To celebrate World Sleep Week and, to ultimately getting some more well deserved z's, we chat to the Emma Watson, naturopath & part owner of Melbourne founded organic tea company, Love Tea. Emma enlightens us on her Love Tea journey, and touches on some important sleep advice we all need to hear coming into the weekend.
We have been drinking Love Tea for years, can you tell us how your beautiful brand began?
I started Love Tea back in 2006 back while I was studying Naturopathy and soon after convinced Damien to start studying as well and recruited him to help me bring my idea to life. We quickly realised that it was starting to take up a lot of our time and energy so we had to ask ourselves what sort of brand we wanted to create. I wanted to create beautiful products that tasted great, were beneficial for people's health, and promoted wellbeing. Damien was passionate about organic, regenerative agriculture, working directly with growing communities and looking after the natural environment. So we infused our personal values into the foundations of the brand and that helped guide us as we began on the journey together and still informs everything we do today.
Today, Love Tea is a small family business made up by a group of great people who all share a common passion of making the world a better place. We are continuously evolving, improving, learning, progressing and most importantly enjoying the journey that we are all on together.
This week is International Sleep Week, how do you get your best night’s sleep?
Ensuring you allow your body enough time to rest is vital to good health. The quality of sleep is almost as important as the length of time you sleep for, so it is important to support your body with a relaxation routine before bed. This may involve meditation, yoga, reading, or drinking a relaxing herbal tea like our Sleep blend. Staying away from technology before bed is also very beneficial to reduce stimulation.
The most important thing is to make sure you give yourself enough time to switch off from the day, and allow the nervous system to have a break. The quality of sleep you have will be better because of this routine and in turn you will have more energy for the next day, and greater strength to avoid illness.
Do you have any night time rituals before bed?
A night time ritual is really important as it can greatly influence sleep quality and how we feel the next day. A hot bath with magnesium rich epsom salts is one of my favourite evening rituals, as the magnesium can support muscle relaxation, preparing the body to switch off. Burning calming essential oils such as lavender in a diffuser and playing soft meditative or relaxing music before bed, can help calm the mind and body, in preparation for sleep. Creating a calm atmosphere is important for good quality sleep. Removing devices from the room will reduce stimulation and avoid distractions, allowing space for reading, meditation, or slowly enjoying herbal tea.
Sleep tea is a beautiful way to support the nervous system and offer a deeper sleep. I find the ritual of preparing a pot of sleep tea and enjoying it slowly helps finish my day. It helps ensure we take a moment for reflection and offers a space to write anything down in preparation for the next day, decluttering the mind before bed. A gentle yin yoga practice or a simple meditation can help slow the breathe and the heart rate, allowing us to focus within, preparing the mind and body for a restful restorative sleep.
What ingredients are in your Sleep tea and why is it the perfect beverage to drink before bedtime?
We have carefully selected this blend of organic herbs, to help support a deeper, more rejuvenating sleep cycle. Herbs used in this blend, including valerian root, licorice root, spearmint, chamomile, passionflower, and lavender have traditionally been used to support the nervous system, aid relaxation and improve sleep quality. This is a gentle, comforting blend of earthy botanicals, which offers a smooth, slightly sweet and refined mint finish.
