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Everyone talks about how beneficial morning routines are but forgets that a good night routine is the basis of a productive morning. Also, you're more likely to stick to a routine if you are well-rested.
Why sleep is important?
Your overall health and wellness are affected by poor sleep patterns. Besides, poor quality of sleep lures you to hit the snooze button and doze off again which further ruins your morning by impacting your productivity.
Therefore, to function to the best of your ability you need to get restful sleep regularly. However, when it comes to restful sleep both quantity and quality are extremely important.
So, how to get to sleep when you can’t?
Well, the solution is to learn to value your physical needs by accepting the fact that sleep is a basic human necessity.
If you find it hard to go to sleep, you've to simplify your approach towards it. Thus create a healthy night routine by ritualizing it to get a well-rested sleep.
Walk away today knowing 21 easy things to do to help you sleep better at night.
“Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time.”
Benefits of Restful Sleep
A good night’s sleep has numerous health benefits. The key benefits of restful sleep include:
- It helps you feel motivated the next day
It improves your memory and concentration
It helps you in better decision making
It will help you leverage your creativity
It will increase your overall productivity
It helps to regulate your appetite
It lowers your blood pressure
It reduces your risk of accidental death or injuries
Stages of Sleep Psychology
To improve the quality of your sleep, understanding the basics of sleep stages is necessary.
Following are the 4 stages of sleep psychology in brief –
Stage 1: It involves light sleep which can be easily disturbed by noises.
Stage 2: It involves a deeper sleep stage.
Stage 3: It is the deepest sleep stage. You're not aware of your surroundings and it is difficult to awaken from this stage.
Stage 4: It is called the REM (rapid-eye-movement) sleep. During this stage, your brain is most active. Also, dreams take place in the course of this stage.
A round from stage 1 to stage 4 consists of one cycle, wherein each cycle lasts for about 90 to 120 minutes during the night.
To achieve a well-rested sleep, your brain must complete one whole cycle without any disturbances. It can go through multiple cycles in a night. Also, research says that not sleeping is better than sleep that is interrupted (although, that’s not a reason to stay awake).
Now that you know how the sleep stages work and why they matter, let's get you helpful tips to achieve it practically.
Ideas to Create a Night Routine
How do you tell your body that it's bedtime?
Do you scroll through social media? Or do you prefer watching videos? Or listen to music? Or just lie in bed thinking about all the things that happened during the day?
Well, if it is any of those mentioned above then you must consider having a nighttime routine.
A bedtime routine is basically a series of habits that you do before going to bed, to tell your body and brain that it's time to hit the sack.
Here are 21 practical tips to help you set a healthy good night routine and sleep better at night:
1. Stay physically active
Staying physically active all through your day will get you drained out of energy. At the end of the day when it's bedtime, you'll be tired and willing to fall asleep at the earliest.
Although it is the easiest way to doze off, our sedentary lifestyles barely allow us to perform long hours of physical activities daily.
2. Stay busy all-day
Avoid sitting idle or just being plain lazy because it won’t get you tired at the end of the day which will eventually affect your sleep. Therefore, keep yourself busy throughout the day.
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3. Eat a light meal before bedtime
As the old saying goes,
"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper".
Avoid consuming larger meals for dinner. Also, try to have your meal 2-3 hours before going to bed so that you leave some time for digestion.
4. Avoid working in bed
Things like scrolling through social media, watching videos, or working in bed should be avoided. It will send a signal to your body that the bed is for sleeping purposes only.
5. Take a bath
A warm bath or a quick shower will help you de-stress and relax.
6. Wash your face
If you don't want to take a bath, just wash your face. It'll help you feel better after a tiring day. Also, don't forget to moisturize.
7. Make your room calm
Always prefer investing in comfortable sheets and good quality mattresses instead of fancy ones. Try to keep flat surfaces in your room clutter-free as much as possible to bring about a less chaotic ambience inside.
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8. Turn off all the screens
Put away your laptop, smartphones, and tablet a minimum of 90 minutes before bedtime. If you want to read, go for a paperback.
9. Cut back on the total time you waste awake in bed
When you're unable to fall asleep in the first 10-15 minutes of getting into bed, then you can do one of these things –
Get up and write a to-do list for the next day (try to put it on paper).
Or you can just simply read something that you find boring (not on the phone). You can move back to bed once you feel sleepy.
10. Set a consistent sleep and wake time
Go to bed and wake up at the same time daily. Set a time when you know you usually feel worn out to go to bed. Also, make sure it would allow you 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Also, a nice pair of sleepbuds may benefit you if you have trouble falling asleep fast.
Besides setting an alarm to wake up, you can set an alarm to go to bed as well. It will help you in the initial days to get into the habit.
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Pre-Bedtime Rituals
Convey to your body that it is time to sleep by performing these simple pre-bedtime rituals. You can carry out one or more of the following activities as per your liking.
11. Drink non-caffeinated tea
Drinking a warm cup of non-caffeinated tea before nighttime will help you unwind and relax.
12. Brush your teeth
Brushing your teeth before bed will protect your teeth from any dental issues as well as it’ll help you develop a routine.
13. Use the bathroom
This is no surprise since every mother makes sure their kid uses the bathroom before bedtime. It is a good habit that will stay with you for years.
14. Get comfortable
Put on comfy pajamas that will keep you comfortable all through the night. Also, when you sleep maintain an ideal temperature as per your convenience in the room.
15. Practice journal writing
Before going to bed, take a moment to reflect on your day. By getting random thoughts and ideas out of your head and writing those down on paper will help you free up your mental space. Also, maintaining a Daily Reflection Journal is great for record-keeping.
16. Use essential oils
To pamper yourself after a hectic day, you can enhance your good night routine by using essential oils for relaxation and better sleep. The use of sleep balms and linen sprays will certainly help you relax and improve your overall quality of sleep.
17. Read fiction
There’s no better way to disconnect yourself from your stress than to read books that help you escape to another world. It’s best to avoid reading analytical and training books before bedtime.
18. Listen to sleep meditations
If you struggle to put off your thoughts at night then you can try listening to sleep meditations. It will help you relax both your mind and body.
19. Practice a mindful breathing exercise
Learning mindful breathing is easy and takes only a few minutes. It will help you calm and reduce stress.
20. Say bedtime prayer
Showing gratitude is the simplest way to end your day and feel better.
21. Turn off the lights
It’s a fact that humans sleep better in dark surroundings. So make sure you take advantage of it.
“Over time, as the daily routines become second nature, discipline morphs into habit.”
Now that you know the tips to sleep better, incorporate them into your night routine list. You're more likely to achieve a well-rested sleep by taking time to create pre-bedtime rituals for a good night routine for your own physical well-being.