This blog is not intended to be used to diagnose or treat any mental disorder. If you have mental health symptoms, please discuss them with a licensed mental health professional or your primary care physician.
Looking for a simple bedtime routine that won’t take up your entire evening? Look no further.
We all know that restful sleep is important for the human body; but, how exactly do we ensure the rest we are getting is enough? Implementing a relaxing bedtime routine can help improve the quality of the sleep you get. Having a consistent, relaxing bedtime routine can help better your sleep by calming an overactive mind, prepare for the next day, and work with your body and mind instead of against it. By repeating a consistent pattern, you begin training your body to expect sleep. Follow these ideas below to create a calming sleep routine for yourself.
No stimulating activities before bed
Stimulating activities such as aerobics, working out, upbeat music, or intense television shows can be detrimental to the quality of sleep you experience. Engaging in stimulating activities increases the adrenaline pumping through your body, which makes it much harder to enter a relaxed, calming state before drifting off.
Turn off all electronics
We have a difficult time stepping away from our devices. I know, it’s a tough one… but stop scrolling through Facebook while laying in bed. Don’t even read the news from your cell phone while lying in bed. This can be harmful to your rest for two reasons. One: the light from electronic devices can offset your internal clock. It can be perceived as natural lighting which tells our body it’s not time for bed yet. Second: doing things in bed you don’t associate with sleep can make it more difficult to relax. We are on our phones from the moment we wake up in the morning. For most of us, it’s the first thing we check. If we’re still scrolling when it’s time for bed, our bodies think we’re still on the go.
Write down your worries
Many people have trouble falling asleep because they focus on everything they have to do the next day. Write yourself a note with reminders on everything that needs completed the following day, then leave your thoughts with it until the next morning. Or, try journaling (bullet points, doodles, paragraphs - whatever works for you) to free your mind from excess worries.
Spiritual practices
Before you get in bed, try implementing any spiritual practices of your choice to unwind and prepare your mind and body for sleep. Prayer, reading scripture, meditation, yoga, or any other activity you prefer can help ground you and assists in letting go of any stress you may be carrying.
Bring down your temperature
Of course, no one likes to be freezing cold when they are trying to snuggle up in bed; but, your body temperature is often overlooked as a major factor for effecting sleep. The National Sleep Association claims the ideal temperature for sleep is between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit. The naturally decreasing nighttime temperature in your environment is one of our bodies signals to increase melatonin production. I like to take warm baths at night just like everyone else.. but, doing so right before sleep can effect you way more than you think.
Have a relaxing drink
Yogi Bedtime or Sleepy Time tea has a great combination of herbs that assist in relaxation like chamomile, lemongrass, and lavender. While drinking your nighttime tea, you could begin to engage in relaxation techniques and turn on some calming music or background noise.
Relaxation techniques
You can engage in relaxation techniques in numerous ways; you just need to find what works best for you. You can practice some deep breathing exercises using the square breathing technique. You could do a mindful gratitude exercise by thinking of at least five things that occurred that day that you are grateful for. You could do a simple grounding exercise: list five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. There are probably a million different options here; so, try something out and if it works for you, stick with it!
Calming noise
Soothing background noise can help slow down your mind and prepare for a restful nights sleep. You have a lot of options when it comes to choosing a calming sound to turn on to assist you in drifting off. You can turn on a playlist of very slow paced, relaxing songs, turn on a white noise machine or fan, or download an app that will play guided meditations/nighttime stories for you. Sometimes silence works best and sometimes we need a little extra to calm our active minds.
Tell us your favorite bedtime routine activities in the comments below!
For more help on perfecting your nighttime routine, please visit:
https://www.nosleeplessnights.com/sleep-hygiene/bedtime-routine-for-adults/
Sydney graduated from John Glenn High School in 2017. She is currently working towards a bachelors degree, dual majoring in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Muskingum University. She plans to further her education by completing a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology.
Sydney is an active member on her campus. She is a member of the Chi Alpha Nu sorority where she must maintain a 3.0 GPA and 10 community service hours a semester. She is also a member of the Psychology club, Criminal Justice club. Sydney is honored to be able to be a part of this team and gain experience in the mental health field at a young age.