The hack
Following Jennifer Aniston’s lead by making a bath in epsom salt part of your daily wind-down ritual.
The test
Sleep is crucial. I don’t have insomnia, but my brain does fire into anxiety mode right before bed. And actually making myself go to bed can be a battle too. But I’m hoping Aniston’s epsom salt bath solution could help.
Epsom salt, also known as magnesium sulphate, is a completely different chemical compound from table salt. Studies are pretty scant on whether the skin really can absorb magnesium, but it is known to be a muscle relaxant and to help the brain produce the neurotransmitters that reduce stress an induce sleep.
So I tried the recommended three baths over a week to see if it could help me sleep. You simply run a warm bath, add about 500g (shopping hack: TK Maxx often has cheap epsom salts) and soak for about 20 minutes.
I definitely felt much calmer on the nights I took the baths, and noticeably more laid-back. It could just be my skin releasing endorphins in warm water, which obviously helps, but with the epsom salt I felt an extra level of chill.
The verdict
Try it. It could be a placebo (maybe it’s just the bath?) but I found adding the salt helped reduce my anxiety levels. Now, if only something could help me wake up in the morning …
