My Favorite Things
Looking for holiday gift ideas? Here are some of my favorite tools to support your circadian rhythms and health.
Blue light blocking glasses from Midwest Red Light Therapy worn on Christmas night.
Free:
Circadian App - understand when sun rises, UVA appears, the UVB window, high sun, and sun set no matter your location.
D Minder - useful when UVB penetrates the atmosphere again come February. Input your clothing level and time spent in the sun, and it will estimate how many IUs of vitamin D you made. Can also be used to track food sources and supplements, as well as UVB lamps like the Sperti if you own one.
Under $20:
Foot Rub Restoration Ball - a great stocking stuffer. Wonderful for self foot massage, but I also love rubbing it on my pecs!
Red night light - simple red night light so you can see in bathrooms and hallways without turning on bright overhead lights. Two for $12!
Red light bulb - this red bulb lacks all blue and green frequencies, protecting your circadian rhythm and optimizing melatonin release at night. It is also flicker free, meaning it’s less stressful for your nervous system than traditional lightbulbs. Perfect for your bedroom. I recommend a slightly more expensive option from BlockBlueLight as well. Both of these companies make an orange bulb too, if you prefer that. Just know that some people’s melatonin is affected by the green light in the orange bulbs. I like orange for the living room and kitchen, and red for the bedroom.
Incandescent light bulb - old fashioned incandescent bulbs may be less energy efficient but they support human energy by releasing closer to the full spectrum of light, including infrared. Love the low wattage of these and the pretty Edison style filament.
Body Brush - my favorite intro to brushing brush! It is soft and gentle on your skin with an easy to hold design. Joseph Pilates thought you should brush your skin regularly and I do it every morning. It exfoliates dead skin without any chemicals and stimulates lymphatic flow. I also find it stimulates me and gives me energy like a cup of coffee would. Once this brush is tolerable to you, I suggest getting a firmer one (this is the one I use) to give your skin a better “workout.”
Himalayan Pink Salt - the best source of electrolytes and minerals for extremely cheap. Get the shaker sized bottle for only $5 or the one-pound bag for $8.50. Contains dozens of naturally occurring and bioavailable minerals. Because it is mined in the Himalayan mountains, it lacks some of the pollutants like microplastics that can be found in some sea salts.
Peter Pauper Press journals - any journal from Peter Pauper Press! They make a variety of gorgeous designs and they’re the perfect size for gratitude journaling. Simply write ten items you’re grateful for each night and it will last about six months . Beautiful yet very affordable journals. I think this one and this one are lovely.
Local honey caramels - hand crafted here in Colorado with local honey and organic ingredients. Family owned business with a solar powered kitchen. Sweet!
Under $60:
Sleep mask - donut shaped mask keeps pressure off your eyes while completely blocking out all light. Essential for people sleeping in rooms that can’t get very dark. Darkness while you sleep increases melatonin secretion. Love taking this when I travel!
Budget friendly blue light blocking glasses - simple but effective glasses in orange, which blocks blue but allows green and isn’t so dark that you can’t see. A great option if you’re unsure about blue light blocking glasses.
Battery operated red light lamp - This is such a wonderful lamp and was my go to holiday gift last year. No cord means no electrical current by your head when you sleep. It also means you can carry it to anywhere you need it. It folds up and packs easily in a suitcase. Blockbluelight.com also makes a multi light option lamp that offers more than just red light.
Red book light - read at night while protecting your circadian rhythms and melatonin secretion. Excellent for travel.
Battery operated motion detection night light - ideal for closets. Is magnetic so it works over the stove or on the fridge too. For a plug in option that’s less expensive, see here and get two for $24!
Athara’a Pure skincare - amazing facial products that are organic, come in glass jars, and smell fantastic without synthetic fragrance. I love the Pink Lotus Hydrating Balm and the Superfruit Jasmine Antioxidant Face Cream. Extremely well priced for what you get.
