I used to hate going to bed.
I’d drag myself off to bed only to toss and turn with thoughts whirling nonstop around my head. Thoughts and worries about what would happen at work the next day or even just life in general.
It just seemed to be a chance for my brain to get carried away with crazy thoughts whirling around stressing me out and keeping me from getting much needed sleep.
This meant it would take me ages to get to sleep and I would often wake up tossing and turning during the night. In the morning, I would wake up feeling just as tired as when I went to bed, not even close to being ready to face the day.
Days were such a drag. My tolerance levels were already rock bottom from lack of a good night’s rest and so it didn’t take much to frustrate me or make me angry.
I’m ashamed to say that I would often snap at people who didn’t really deserve it and I probably wasn’t very nice to be around at times.
Thankfully that behaviour is now behind me and I have found a way to increase my chances of having a peaceful and restful sleep each night. Want to know what I think the key factor was?
Implementing a night routine.
Having a night routine gives me a way to relieve some stress from the day, prepare for the following day and wind down so that it’s easier to go off to sleep quickly and peacefully. It has made a huge difference in getting the rest I need to wake up feeling fresh in the morning.
It took some time, first of all I had to find the willpower to get up off the couch to take the actions I wanted when I was already exhausted (but it was worth it!). And then to find out what worked best to settle and soothe my thoughts to help me get off to sleep easier.
Getting a good night’s sleep is a powerful tool in helping you to deal with whatever life throws at you in a rational and positive way.
So what are some things you can do as part of your night routine to have you sleeping like a proverbial baby? Here are activities that I found made a big impact for me:
- Prepare for the following day: Get out your clothes, pre-pack drinks and snacks if they will last alright, set up any gear you will need (workout clothes, papers or documents etc).
- Journal or make notes: If you’ve got thoughts racing around in your head, get them out onto paper either by journaling about
them, or make notes or a to-do list of anything you’re worried about forgetting to do. Worried you’ll lose the list? Put a notein your phone. This will help to free up your mind and make sleep easier.
- Avoid looking at electronics at least 30 minutes before bed: There is plenty of research about this and my own experiences back it up – looking at screens right up until bed makes it harder to go off to sleep. Stay away from electronics and let yourself get sleepy before bed.
- Do some gentle stretches: High energy exercise is a no-no just before bed but doing some slow and steady stretches can help ease your muscles and relax you before bed. It’s also a good habit to get into if you suffer from any aches and pains in your body. Win-Win!
- Listen to soothing music: Quiet music can help signal to your brain and body that it’s time to be calm and settled. Try some soothing instrumental music before you jump into bed (while doing your stretches perhaps 🙂 )
- Meditate: Most meditators I know practice their meditation in the morning to start their days off on the right foot. I am not one of these people. Funnily enough, I found that doing meditation first thing in the morning would send me back off to sleep. If this is the case for you too, use it to your advantage by having a meditation session just before bedtime!
- Use lavender: There are some smells that can help to relax us and the most common and readily available of these is lavender. I have had good success with using a lavender based moisturiser before bed or dabbing some lavender ointment onto my inner wrists to send me peacefully off to sleep.
- Remember the good in your life: When we let ourselves think about the bad and stressful things in our life before trying to go off to sleep, it creates turmoil within us that stirs us up rather than settles us down and these thoughts can keep us awake and disrupt our sleep during the night. Try to turn this pattern around by consciously thinking about the good things in your life. What were your favourite moments from the day, or what are you thankful for in your life? Think about these instead.
- Visualise tomorrow: Are you stressing about tomorrow? It might help to visualise the day, making sure to imagine success and good things happening throughout the day, particularly in any areas where you are worried about bad things happening. Let these thoughts of success stay with you as you drift off to sleep.
Wondering how I incorporate all these things into my night routine?
Here’s what my night routine looks like:
9.15 pm Get out my clothes for tomorrow and have a quick shower (unless I need to wash my hair then I do this in the morning)
9.30 pm Have any tablets and brush my teeth, then put on some quiet music if I’m feeling like it (or just listen to the quiet of the night) and do some stretches (mainly for my lower back, but I try to get in a range of stretches)
9.50 pm Jump into bed and have a quick journaling session, thinking about what I am grateful for and noting down anything that I don’t want to forget
9.55 pm Use some lavender moisturiser on my hands or dab some lavender ointment on my inner wrists, then lay down, say goodnight to hubby and visualise the following day – often I’ve already fallen asleep before I get all the way through 🙂
Now you might be thinking that you personally can’t afford an hour out of your day to complete a night routine, and I can understand that when you’re super busy or got kids to look after, it can be hard to set aside time. But I encourage you to see if you can set aside at least 30 minutes to wind down before bed. It really made a difference for me and I hope it does for you too!
Want help to craft a nurturing night routine? Grab this workbook I created to make it super easy!
You will start to see the results in the quality of sleep you get, which will hopefully see you having more energy and a happier mood throughout the day. Sometimes depression and anxiety can drain us just as much as lack of sleep does, but having a good night’s sleep under your belt will at least take one worry off your mind.
So to wrap up, having a night routine sets you up for a successful day tomorrow because:
- You are more prepared to start your day fresh and organised
- You give yourself the best chance of having a restful night’s sleep to recharge your batteries, so you have more energy to make the most of the day ahead
- You can infuse your thoughts with positivity right before you drift off to sleep and use it to signal your subscious what you want it to focus on while you dream
Let me know what are you excited to include in your night routine for a better night’s sleep?
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