do is pop your bag into a mug of boiling water, and then let it infuse for around 15 minutes before drinking. Given then floral ingredients such as lavender and chamomile I was expecting the Night Time blend to have more of a floral taste but instead it had a surprisingly sweet, pleasant, herbal liquorice / aniseed type flavour.

Drinking the tea at night immediately sent me into wind down mode. After drinking it I switched off my blue screen electronics, and usually had a warm (but not too hot) shower with a calming lavender based shower gel before settling into bed, and reading a non stressful book for an hour before using some pillow spray, and settling down with either a guided meditation (there is a nice short one on the Pukka website) or some nature sounds on a timer until I fall asleep.

These are things that work for me but you could also add other things to help you sleep including ear plugs, eye masks, a fan, a white noise machine, or a story app. Everyone is different, there are basic things that should help most people fall asleep but you just need to find out what works for you. 

I've now actually been doing the Pukka Sleep With Ease campaign for more than 7 days now and I can safely say that following some of the suggestions in the plan, keeping a sleep diary, and drinking in particular the Night Time tea has made a difference.

I've managed to establish a proper sleep / wake routine and I've tried to eradicate some of my bad sleep habits. As I say drinking the Night Time tea became a real signal to me that the day was coming to an end and that I should start winding down and preparing myself for rest and sleep.

Unfortunately due to medical reasons I potentially am always going to have issues with my sleep but thanks to Pukka I've been reminded that making small differences and creating a workable routine can really help me to get a better and more restful nights sleep.

If you're struggling with your sleep at the moment I would thoroughly recommend that you try Pukka's 7 day Sleep With Ease programme. You can find out more on their website and of course I would really recommend that you try some of Pukka's herbal blends to help you improve your own sleep, mental, and physical health at this stressful time. Pukka Relax, Pukka Night Time, and the Pukka Herbal Collection retail at around £2.79 - £3 for a box of 20 teabags from various retailers including Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose and Holland & Barrett.

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