We’ve all been there, the day has ended the kids are in bed and now it’s your turn to get some shut eye. But then you lay there, tossing and turning thoughts racing through your head worried about tomorrows tasks and any other thing you could possibly worry about. Why can’t we just decide to go to bed and just fall asleep. Why does it have to take so long to fall asleep when you feel so tired!!
This is where a Sleep Ritual comes in. A Sleep Ritual is a habit or multiple habits you create around bedtime to tell your body it’s time to relax and unwind. Here are eight tips to get you started.
1. Set a bedtime. Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. With that in mind try your best to get at least 7 hours.
2. Shut down all electronics and dim lights at least 30 minutes before bed. Shutting down electronics and dimming lights helps your brain start producing melatonin which helps create deep sleep and helps regulate your metabolism.
3. Brain dump. A brain dump is a list of things you need to get done tomorrow and helps you get all the thoughts, or any worries you have swirling around in your head down on paper to help you think about everything less.
4. Bath, read, deep breathing/meditating are all things you can do 30-60 minutes before you plan on going to bed. These are good things that can help you start to relax before bed!
5. Cool Temp. Keeping your room around 68 degrees at night has been shown to help with sleep. Try it out and go up or down a few degrees as necessary.
6. Blackout Curtains. Blackout curtains help to keep the light out so you have a nice dark room to sleep in. A nice dark room helps promote melatonin productions which tells your body it’s time for sleep.
7. Light Alarm Clock. An alarm clock that slowly gets brighter closer to the time you want to wake up helps simulate waking up with the sun. This is especially helpful in the winter months. Exposing yourself to light, especially natural light, helps your body know that it’s day time and to start producing cortisol, which is the signal to the body to wake up.
8. Electronics out of room or on airplane mode. Electromagnetic waves are emitted from cell phones and are known to disrupt sleep patterns. If you need to have your phone in your room at night , try putting it on airplane mode for better sleep.
Now that you know how to create a Sleep Ritual, give one or all these tips a try to see what works best for you!