After a stressful day, you deserve to ease yourself into restorative sleep. These 5 tips will help you wind down before hitting the hay.
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Journal
Do you find yourself combing through the day’s events in excruciating detail the minute your head hits the pillow? One way to combat this is by journaling at least an hour before you get into bed so that you can air these thoughts out and cleanse your mind. In allowing these thoughts space to run wild, you will guarantee that your mind will feel more at ease once you get into bed, preparing yourself for a better night’s sleep.
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Take a warm shower or bath
Taking a warm shower or indulging in a bath before you sleep allows you to lower your core body temperature, improving your body heat regulation in preparation for sleep. Moreover, using shower gels or bath bombs with relaxing lavender, chamomile, or eucalyptus scents allow for an aroma therapeutic approach to relaxing the body and mind. Hot showers also allow you to relax your muscles and lower body tension, which are all ideal before bedtime!
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Read a Book
Although it is tempting to hop into bed and watch an episode of your favourite Netflix show, the blue light from your phone or laptop screens disrupts melatonin production and reduces the quality of your sleep. Instead, snuggling up to a book and reading for twenty to thirty minutes will allow you the benefit of entertainment whilst still maintaining your melatonin levels, ensuring that your quality of sleep will not be harmed.
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Drink a Sleep Tea
Although it is not best to consume heavy foods before sleeping, a cup of sleep tea can be beneficial in terms of helping you wind down. Look for teas that contain chamomile, valerian, lemon balm, and lavender, all of which have stress-reducing benefits that can keep any anxiety you have as you approach bedtime at bay.
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Turn Your Phone Off An Hour Before Bedtime
Similar to Tip 3, the blue light of your phone screen will disrupt melatonin levels. Turning your phone off at least an hour before bed ensures that the blue light does not disrupt the production of melatonin, ensuring that your sleep quality remains optimal. Additionally, turning off your phone will mean that you are not bothered by any last-minute notifications from work or even messages from friends. Given that you spend most of the hours in the day responding to others and reacting to external stimuli, having at least an hour before bedtime without external distractions allows you to settle in and wind down.