A Healthy Bedtime Routine Everyone Should Follow ASAP

Sleeping is an activity that we’ve all been doing our entire lives. However, as we get older, it gets harder to sleep like a baby with our hectic schedules, stresses from work or school, and hundreds of distractions.

Don’t worry, though. There are guaranteed steps in creating a bedtime routine that can put anyone in the best 7-9 hours of deep sleep possible. Follow these steps, and see yourself waking up well-rested and ready for the next day!

First of all, set an alarm.

Not to wake you up, but to go to bed. Even for grown-ups, the best snooze requires a fixed slumber time. It’s easy to overlook the clock while streaming one more episode of your favorite series, so set an alarm at night as a reminder. Don’t sleep right away, though. Do your routine first!

Allocate 15 minutes to prep for tomorrow.

It’s hard for a restless mind to rest. Thinking about the morning’s minutiae could keep you up, so take care of some chores the night prior. Make a to-do list of tasks that you need to accomplish. Jotting down lists gets things off your mind, so you can easily rest. 

Then, address all that stress.

Practicing mindfulness is a proven way to lessen anxiety and enhance sleep quality. It can even ward off insomnia! Meditation, with videos readily available online or in apps, can help put you in the mindset to drift off towards dreamland.

Journaling is one more easy way to ease your mind by jotting down your thoughts and feelings. Go analog by getting an inspirational journal to write in, so you can dodge all the distractions on your gadgets.

Reading is a popular bedtime habit.

Lastly, relax and drift off.

Reading is a great way to relax our brains before we go off to slumber, as it lowers stress levels in half within just six minutes. Grab a real book made of paper and avoid bright screens in bed.

We keep saying this because the bright light of televisions, computers, and smartphones affect sleep patterns and can keep you wide-awake when you should be snoozing. Don’t even bother with the gadgets and Social Media (the political rants of your crazed aunt aren’t going to help you unwind, anyway).

If you still can’t sleep…

Don’t toss and turn as you lay in your bed if you’re restless. Getting up to reset will do you more good. Try out some of the activities we’ve suggested above for a short time before going back to your pillow.

A ten-minute meditation or reading is better than staring at the ceiling for hours. Have you brushed your teeth yet or completed that skincare routine? Do that, if you haven’t yet!

No need to wait for a better bedtime!

Select one activity up there, add it to your bedtime routine, and commit to it every night. The following week, try adding another one. Soon enough, you’ll be a pillow-time pro in no time!