How often do you wake up feeling tired or stressed out? If you struggle with sleeping well, you might want to try some simple techniques to improve your quality of rest.
Sleep is essential for our health and wellbeing. Sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, and even cancer. In addition, poor sleep habits can also impact your productivity at work.
Why Is A Bedtime Routine Important?
A bedtime routine is a series of steps you follow each night to help your child fall asleep quickly. A typical routine includes getting undressed, brushing teeth, going to the bathroom, putting pajamas on, and then lying down in bed.
Some parents also say prayers or sing songs. These activities may be repeated several times during the evening until, finally, as a child, you would fall asleep.
Routines are like habits. When we follow them regularly, we get into patterns of behavior that become automatic. These routines can be positive—like brushing teeth before bed, or doing homework before dinner—or negative—like watching TV after dinner.
Routines can even be unhealthy—for example, eating junk food after school or drinking alcohol before going to bed.
In general, routines are helpful because they reduce anxiety and stress and give us something to focus on when we’re feeling overwhelmed. But too many routines can lead to insomnia.
Routinely staying awake past bedtime can cause your body to produce adrenaline, cortisol, and serotonin, all of which increase your heart rate and blood pressure.
Over time, this can contribute to high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and depression. Bedtime routines are important because they help your inner nervous system feel safe and secure.
They can also teach you how to relax and self-soothe. When you start getting ready for bed at the same time every night, you’re teaching your mind and body about your schedule and what happens when you go to sleep.
Bedtime routines for adults are essential to creating a healthy lifestyle. They help you get ready for bed, clear your head and body of the day’s stresses, and relax into a restful sleep.
How To Create The Most Peaceful Sleep Rituals
Here are the best ways to create a relaxing bedtime ritual that will help you fall asleep faster and get better quality sleep.
1) Set A Bed Time
Your brain needs about 7-8 hours of sleep each night to function at its best. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you may experience fatigue, memory lapses, lack of concentration, and even mood swings.
To help your body get ready for restful sleep, follow a regular sleep pattern. Choose a time to go to bed and wake up, and keep those times the same every day.
Your bedtime routine should start at least a half-hour before bedtime, and end at least two hours after waking up. A quiet environment will also help you relax and fall asleep.
2) Create An Atmosphere Conducive To Sleep
The first step in creating a calming bedtime routine is to set the right mood. A good night’s sleep starts with a calm environment. Make sure there are no bright lights (see also ‘Can You Sleep With A Mask On?‘) or loud noises around you when you go to bed. You may need blackout curtains if you live in a noisy area.
Deep breathing exercises and PMR can help relax your muscles and release stress. Yoga is an excellent choice for many reasons. It helps reduce anxiety, improves mood, increases energy levels, and improves overall health.
Regular yoga practice also reduces pain and improves flexibility. You can start small with just a few minutes each day, or you can go all out and incorporate a full yoga routine. If you’re interested in trying yoga, check out some useful yoga apps for beginners and experts alike.
3) Turn Off Those Electronics
Blue light emitted by electronic devices disrupts our circadian rhythm. Our body clocks tell us when to sleep and wake up. If we’re exposed to blue light late at night, our bodies will try to keep us awake longer.
The blue light also suppresses melatonin production, making us feel tired and sleepy. We should reduce exposure to blue light as much as possible during the day and at night. If you must use an electronic device, make sure to use its red-light filter.
4) Relax Before Going To Bed
Before you turn off all the lights and climb into bed, take time to relax. This could mean reading a book, taking a bath, meditating, listening to soothing music, or doing any other activity that helps you unwind. It doesn’t matter what you choose as long as it makes you feel relaxed.
There are several ways to help you fall asleep faster. Some of them include listening to relaxing music, reading a book, getting enough restful sleep, and drinking plenty of water. If you’re still awake at bedtime, try taking a warm bath.
Warm baths help relax muscles and increase blood flow to the brain.
When you get out of the tub, your body will feel cold, which triggers a release of hormones that cause drowsiness. You can also listen to relaxing music while you bathe. Music helps reduce stress and anxiety, which can keep you awake. Relaxing music (see also ‘Is It Bad To Sleep With AirPods In?‘) can even help you fall asleep faster!
Reading is important for any age, but when you’re older, you’ll need to focus on books that will help you understand life and the world around you. Reading about history, science, and philosophy will help you gain perspective and knowledge.
Books written by authors with experience in those fields can also help you understand what’s going on in the world today.
5) Avoid Caffeine After 6 pm
Caffeine is a stimulant and can interfere with sleep. Caffeine-containing drinks such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, and chocolate should be avoided within two hours of bedtime.
6) Turn Down The Heat
If you have trouble falling asleep because of too much heat (see also ‘Can You Sleep With A Heating Pad On?‘), consider turning down the thermostat. The average temperature during sleep is between 60 °F and 68 °F (16 °C–20 °C). Too warm temperatures can cause sweating, which disrupts sleep patterns.
7) Use Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy uses scents to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Essential oils like lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and lemon balm are natural sleep aids. Try diffusing these oils in your bedroom.
8) Try A To-Do list
Journaling helps us organize our thoughts, and writing about those thoughts helps us process what we’re thinking. Some people find it helpful to write in a notebook, while others prefer digital tools like Evernote.
Either way, just getting started will help get your brain moving to a more peaceful place ready for deep sleep.
Final Thoughts
Make sure to turn off any electronic devices before going to bed. If you’re not using them, put them away and leave them there. Dim the lights and close the blinds if you like. Remove anything that might distract you from sleeping.
Aromatherapy scents can help relax you, but keep them at bay until you’re ready to go to bed. Finally, make sure to get into bed. Don’t do anything else after you’ve made your bed. Your brain should associate your bed with sleep, and that’s all you need to do.
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