Establishing a Bedtime Routine

Establishing an Adult Bedtime Routine

The activities you engage in during the day add to the quantity of nightly rest you enjoy. A good plan is to see to it that you have an all-around healthy and satisfying day. A healthy, happy body experiences a superior quality of sleep. Regardless of events beyond your control you can usually start your day off positively and end it off just as well. The manner in which your day flows has a direct impact on your state of mind and level of wellbeing. In turn, this affects how well you sleep.

A proper sleeping routine starts in the morning.

There are different techniques which help you to start as peacefully as you would like to end off. While you are still in bed, stretch, breathe deeply and drink some water. Keep a water glass handy on your bedside table overnight. Tune into YouTube and enter the wonderful world of meditation or merely sit with your eyes closed listening to nature sounds. Practice five minutes of your favourite affirmations out loud while you warm up for your workout. Either during or after your workout get outdoors for fresh air and natural light. After that, your body will relish a refreshing shower before breakfast. Take ten minutes or longer, sit down, enjoy a wholesome repast and then leap into your day. These activities will prepare you mentally as well as emotionally for the day ahead. The added benefit is that your hormones will be optimally flowing which means that they will be doing the same at night. Consequently, you will rest well in most profound slumber. 

Prepare your mind for a peaceful night

A relaxing ending to your workday leads to a calm pre-bedtime mood. Before you leave the office make sure that your desk is ready for the next day. De-clutter and organise your desk, and you effectively do the same for your mind. It takes under ten seconds for brainwaves to respond to the elements within an environment. The quality of your brain waves affects both your thoughts and emotions.

For this reason, it is crucial to leave your office space in the same condition that you would like to see it in first thing in the morning. An organised office at the end of your day also calms your mind before you leave. Regardless of how much work you have to do, everything feels more manageable.

Maintain Healthy Work Relationships

The same applies to your relationships at work. Keep them healthy and harmonious. Do not be a doormat and at the same time let go of minor irritations. Conflict with colleagues will not add to your peace of mind nor the quality of your sleep. Remain objective as much as you can. If something is bothering you and you cannot resolve it there and then, do some contemplation before you leave the office. Write down any qualms you may have including all the accompanying emotions. Permit yourself to express them in all full. Make a short list of what your options are and what you can do about the situation. Decide what your goals are regarding the conflict. Imagine the harmony if you resolve the dispute amicably.

Feel those feelings and write them down. After that, tear the page up into minuscule pieces and throw it into an outside bin away from the office. As you walk towards the dustbin, feel yourself letting go with every step. Visualise all the anger and other emotions leaving your body and then discard the pieces as a final release. When you get home from work, leave your shoes at the front door. The eastern traditions implement this symbolic action every day. Leave the literal and figurative dust of the outside world where it belongs. 

Last Few Hours Before Bed Time

A good bedtime routine is essential to a long, and restful sleep. During the last few hours before bed, it is time to start winding down. By all means, finish the admin if it is imperative that it gets done but turn off your laptop once it gets dark. Melatonin is essential for a good sleep pattern and bright light at night inhibits the body’s ability to produce it. The presence of bright light tells your body that it is time to wake up and it begins to provide the relevant chemicals that will ensure you do so. While this may sound great to you if you have much-unfinished work, the truth is that you will suffer the effects the following day. Aside from that, there are short and long-term health issues that arise as a direct result of lack of sleep. If there is anything you need to remember to do the next day now is the time to make a quick list so that your mind is at ease. Knowing that you have the notes, will allow you to let go.

Do not subject your mind to further stimulation at this time of night. Once you close down your laptop, do the same with your cellular phone. For the same reasons, do not watch television for the last hour before sleep. Keep in mind that anything you have observed earlier on in the evening will influence your thoughts and emotions for hours afterwards. Be sure you always choose an uplifting and peaceful program.

