Calm Girl Kitchen Series: Apple Cider Sleepy Time Drink 🍎🌙
A cozy fall mocktail to calm your nervous system and prepare you for deeper rest
Welcome to the Calm Girl Kitchen Series — a collection of nourishing recipes, snacks, and drinks designed to support your nervous system, calm stress, and help you fall asleep naturally. Each week, I’ll be sharing ideas you can make at home that don’t just taste good, but actually work with your body to restore balance, nourish your skin, and improve sleep.
We’re kicking it off with the perfect fall recipe: the Apple Cider Sleepy Time Drink. With the weather cooling down and routines getting busier, sleep often takes the biggest hit. This calming cider mocktail combines minerals, botanicals, and cozy spices that relax your body, nourish your skin, and prepare you for restful sleep — even in the middle of holiday stress.
Why This Works
- Warm Apple Cider → Comforting and grounding, it signals your body to slow down.
- Cinnamon + Nutmeg + Ginger → Cozy fall spices that calm digestion, regulate blood sugar, and warm the body, helping you stay asleep through the night.
- Raw Honey (optional) → Adds minerals that help replenish the body and calm the nervous system.
- Topical Magnesium Pairing (Calm Vibes Body Butter) → When paired with your nightly body butter, magnesium relaxes muscles and supports deep rest. Our # best seller for sleep support.
- Apple Cider Sleepy Time Drink
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
- 1 cup apple cider (unsweetened store-bought or homemade, see below)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger (or simmer a small slice of fresh ginger with the cider)
- 1 tsp raw honey (optional)
Instructions:
- Warm cider until hot but not boiling.
- Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and honey if using.
- Sip slowly as part of your bedtime routine.
👉 Note: If you want to make your own sleep-friendly cider from scratch (no added sugar), see the recipe below.
Apple Cider Options: Store-Bought or Homemade
You can make this drink with either unsweetened store-bought apple cider or a homemade version.
Store-Bought Cider
If you’re short on time, grab an unsweetened apple cider (read the label — many brands sneak in extra sugar). Added sugar can spike blood sugar at night and make it harder to stay asleep, so stick with no-sugar-added if possible.
Make Your Own Sleep-Friendly Cider 🍏
For the freshest, most calming version, try making your own:
Ingredients:
- 4–5 apples (any variety, organic if possible)
- 1 orange (optional, for brightness)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3–4 whole cloves
- 1-inch fresh ginger, sliced (or ½ tsp ground ginger)
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- Water to cover
- Raw honey or maple syrup (optional, add to taste after cooking)
Instructions:
- Chop apples (and orange, if using) into quarters — no need to peel.
- Add fruit, ginger, spices, and enough water to cover into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20–25 minutes.
- Mash fruit with a wooden spoon to release flavor, then strain into mugs.
- Sweeten lightly with raw honey or maple syrup if desired.
This homemade cider is naturally calming, mineral-rich, and avoids the sugar crash that can wake you in the middle of the night.
Make It a Full Calm Girl 20-Minute Bedtime Routine 🌙
Your Apple Cider Sleepy Time Drink works best when paired with a short routine that tells your body it’s safe to rest. Here’s how to put it all together in just 20 minutes:
Step 1: Nourish & Calm the Body (5 minutes)
- Massage Calm Vibes Magnesium & Arnica Body Butter into calves, soles of feet, and underarms.
- Transdermal magnesium relaxes muscles, replenishes minerals, and signals your body to prepare for deeper rest. Arnica helps ease soreness and inflammation so you can fully relax.
Step 2: Soothe with Warmth (5 minutes)
- Sip your Apple Cider Sleepy Time Drink slowly.
- Warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger calm digestion, stabilize blood sugar, and give your nervous system a cozy “all clear” to wind down.
Step 3: Reset the Nervous System (10 minutes)
Choose one calming activity to clear away the stress of the day:
- Legs up on the wall for circulation + grounding
- Reading a book or devotional while lying down
- Listening to calming music or a guided meditation
- Taking a warm bath before bed to lower cortisol
Together, these simple steps train your body and mind to release the day and transition into sleep — so you can fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up restored.
Fall can be one of the busiest, most stressful seasons — shorter days, cooler nights, and endless to-do lists. But it can also be the season you reclaim your evenings. A warm mug of Apple Cider Sleepytime Drink, paired with a few intentional steps, can turn bedtime into the calmest part of your day.
That’s exactly what the Calm Girl Kitchen Series is here to teach you: simple, nourishing recipes that support your nervous system and set the stage for real rest. And when you layer these tools into your 20-minute bedtime routine — including Calm Vibes Body Butter to relax muscles, ease stress, and prepare your body for sleep — you’ll feel the difference not just at night, but all season long.
👉 If you’re ready to upgrade your fall bedtime routine and add our Calm Girl Kitchen recipes alongside our #1 best-selling magnesium body butter for better sleep tonight — shop here