Elves don’t require sleep to maintain their shimmering beauty, but that doesn’t prevent them from bestowing the most lovely night’s rest on their most fortunate guests. If, say, you stop in Elfland in the middle of an epic and magical quest, you’ll be treated to a meal that fairly sparkles with fruits and wine and Lembas before you float off to bed beneath canopies of green and the most ancient stars in the night sky. There you’ll have the deepest, most restful and luxurious sleep of your life, filled with the most enchanting, luminous dreams.
Though we cannot transport you to Elfland ourselves (much as we try!), here are some tips that will help you have that same magical starry sleep you might experience deep in the elven forest. As some of the elves say, “Losto mae,” or “sleep well”! I When the moon shines on your window, open the curtains and sleep in moonlight.
« Wear white linen or cotton pajamas.
« Light white votive candles in your bedroom.
« Read poetry in bed.
«Fluff your pillows. Put them in the dryer with a tennis ball, then leave them outside in the sun or in a sunny window.
«Make lavender water and iron your sheets with it.
«Keep soothing plants in your bedroom, like jasmine (has a soothing effect on mind and body), snake plant and aloe (emits oxygen at night and remove toxins from the air), gardenia (removes anxiety and promotes sleep), valerian (promotes restful sleep), peace lily (increases air moisture up to five percent and suppresses airborne microbes that trigger allergies), and lavender (obviously).
Recipe for Lavender Water
Put 10 drops of lavender oil in a spray bottle. Add ¼ cup vodka. Close the bottle, and give it a good shake. Let it sit at room temperature for a day. Add two cups distilled water and give it another good shake. Store in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.
Recipe for Elven Sleep Tonic
Macerate six raspberries in your favorite teacup (other berries may be substituted to taste) with 1½ tsp. honey. Add a tsp. of lemon and stir. Pour boiling water to top of teacup and stir.
