As a breakfast present presenter, I spend my life turning down invites. My alarm goes off at 2.40am each morning and an ‘early to mattress, early to rise regime’ would not allow something like a traditional social life. So an invite from London’s Corinthia lodge to check their new sleep programme was clearly simply my factor.
I’m obsessive about sleep. I can go to sleep on the drop of a hat – not simply on trains and in vehicles, however even as soon as throughout root-canal surgical procedure. However was I getting the proper sort of sleep? The Corinthia’s programme focuses not a lot on the quantity you get, however the high quality. They take a look at how one can maximise that by way of what you eat, and the way you unwind earlier than bedtime. With the information lately about how ladies particularly may very well be placing their well being in danger by not getting sufficient sleep, I puzzled if it was time to evaluate the shut-eye I used to be getting.
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Switching off: Charlotte relaxes in her bed room with a drink from the lodge’s Sleep Menu
Earlier than my sleep expertise on the lodge, I made a decision to make a day of it by tiring myself out and visiting a number of of my favorite London locations, beginning on the Pure Historical past Museum.
My subsequent port of name was Buckingham Palace, the place I checked out the Royal Childhood exhibition, then the Nationwide Gallery which has greater than 2,000 artworks. This trek across the sights meant I used to be undoubtedly prepared for my Luxurious Sleep Retreat.
It must be stated that the Corinthia is not any unusual lodge. Its costs are definitely fairly extraordinary, however I had little time to soak up the luxuriously appointed reception as I used to be ushered off to the spa for a day full of remedies to ease away any aches and pains and ensure I used to be totally relaxed earlier than my head hit the pillow. This started with a go to to resident osteopath Bhart Shemar. Underneath his knowledgeable therapy, I quickly started to really feel all my long-held knots of stress disappear.
Early risers: Charlotte with Good Morning Britain presenters Sean Fletcher, Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard
Time to chill out: Charlotte stayed on the Corinthia Lodge, which has launched a brand new sleep programme for visitors
Earlier than my subsequent therapy, there was simply time to unwind in one of many Sleep Pods.
The spa takes up a formidable 4 flooring, and has not solely a pool, sauna and steam room however heated marble loungers and an ice fountain. The sleep pods are nestled in the course of the spa in a darkened room, with a flickering fireplace spilling out a mild and mesmeric heat gentle. I already felt extra relaxed than I had in a very long time – however I used to be solely midway there.
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than my subsequent remedies – the ESPA Sleep Ritual designed to stability the physique’s energies, a Balinese therapeutic massage to calm the thoughts and scorching stones to ease stress. This was adopted by Shirodhara – an Ayurvedic therapy that includes a therapist gently dropping heat oil in your brow, to appease the thoughts. It is a remedy recognized to induce sleep, which it definitely did with me. I drifted off on the therapeutic massage mattress.
Again in my room, I made a decision it could be an excessive amount of effort even to vary out of my dressing robe for dinner, so I made probably the most of room service. The Sleep Menu has been specifically designed by nutritionist Jeannette Hyde to ensure you have all of the elements you want for an excellent evening’s sleep.
Contemporary-faced: Charlotte in her day job presenting Good Morning Britain and, proper, stepping out on the purple carpet
Drifting off: Charlotte tries out Shirodhara – an Ayurvedic therapy that includes a therapist gently dropping heat oil in your brow, to appease the thoughts
Simply to make sure you are not peckish through the evening, the lodge even provides a bedtime snack of banana, sunflower seed and pumpkin cookies with scorching milk or valerian tea.
I began to really feel responsible concerning the biscuits and sweets I usually resort to within the TV studio for that early morning vitality enhance.
My physique was now arrange for sleep, so it was time to show to the thoughts. Sleep knowledgeable Dr Man Meadows advises a routine: half an hour of wind-down time whenever you change off all gadgets, dim the lights and – most significantly – keep away from the temptation of utilizing your telephone or pc, as the sunshine they emit makes your physique suppose it’s daylight.
I started to grasp you’ll be able to’t cheat sleep. In a busy day, all too usually it is the one factor we skimp on to ensure we cram all the pieces in. The few hours spent throughout my sleep programme actually made me take into consideration simply how very important my treasured night-time hours are if I’m to perform at my greatest.
I slept like a log that evening, and felt extra refreshed than I had carried out in a very long time.
