Before you go to sleep – 7 Things You Must Do

A bedtime routine is essential for your body to understand the signals of winding down and prepare for rest. As we spoke about what you should AVOID before you go to sleep, by consistently following a set of activities before bed, you can also train your brain to recognize these cues and transition into a state of relaxation.

Experimenting with these tried and tested, tips and tricks can serve you as a starting point for achieving a bedtime routine that may serve you best.

So, let’s begin!

1. Set the stage for a good night’s sleep:

• This means that you must create an environment that is conducive to rest. Here are a few tips to help you achieve an optimal sleep environment:
  

  Dim the lights of the house:

  Bright lights convey a message of staying active to your brain. The more the lights, the more the brain sees it as the time to stay productive and full of activeness. You must dim the lights enough to signal to your brain that it’s time to go to bed. To make this possible, keep a combination of bright and dim lights in your house.

• Ensure comfortable bedding:

  Bedding is an essential part that ensures good quality sleep. So, before you go to sleep, your stage should be set. Keep the extra pillows or cushions out of the way and never compromise on the quality of mattresses that suit your body best. It is not about money, it is about your comfort.

2. Do not rest or sit on the bed the entire day:

Well, this is greatly important to understand. Very often, people work or watch TV in bed and hence, end up reducing their chances of falling into a slumber quickly. If you spend your active time in bed, even if you have the most comfortable bedding done, your brain is confused about whether to stay active or sleep. Do not give your brain the slightest of confusion and for that, you must avoid sitting sleeping, or resting in bed the entire day. Sit on the chair or couch or anything else but not in the bed you used to sleep on.

3. Finish your skincare routine before 2 hours:

Many people opt for a skincare routine before bed but do not know that washing your face before bed alerts and arouses your brain. It sends a wake-up call and activates your brain machinery. So, before you go to sleep, consider the fact that your face has nerves that are connected to your brain. Those water droplets can trigger a response from your nervous system and consequently affect your restful night. Hence, finish it preferably before 2 hours of going to bed.

4. Read before you go to sleep:

Reading is a really crucial part of your life. We must not take it for granted. The simplest of things have the capacity to change your life. Just like reading. And if you can’t find time to do it the entire day, keep it for your bedtime routine. Go to bed before 1 hour and read for some time, maybe 15-30 mins if not not an hour. Reading calms your brain down and improves the concentration. The calmer your brain activities, the easier it gets to go into sleeping mode.

5. Meditate before bed:

Once you finish your reading, sit for 15 minutes without doing anything. You should,

• Stay silent:

  Do it in a place where no one notices you. The less the distraction, the less it is possible to focus.

• Practice thoughtlessness:

  Your brain will give you all kinds of thoughts, the moment you consciously realize you are thinking, stop the thought right there. The more the practice, the more the state of thoughtlessness.

• Keep your eyes closed:

  It is for better concentration on your breathing.

• Observe your breathing.

  Observe from where it enters, what places in your body it touches, and where it reaches and vice versa.
  With time, you’ll achieve this state as a norm and once it is achieved, your efficiency will increase in a multi-fold way.

6. Journaling before bed:

This needs to be done especially when your brain is full of thoughts because of worry and even sometimes too much excitement. You MUST pen down your thoughts and remove all the unnecessary dates before you even begin meditating. Journaling is crucial just like reading. Reading and Writing are taught to us right from when we are born in this world. It has a reason. These simple things can have an extremely positive impact on your life. Writing down your thoughts means, asking your brain to let go of them and when you do that before you go to sleep and even meditate, it becomes much easier for your mind to achieve thoughtlessness and body to get rest.

Check out some amazing Journals here.

7. Do not skip dinner:

As important as it is to not eat and drink much before you go to sleep, as we mentioned in this article ‘Before you go to sleep – 7 Things You MUST Avoid’, you must also remember to not go to bed empty stomach. You must not eat right before bed but eat at least 2 hours before you snooze off. A hungry body cannot rest. Foods promote sleep and you must have experienced it a lot of times in your life. Make sure to eat foods that do not cause digestive issues.

Getting enough quality sleep is crucial for overall health and well-being. By implementing these 7 bedtime rituals into your routine, you can maximize your chances for the same.

Remember, it’s important to be consistent with your bedtime routine and allow yourself enough time to wind down before bed. By prioritizing sleep and making it a priority, you can wake up feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle the day ahead.

Have a good night!