Bedtime Routine For Adults: 5 Things To Do For A Restful Sleep

Have you ever thought about what goes into your bedtime routine? Do you watch TV until you sleep? Maybe you work until you’re tired enough to doze in bed. Whatever you do, it’s important to set aside time to develop a proper routine. Getting yourself into good habits can work wonders and help you feel rested for the next day.

Everyone will have their own routine for falling asleep, but we’ve come up with five suggestions that will help you rest peacefully.

1. Breathing exercises

One of the best ways to calm your body after a stressful day is to breathe. Taking deep, powerful breaths that you feel in your chest will allow your mind to relax – and then your body. Once you’ve relaxed you’ll instantly feel more comfortable meaning you’re more likely to have a good sleep.

Breathing can also be done in tandem with regular meditation. Meditating before bed; centring your thoughts and letting them float out of your head will put you in the right state of mind to drift off.

2. Read

Reading a good book can also be used as a way to prepare yourself for sleep. You could read in another room so by the time you get to bed, your brain is ready to associate a mattress with sleep.  However, there’s actually nothing wrong with reading in bed. Reading has been shown to reduce stress levels by 68% and is likely to help you feel more relaxed. Just think how many times your eyes have started to get heavy just a few chapters in!

3. Shut off all technology

As tempting as it might be to scroll through Facebook on your phone before going to sleep, we’d recommend turning off all electronic devices. Technology can interfere with your rest because it stimulates the brain.

The light emitted from certain devices can also mess with your internal body clock. The ideal sleeping environment is a dark room without any light. If you can’t do without your late night Twitter fix make sure you switch it to night mode and have your blue light filter on.

4. Write down what you need to remember for the next day

Have you ever stayed awake in bed thinking about what you need to do for tomorrow? Those kind of thoughts can be stressful and distracting. A good trick is to write down a ‘to do’ list before going to sleep. Writing is also a great way to find closure after a long day. Once it’s down on paper (or on a screen) you can forget about it until the morning.

5. Get into the bath

Want to relax after a hard day’s graft? Run yourself a bath and let the warm water soothe body your body and soul. Baths have been shown to release endorphins in the brain, which play a big part in making your drowsy. You could take it a step further and add some calming oils such as lavender – which is a natural remedy for insomnia. By the time you’ve stepped out of the bath, you’ll be so ready for a good night’s sleep.