MY NIGHT TIME ROUTINE
While morning routine helps me set my focus from the very beginning of the day, I would say that planning to be productive starts even earlier– during my evening routine the night before! A lot of you have asked what my skin care routine is, and to tell you the truth – absolutely nothing.
Ever since I stopped using products, that is when my skin cleared up the most. The majority of my days I find myself rinsing with warm water, and cold water – then following up with an ice cube. But I think a routine is much more than just self-care, it also begins with how you take care of your home on a day to day basis.
Having time to unwind from your day and relax is beyond important, but also having an established routine can help with sleeping issues and much more!
You may feel like you don’t have time to make a routine every night before bedtime, but if you have time to watch television shows, or vlogs – you have 15 or 30 minutes to help yourself be a better version of who you are. Taking 30 minutes to decelerate at the end of a work day by switching to an activity which can help calm your mind is one of the most helpful sleeping habits you can adopt. What you do with your time is completely up to you, but here are some helpful tips.
+ It can calm an overactive mind.
+ You can plan for tomorrow so you don’t worry about it in bed.
+ By repeating a regular pattern, you can slowly but surely train your body and mind to unwind ready for bed.
What to do during your night time routine is very important as well. The key is that this should be a quiet, relaxing and enjoyable time. So the routine will differ from person to person. For some people, just one activity is enough, while others might like to combine two or more. These are a few things that help me prepare for the next day.
1. STRAIGHTEN UP MY KITCHEN + LIVING ROOM
After I eat dinner, I find myself always fixing my pillows on the couch, and wiping down counter tops so I wake up to a clean house every morning. My roommates used to think I was absolutely losing my mind, and constantly ask why I’m cleaning the house at 9 PM, until they enjoyed waking up to a clean house too.
2. PREP MY OUTFIT FOR THE NEXT DAY
Okay, I’ll be completely honest – I don’t always do this, but when I don’t I find myself scrambling in the morning and usually late to work (sorry boss if you’re reading this) because I cannot find what to wear. Being prepared for the next day has become so important to me, and I have realized it truly is the little things in life that matter the most. Picking out what to wear also makes me more excited for the next day knowing that I am going to wear a cute outfit, and be comfortable.
3. PLUG MY PHONE IN + PLACE IT ON THE NIGHTSTAND
For a lot of my friends, they won’t go to bed due to scrolling on social media, and getting stuck in the never ending feed. Most people love their electronic devices (including myself), but they can erode our precious sleep time to have a better and more successful day. However, for many people it’s arguably better not to use them during the hour before going to sleep for several reasons:
+ They stimulate your brain
+ The light that some devices emit might affect your internal body clock. If you can’t separate yourself from your phone, at least put the blue light filter on and dim the screen brightness.
+ Checking emails, the news and even social media at night can create worry.
+ They can be addictive, eating into even more sleep time.
By all means, I will find myself staying up late because of Tik Tok or David Dobrick’s vlogs, and for some people it helps them relax more – so if that is what works for you – great. But if you have sleep problems and also have a lot of screen time, perhaps spend a week without it at night as an experiment and see what happens to your sleep.
4. LISTENING TO A PODCAST OR MUSIC
This is something that has not only helped my anxiety at night time, but also helped me fall asleep so much quicker. Within the first 30 minutes of a podcast you can find me out like a light. While it’s good to reduce screen time, listening to music or a podcast before bed is a great idea. Preferably not music which is too exciting or emotional.
5. BRING YOUR TEMPERATURE DOWN
Temperature is often overlooked as a factor in sleeping well. Not only is it important to have the right bedroom temperature, there’s another clever technique you can try, based on two concepts:
+ Keep your temperature between 60 – 67 degrees, according to the National Sleep Foundation
+ The naturally lower temperature is one of the signals the body uses to start melatonin production. And melatonin tells your body when it’s time to sleep or wake up.
In the winter months, this might happen at night anyway. But if the air temperature is above this range, you can try to lower your bedroom and body temperature by doing the following:
+ Set your bedroom thermostat to be inside the above temperature range.
+ Have a shower 15 to 30 minutes before bed, preferably a cool shower.
+ If you have a hot bath, make sure it’s at least an hour before bed. It takes a long time for the body to cool down after a bath.
Do you have a bedtime routine? Do you repeat the same activities every night, or just once in a while? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.