The routine that you keep in the evenings can have a big impact on the quality and quantity of your sleep every night. So, you need to make sure that you are doing everything you can to get the shut-eye that is so important for your physical and mental wellbeing. In this blog post, we will be offering some suggestions of ways that you can make some small adjustments to your evening routine which can end up having a big impact on nightly rest.
Start By Powering Down
Your bedtime routine shouldn’t begin in the minutes before you fall asleep; you need to get things started at least an hour or two before that. Stop the activities which cause your mind to become overstimulated such as responding to work emails, browsing through social media, and watching TV. Avoid backlit devices in general as these stimulate both the eyes and brain, causing your body to think that it is daytime. Some better alternatives include reading, taking a bath, listening to music or meditating.
Get Things Off Your Mind
One of the major problems that people have when they are trying to drift off is that they have too much on their minds. A good technique to avoid this is by writing down a list or diary of all the things that are causing you stress or anxiety. Once they are written down, you can come back to tackling these issues at a later date rather than worrying about them at night which is a time that you can’t do anything about them.
Practice Mindful Eating, Drinking and Moving
If you are a bad sleeper, cutting out your afternoon dose of caffeine is something that is worth doing. Also, you should try to avoid any heavy meals late in the day as it is never a good idea to go to bed on a full stomach. Exercise is always going to be a useful activity for managing your stress levels, but an intense workout just before bed can end up being counterproductive. Something like yoga is going to be your best bet in the evening.
Create a Great Sleep Environment
A great sleep environment usually means a room which is dark, quiet, and well ventilated. You also need to make sure that you have a comfortable bed and mattress – head to BestMattress-Brand for some different options. Everyone is different, so it is worth experimenting with your sleeping conditions until you find what works best for you. Try to make your bedroom as minimal as possible to keep distractions to a minimum.
Monitor Your Sleep
Finding the right sleeping formula isn’t something that happens overnight (so to speak). Try keeping a record of what time you go to bed, how often you wake up during the night, and when you get up the next morning. There are all sorts of electronic devices out there which can give you a helping hand when you are trying to work out what affects your ability to drift off.