One of the most important things that we can do for our overall health (physical and mental) is to make sure that we get a decent nights sleep as much as we can. The trouble is, this can be hard to do for so many reasons. Maybe you are a night owl like me and you find yourself finding any and every excuse to stay up.
I tend to start on a project way later than I should be. Sometimes the opposite is true and I am watching TV or scrolling through social media. This usually results in me suddenly catching the clock out of the corner of my eye. Then I realize that yet again, I have stayed up much later than I intended. Cue my sudden anxiety. Now I am aware of the fact that there is no possible way to get the amount of sleep that I was hoping for. Just knowing that makes me think I will wake up in the morning painfully tired. Then feel like I am behind the eight ball right from the moment my alarm goes off.
Why do I continue to do this to myself even when I know the outcome? I guess the only answer is that I have fallen into the habit of a really bad nighttime routine. Maybe that is the issue, there really is not a routine. I allow myself to get distracted by things that are not a priority. They definitely do not add much joy or value to my life.
My mission and my goal for this new year is to really stop and reflect. It is important to examine that habits that I am in. In doing so, I have been able to uncover 5 easy ways to improve my nighttime routine. Keep reading to find out what is working for me. Here we go!
5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Nighttime Routine
1. Make a nighttime schedule and stick to it.
I started to purposefully plan out the last hour of my evening and I make it a priority to stick to the plan. This can be tough with late nights at work, events for the kids, and whatever craziness might start to consume your night. I know that those precious hours seem to tick by pretty fast. That is why is is crucial to have your plan for what you feel is a priority. What is important and will help you to feel better about yourself? What will help you to feel rested in the morning? This has helped greatly and it is starting to become my new routine.
2. Step away from screens.
This one was hard for me at first. I didn’t realize how dependent I have become on my phone. For whatever reason I have gotten in the habit of constantly checking email or mindlessly scrolling through social media. I know this is important from time to time, but I think that doing it right before I am needing to go to sleep is just making things harder for me. My mind starts to race. Thoughts of things to finish at work, what theme birthday party will my son have in six months, can I figure out stir fry in my Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer, or how do I diy remodel my kitchen? etc. Random, I know. But it really is what five minutes in my head is like after that time spent scrolling along. How quickly my thoughts get out of hand. I mean seriously, how does a girl call it a night when you get on a roll like that?
So now I have started to stop my screen time an hour before I hope to be sleeping. This means ending TV watching, computer time, or phone scrolling. No more fretting about what to do at work the next day as I am trying to force my eyes shut. I am no longer planning out birthday parties or recipes or remodels while in the comfort of my bed. Those big plans that happened at that time never came to fruition anyway. From now on, work and planning of that sort will be taking place during early evening hours in my office.
3. Find a good read.
I have another goal for myself of reading more this year and so this serves two purposes. It is a great part in my routine and helps me wind down and I am gaining helpful information. If you are in need of a couple of recommendations to get you started I would check out The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, or The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change.
4. Invest in some essential oils.
I have found that lavender seems to really help me to relax and I like going to sleep with that spa like scent. It makes me feel like I just walked out of a massage. That isn’t something I get to splurge on very often so I will take anything that remotely resembles it and just pretend. I think our environment plays a big role in how we feel. That’s one reason why I want to keep my bedroom clean, tidy, and smelling relatively nice. If our bedroom is sanctuary-like, it is easier to feel at ease .
I have used this diffuser and like the combination of the scent and the soft lighting feature that it has as well. ASAKUKI 500ml Premium, Essential Oil Diffuser, 5 In 1 Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Fragrant Oil Vaporizer Humidifier, Timer and Auto-Off Safety Switch, 7 LED Light Colors.
5. Practice mindfulness
I know I said that I decided to steer clear of screen time and that is true, but I have found it very helpful to utilize a few different apps on my phone that offer guided meditations. This has been a great way to end my nighttime routine. There are so many options to choose from and so I can vary what I use from night to night. One free app that has worked really well for me is called Insight Timer. It offers guided meditations along with calming music and other options to help you drift off into a restful sleep. It has even helped my toddler to settle down at bedtime. If it can calm his crazy, I know it can help me as well.
I hope you enjoy these five easy ways to improve your nighttime routine! Start waking up better rested and ready to have a wonderful day!
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