Are you waking up tired and irritable each day? Do you yawn often and have trouble staying focused? Maybe you find yourself craving more sugary snacks in the afternoon in an attempt to boost your energy. The fact is, if your sleep suffers, everything else in your life suffers, too.
If you’re not getting enough quality sleep on a regular basis, it might be time to create a nighttime routine. Turns out, the right bedtime habits not only promote better sleep, but also improve mental and physical health — and even quality of life!
Everyone experiences a night of little or no sleep from time to time, causing you to wake up groggy, irritable, and lacking energy. But while occasional sleep-loss can ruin your day, regularly losing sleep could set you up for a lifetime of health problems.
Nighttime Routines Aren’t Just For Kids
So, what exactly is a nighttime routine?Think about getting a child ready for bed. There’s a reason why children are given nighttime routines. It helps them connect with their natural circadian rhythms by helping them calm down.
Going through the same motions every evening before bed signals to the brain that it’s time for sleep. A soothing nighttime routine calms your body and stops your mind from racing — helping you fall asleep faster and promoting deep, restorative sleep. And quality sleep helps set the tone for the following day because you’re more likely to feel refreshed, relaxed, and able to handle stress.
Your nighttime routine should include relaxing habits or rituals that begin about 30 to 60 minutes prior to bed. But the key is consistency. It takes time for your brain to recognize these new bedtime habits as signals that it’s time to sleep.
What works for one person won’t work for everyone, so it’s important to create a nighttime routine that works for you. That being said, there are several evening habits that are known to promote more restful sleep. Below are 7 tips you can try as you create your perfect evening wind-down routine.
7 Tips To Create A Nighttime Routine
1. Choose consistent sleep and wake times
Your brain starts to wind down a few hours before bedtime. This is because your biological clock runs on a 24-hour day cycle that controls your circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is a built-in process that controls your sleep, hunger, and energy levels. Research shows that while it can be affected by travel, health, and poor sleep habits, it typically resets itself once consistency is reinstated.
To support your circadian rhythm, you’ll need to choose your sleep and wake times — and stick with them every day and night. This helps train your brain to naturally feel tired when it’s time for bed and alert when you wake.
2. Take a warm bath before bed
Taking a warm bath (or even a shower) one hour prior to bed really does help you fall asleep faster. Here’s why: Your body experiences hormonal changes throughout the day. One of those hormones is melatonin. Melatonin production increases prior to sleep as your core body temperature naturally drops. A warm bath can trigger a similar reaction by dissipating heat throughout the body, which lowers body temperature.
But timing is key. Taking a warm bath too early before bed or too close to bedtime may make you feel sleepy but it won’t actually help you fall asleep. Studies suggest taking a warm, 10-minute bath one to two hours prior to bedtime is best for falling asleep and staying asleep.
3. Avoid alcohol before bed
It may seem like that glass of wine before bed helps you fall asleep, but it can actually backfire. Many Americans rely on a nightcap to help them fall asleep. But the truth is, alcohol is more likely to hinder your sleep rather than help it. According to research, alcohol before bed actually disrupts a restful night’s sleep.
The sedative effect of alcohol may make you feel sleepy, but as soon as the alcohol metabolizes, it prevents rapid eye movement (REM). And lack of REM sleep makes the second half of your night disturbed and restless. Plus, you can quickly build a tolerance for that initial sedative effect. Meaning, you’ll need more alcohol to help you fall asleep and your body will have more alcohol to metabolize.
4. Ditch the electronics 30 minutes before bed
If you frequently lie in bed each night scrolling social media, you may want to rethink that habit. Sleep study researchers from the University of California monitored over 600 participants for three months, analyzing their screen time prior to bed. What they found was that exposure to electronic screens prior to bed poorly affected sleep.
Electronic use around bedtime was linked to trouble falling asleep and poor sleep-quality during the night. So, to improve your nighttime routine, you may want to consider turning your phone off or (better yet) moving it to another room.
5. Listen to relaxing music or meditate
It doesn’t matter what type of music you listen to as long as you find it relaxing. Even better; how about meditating to music before bed? A little mindfulness meditation lets your thoughts flow freely without emotion or judgment.
Calming music and meditation are actually some of the best ways to relax. It can also break the cycle of obsessive thinking.
6. Keep your bedroom dark, cool, and relaxing
Creating the right environment in your bedroom can go a long way in supporting quality sleep. First, set your thermostat to between 60 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Since your body naturally drops in temperature at night, a cooler environment may help you fall asleep faster. Next, make sure your bedroom is nice and dark. You may even want to invest in a set of blackout curtains if there is a lot of ambient light in your neighborhood.
Finally, you’ll want to create the most relaxing environment you can. Removing clutter and putting away clothes can help. And try diffusing a relaxing scent like lavender before bed.
7. Sip a warm non-caffeinated beverage
Sipping on a warm beverage has a calming effect and helps tell your body, mind, and spirit that it’s time to relax. Earth Echo’s Golden Superfood Bliss was created specifically to reduce occasional stress and support deep, restful sleep, making it the perfect addition to your nighttime ritual. *
Golden Superfood Bliss contains 12 powerful ingredients including turmeric, black pepper, adaptogens, and ancient mushrooms. Just one rich and delicious tablespoon of Golden Superfood Bliss before bed can help:
- Ease occasional stress and anxiety*
- Help your body relax and fall asleep faster*
- Support a healthy inflammatory response, boost immunity, and rebalance hormones*
- Combat cravings and boost fat loss*
Consider adding Golden Superfood Bliss to your nighttime routine to help you destress and fall asleep faster. Remember, creating a nighttime routine not only promotes better sleep, but it also improves mental and physical health — and even quality of life! Click the link below to give Golden Superfood Bliss a try!
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
