Upgrade your Bedtime Routine

Upgrade your Bedtime Routine

Finding ways to relieve stress 🧮 will help you fall asleep more easily. If you’re not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, try reviewing your bedtime routine to identify potential problem areas and create new routines to promote better sleep. Establishing and maintaining a consistent sleep pattern can help you get the sleep you need to feel rested and alert the next day. This is easier said than done, especially if you go out on weekends, but following good sleep hygiene guidelines can help solidify your sleep patterns and improve your sleep quality. You may ask yourself, “how can I naturally sleep better at night?” Read on to find several easy and effective solutions. 

It all begins with stress reduction. What are the easiest ways to relieve stress before bed?
If you enjoy meditation, this is a great habit to keep during the day or a couple hours before you hit the sack. In fact, some studies show that daily meditation can be comparable to the benefits of actual sleeping pills in the treatment of insomnia. Try it for 20 minutes daily!

Another great option is bedtime yoga. Yoga is great because it reduces cortisol production, which can interfere with a deep sleep. “Child’s pose” and “legs up the wall” are two easy positions to try before bed.

How about taking a warm bath? You can even add in some oils or epsom salt. The folks at the Sleep Foundation report that taking a warm bath 1-3 hours before bed helps older adults fall asleep faster. The human body temperature naturally decreases before sleeping. Taking a warm bath a couple hours prior to hitting the sack is thought to mimic this natural effect and thusly help improve sleep.

Ever heard of the “midnight snack”? My last tip for an improved sleep routine is to make sure you eat enough healthy foods throughout the day! If you under-feed yourself you will not sleep as deeply and will also often wake up earlier than necessary due to hunger pains. A soporific snack before bed is a great option to keep blood sugar levels steady throughout the night and improve the quality of your sleep. Ideally you want to eat something high in complex carbs with a little bit of simple sugar and fat. A great example is oatmeal or half an apple with peanut butter! Other snack ideas include cherries because they contain melatonin which is a soporific chemical or bananas because they contain potassium which promotes muscle relaxation. What do you like to munch on before bed?

As important as it is to eat enough, it’s equally important for sleep quality to avoid overeating before bed. Eating large quantities of heavy foods before bed is well known to cause indigestion or even GERD. Try to eat light a couple hours before heading to sleep.

Bonus tip: make sure your pajamas are comfortable and loose-fitting. Small discomforts can wake us up during the night so it’s important to make sure your physical surroundings are clean and comfortable. I personally prefer a loose fitting tank because sleeves get bunched up dying nighttime movement.

What are your best tips for a good nights rest?

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 Bedtime routine sleep Wellness