Getting a good night’s worth of sleep seems to be much more difficult given the circumstances we’re currently living through. For me, I’ve always struggled with finding a great way to wind down and get a good night’s sleep. The next morning would always lead to a groggy wake up call and sluggishly getting through those dreaded morning hours.

The older we get, a nightly routine to help aid in higher quality of sleep becomes of greater importance. Our bodies cannot cope with just a haphazard plopping into bed and hoping we wake up the next morning fully refreshed and ready to get after it. Studies have shown that we often don’t serve out bodies in our early adult lives and pay for it later down the road. I don’t know about you, but this pandemic surely has woken me up to pay even greater attention to my health.

As discussed in prior posts, routines and structures provide a great foundation to build upon for great results. This is by no means a knock on spontaneity, which I believe can inspire creativity and memorable experiences. However, structurally tuning our bodies and circadian rhythms to wind down in a predictable manner yields numerous, long-term health benefits. The greatest gift we can give to our livelihoods is elasticity/adaptability and longevity; night time routines play a large role in aiding to that gift.

Let’s take a look at some personal and common tips that can help you develop a night time routine and get a good night of sleep:

1. Watch what you eat and drink

   Before going to bed, we often like to indulge in a late night snack or pleasure of some sorts. For some, it won’t affect sleep whatsoever; in fact, it may even boost sleep quality. For others, it may lead to a hard time sleeping and bad quality of sleep due to indigestion and upper abdominal pain or bloating. I’ve found not eating within an hour of going to sleep beneficial to my own stomach prepping for bed. Likewise, drinking can help you wind down and fall asleep, but your sleep pattern will be disturbed throughout the night. It may be best to cut off any drinks an hour before bed similar to eating. Above all, find what works best for your body and cueing it for sleep.

2. Read or write

   There’s something so soothing about either reading or writing words on a page. Reading can tune your brain away from the day’s worries and relax your muscles from turning and firing on all cylinders all day. As an activity that is common for toddlers, there’s no reason we cannot continue this activity into adulthood. Similarly, writing or journaling can provide a much needed release of your thoughts and worries. Think about how many times you’ve laid in bed only to have a hard time falling asleep because of all the anxiety and worries bombarding your thoughts. Writing can reduce this stress and improve your immune system for a better night’s sleep.

3. Turn off electronics

   I know, I know… you all are screaming at me saying this sometimes cannot be done. I’ve been there before. I even still struggle with this one in all fairness. We’re all aware of the blue light that’s emitted from electronic devices that heightens our sense of alertness and delays the onset of the sleep hormone, melatonin. Above that hormonal effect, I believe that we often add unnecessary thoughts to our mind by scrolling away at social media or watching a TV show right before bed, which is even more detrimental potentially. Give it a try to turn down your electronic devices 30 minutes to an hour before going to sleep and take stock of your emotional being and sleep quality.

4. Cool your environment

   Scientific studies have shown evidence that dropping your body temperature aids in falling asleep and achieving better sleep quality. One way to cool your body is taking a warm bath or shower before going to sleep. I’m not a huge fan of showering right before hitting the hay, so if you’re like me, you can try using a small fan or breathable sheets to help lower your body temperature. Likewise, and not for everyone I understand, you could sleep with less clothes on, but I’ll leave that up to you now. Sorry mom if you ever read this!

5. Weighted blanket

   I came across this phenomenon of weighted blankets towards the end of 2019 and decided to give it a go. Boy do I love sleeping with it! There have been numerous studies that have shown that weighted blankets can help calm the nervous system and provide greater, sounder sleep through its deep pressure touch. While people say it does feel like someone is hugging you all throughout the night, I’ve found the additional weight therapeutic and calming, restricting me from wanting to toss and turn from any sort of anxiety or stress. It’s been a game-changer for me, and you can check out a couple of examples like this if you’re interested in trying it.

All of these tips only work if you incorporate them into some sort of routine and consistently follow it over time. Our bodies need to be trained to understand how it’s supposed to function over the course of our 24-hour circadian rhythm. It’ll likely take a couple of couples minimum for it to become like second nature to you.

Sleep is something we take for granted and have to work around with the hectic schedule the world likes to put us through week in and week out. Having a sleep routine doesn’t just help attack the issue of sleep but other health risks, such as obesity, hypertension, high blood sugar, and higher risks of heart disease in the near future. If there’s ever been a time to be more disciplined with our own selves when it comes to routines and sleeping, now is the time. It’s a struggle, something I can attest to, with the state of the world, but it’s doable and something that will yield the longevity of life that we all crave and desire. Time for me to shut down and get into my night routine!