The key to a good night’s sleep is to relax before going to bed. When you maintain an evening ritual, you will discover that you have an off switch for your stress. In most cases, stress is a result of not letting things go and keeping things bouncing around in your head. Here are some specific strategies for relaxing, de-stressing, and getting into the right sleep state.
Read Some Fiction BooksÂ
The fact that children sleep better than most adults comes as no surprise. A good way to relax our overactive, analytical left brain is to read fiction or to have someone else read it for you. Escaping to another world within the pages of a book is one of the best ways to disconnect from your stress, worries, and tension. Occasionally, non-fiction, such as a biography, can be okay. In general, you should avoid books that are analytical, methodical, teaching, or training. It may also be important where you read.
Creating a clear connection between your bed and sleep is recommended by Dr. Epstein. If you do not have this strong association built, you should read somewhere else in your home other than your bed. If you don’t want to read rainbow juice in bed, you can read in your bedroom.
Take a Warm BathÂ
You can relax and unwind by taking a warm bath or shower before bed. When aromatherapy and magnesium bath salts are added to the equation, water can have a very calming effect. It’s important to take care not to raise your core body temperature too much by using too hot water. Be sure not to jump into bed right after you get out of the shower. To reduce your core temperature, allow several minutes or finish with a cold bath or shower.
Don’t Use Mobile Phones
We should not use mobile phones before going to sleep. It is proven that the blue light from devices can make it difficult for us to sleep. This is because our brains think that we are still outside and it will take time for our brains to adjust. This section is about the negative effects of using a mobile phone before sleep, so you should mention this in the introduction. The blue light from devices can make it difficult for us to sleep.
Journaling
People who are successful around the world often practice this powerful practice. Throughout their lives, Oprah, Tony Robbins, and others have consistently journaled. You can use your journal as a pre-bedtime ritual to capture stray thoughts; to get any random thoughts out of your head and onto paper.
The mere act of doing so will free up your mind. The journal can also be used as a check-in tool. Review your progress and determine what steps you need to take next. Once again, get it out of your head and onto paper.
Gratitude LogÂ
Anxiety and insomnia are often caused by a fixation on what people haven’t done or what they don’t have. You may have forgotten how fortunate you are, and that you have much to be thankful for if you’re reading this right now.
Gratitude logs are a great way to track three to five things you are grateful for each day. Whether it is a big thing or a small thing, it could be anything. By paying attention to all of the good things that happen and writing them down at the end of each day, you will become more receptive to them.
Meditation or PrayersÂ
As a child, my grandmother always made me say my prayers before going to bed. At the end of the prayer, I asked for protection for the people I love. I remember naming every person I could think of. Occasionally, that list would be pretty long, so my grandmother was extremely patient with me. Meditation has been proven to improve sleep quality, and we discussed this in depth.
Using the results is the only way to make them useful. Having added some more relaxation tools to the mix, here’s a simple, easy checklist to help create a strong neuro-association between your bedtime rituals and great sleep.
Evening Ritual Checklist:Â
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Electronic screens off 90 minutes (minimum) before bed
- Don’t use mobile
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Stretch and/or bath or shower
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Read some fiction
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Brush your teeth
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Use the bathroom
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Journal
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Meditation, prayers, or giving gratitude
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Lay down in bed to sleep