The bedtime routine/ Winding down after a busy day

Implementing a bedtime routine that supports long, full nights of sleep is essential. You are, in effect, programming the mind to associate a particular time of day and certain activities with the slowing down which is critical to a deep sleep.

Time management is always vital. Prepare a simple dinner and put it on the stove to simmer while you enjoy your pre-bedtime routine. Don your tracksuit for a gentle winding down of your physical body. Mild exercise is an ideal way to ease your muscles and release the knots of a busy day at work. Moreover, the mind is sure to follow. A calming ten to twenty-minute yoga routine is precisely the type of exercise your body will benefit most from at this time of night. Yoga Instructors developed these exercises in a manner that profoundly helps both mind and body — the way that the positions flow is excellent for health and wellbeing. Stretching of the muscles accompanied by the prerequisite deep breathing is exceptionally soothing. Simultaneously, you automatically massage and detoxify the organs — a body that feels good results in a happier mental state. Researchers at Harvard Medical School confirmed that a daily yoga practice leads to an improved quality of sleep.  A gentle yoga technique reduces visible stress and anxiety, thereby decreasing heart rate and blood pressure. Yoga enhances the ability to go into a deep sleep because it aids the related hormonal processes.  Improved blood flow to the sleep centre of the brain stimulates the hormones which are pertinent to sleep.

Foster your tranquillity with a sublime candle-lit bath. Play some beautiful music to lull your mind and ears. Add a few drops of calming essential oil to the water before you step into the bathtub. Sip on a cup of chamomile tea. Treating all your senses while enjoying your drink will set you up for a smooth transition into dreamland. Prepare the bathroom in much the same way even if you do not have a tub. Play music and light candles. Drip some essential oil into the corner of the shower and enjoy a cleansing and relaxing experience.

After your bath or shower, your body is at peace. Therefore, this is the ideal time to devote to the pleasures of a good meal. Do not eat dinner while watching television. Rather sit outdoors if the weather is mild. Alternatively, sitting in front of the fire during dinner is exceptionally cosy as well as sleep-inducing.

When you eat your dinner be sure to avoid substances that are aggravating to your blood. Minimise the use of salt and completely avoid sugar. Consume whole foods like steamed vegetables and brown rice. Another of the infinite options is rice pasta and lightly stir-fried veggies. Sauces can be tasty and healthy too. Tahini or hummus are delicious toppings that lift a mundane meal. Enhance the flavour of salad can with a bit of olive oil and lemon and accompanied by sourdough toast. Choices are endless and easy to prepare. A wholesome meal favours a deep sleep because your digestive system is at ease.

The last thirty minutes of your day

The intricacies of room temperature and lighting can make the difference between a wakeful mind and a chilled body or a rejuvenating sleep. A bedside globe that emits a slight yellow tinge quiets the mind. Convenience is also essential hence make sure the light switch is within easy reach. It is crucial to remember that core temperature drops slightly as the body progresses into a deeper state of sleep. Keep that in mind when deciding what to wear to bed so that you are comfortable throughout the night.

Science confirms that reading a relaxing novel for a mere six minutes before sleep reduces stress by sixty-eight per cent. Researchers at the University of Sussex made a compilation of these figures. Reading at night is more beneficial to effectively promoting a good night’s sleep than listening to music or drinking a small cup of herb tea. Professor Keith Oatley from Toronto University equates reading to meditation regarding its many benefits. Combining reading, a cup of tea and some soothing sounds is a superb recipe for a great sleep. Eliminate the drink if you feel the needs of your bladder may wake you later on. 

The best sounds to employ at this time are those that promote a deep unconscious state. Delta wave meditations are very simple to download from YouTube. While in Delta state, the glands release anti-ageing hormones such as melatonin, DHEA and human growth hormone. 

Besides promoting sound sleep, keeping to the required lifestyle is itself life enriching. Good bedtime routines increase both physical and mental health and wellbeing. The increase in the production of anti-ageing hormones is a bonus.

Last, but not least, find yourself a good bed to sleep on.