Green Seed Herbals Skincare - tiny batches of skincare products made with love in Vermont. Sold in glass bottles for excellent prices. I love the Alpine Glow Face Cream, the Rejuvenating Eye and Facial Gel, and the Green Dream Honey Mask.
Golden Milk Tea - start your day caffeine-free with powerful antioxidants and delicious warming spices. This one has a bold flavor of cardamom, along with nutmeg and cinnamon. I love that it comes in an airtight, dark glass container and is organic. Mix with frothed milk for an amazing latte any time of day.
Transcend Elixer Tea - another powdered tea, this time with butterfly pea powder giving it a magnificent blue color naturally. Flavor is vanilla forward and mildly sweet with no added sweetener. My teen likes it! Another great caffeine free latte option.
Miron Glass water bottle - I own half a dozen bottles from Blue Bottle Love and use them in preparing my drinking water. When it’s time to take that water out of the house, I love these miron glass bottles. The 500ml size is adorable and you can sandblast various designs on it. Miron glass is a dark violet and is known for protecting its contents from light and EMFs in the environment. Often times food and skin care products will be stored in Miron glass containers. Comes with a beautifully carved wood cap.
Under $100:
Gua Sha stones - the Empress stone for the face or the Aura stone for the body. Use with a high quality face oil to move lymph and massage your face. The body stone is perfect for self massage, breaking up fascial adhesions, and reducing soreness after a hard workout. I’ve been using the face stone for five years, keep it in my nightstand, and enjoy using it immensely. The code SOPHIA10 will get you 10% off.
Blue light blocking glasses - highly effective at only removing the blue you don’t want without being excessively dark. Made by Dr Martin Moore-Ede, author of The Light Doctor and circadian scientist.
Full Spectrum Lamp - offering multiple modes for daytime, evening and night with a functional design that allows you to adjust the light source for your needs.
Earthing mat - connect to the earth via the electrical system of your house. I have this mat in front of my bathroom sink, so any time I’m getting ready barefoot, I’m grounded. Would be great under a desk too. On a Black Friday sale currently for 50% off!
Earthing sandals - minimalist shoe that allows your foot to adapt to varied surfaces with only your own muscular support. A copper plug in the bottom connects via threads in the laces to ground you any time you’re walking on a conductive surface. Almost as good as being barefoot! Do note that these require a period of breaking in before they become comfortable. I also ended up changing the straps to work better for me.
Splurge:
Red and Infrared light panel - infrared light panels are notoriously expensive. This US company is more affordable and high quality. Their Improve panel is very much like the one I often use in the studio. I love that it’s low in EMFs.
Organic cotton grounding mat - an excellent way to sleep grounded. Designed by a physician and hand made in the US out of high quality materials. I own many products from Intuition Physician but am specifically recommending this grounding mat.
MEA water structuring device - magnetize, energize and activate your water with this vortexer. I’ve tried several water structuring devices and this is by far my favorite. I can totally taste a difference in the water and their research into animal and agricultural applications is impressive. This chrome option is more affordable but I have the gold one. You can travel with it and attach it to any two 1-liter glass bottles to structure your water on vacation.
Quinton Seawater - it’s seawater! For more than $1.50 per dose. However, it really is unique. This water was discovered by French physician Rene Quinton. In 1887, he discovered, harvested and purified seawater from special blooms in the ocean that are rich in aquatic life. This seawater is rich in minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants—”an organic matrix that supports an explosion of life within the vortex.” (Oschman, Energy Medicine, 2016). Quinton helped hundreds of thousands of people with this fluid, even injecting it into malnourished infants who subsequently thrived. Today a Colorado based company, Quicksilver Scientific, still harvests this special water the same way Quinton did and stores it in uniqely designed glass ampules to protect its attributes. A box of 30 ampules is $50 so the longterm use of this supplement is definitely a splurge. I love that all the minerals are naturally occurring and bioavailable. After all, all life on earth evolved from the sea.