Bedtime Routine

I’m not sure about you, but lately, I can’t get my brain to shut off. I’ll be sitting on the couch, relaxing, yawning and thinking about tired I am—and as soon as I head upstairs and jump in bed, I’m wide awake. My brain is jumping from one rampant thought to the next and all I want to do is catch some zzzzz’s. So, that’s why for the last four weeks, I’ve made sure to do a nightly routine to get my body ready for bed and boy, has it helped.

1. Pick a bedtime and stick with it. - No joke, this is one of the biggest things. “I just want to do one more load of laundry…I just need to see one more episode of the show…What about the ending? I have to see how it ends!” All these may seem like a good idea at the time, but guaranteed that you will regret it in the morning.
2. Wash your face, brush your teeth, take off your bra, take a shower, etc. All of these ideas are different things you can do each night to remind yourself that you’re getting ready for bed and it will eventually become a habit.
3. Stop drinking water. If you’re like me and have a tiny bladder, this can be the worst thing ever. If I don’t stop drinking before I go to bed, I can be up as easily as three times having to use the restroom. That alone will ruin a great sleeping night.
4. Unwinding in bed. If you need to unwind with another mindless tv show or movie, let yourself get cozy, take in your tv show or your half an hour of movie and then turn the tv off.
5. The above also goes for phones and social media. So many times, I get in bed and can get lost mindless scrolling through Instagram and watching stories that I don’t realize how much time is passing and that I have The Office on in the background. When you get to bed, put your phone on the charger and don’t touch it until morning. I cannot stress this enough. If you’re having a struggle to get and stay asleep, don’t overstimulate your brain right before you go to bed. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I purposely do not grab my phone because I know it will wake me up more.
6. Make sure that you have a little noise in the background. I use a white noise machine and while it sounds just like air, there’s something about the sound that immediately puts myself to ease and knocks out all the street noise from below.
7. Thermostat. A non negotiable for me is to have a very cold bedroom. Whether that be summer or winter, I need the thermostat right around 68˚ or less to get a good nights rest. Otherwise, I wake up hot, unrested and agitated.

Those are my seven tips and tricks to help you get a good nights rest. I’ve been abiding by them for the last four weeks and while they may work for me, you may have to tweak them for yourself a little bit. Making sure that we feel well rested is one of the most important things of the day. Try these tips and see if you have success!