Adults- we’re not getting nearly enough sleep. We’re tired. More than tired, we are exhausted and we don’t even realize how much of an impact that’s having on our health long term.
As parents, we work really hard to make sure that our kids are getting enough sleep- many of us by introducing routine into our lives at an early age. We do this to create a mentality of sleep, signalling to their brains that it’s time to switch off and go to sleep. For some reason, as adults we don’t do ourselves that same favor. Why not?
Creating a bedtime routine is one of the best things you can do for yourself as an adult. During the challenging times we find ourselves living in at the moment, taking the time to slow down and focus on relaxing is more important than ever before.
Here are some ideas as to how to create a bedtime routine for grown ups that will help you fall into a restful sleep with no effort.
Go to bed around the same time every night
We end up doing things in the evening that can be distracting such as watching TV or getting into a really great movie or game. Set yourself a ‘winding down’ alarm to help to start the transition between what you’re doing and then falling asleep.
Remember, you can always pause a movie or show, and you can pick up the game again tomorrow– you have to be strict with yourself if you want to get into the habit of getting much better sleep.
Listen to a bedtime playlist
Certain songs can help to bring you into a state of relaxation. Classical music, in particular, has been known to aid sleep. If you love curating playlists- make sure you’re prepared to take a nap afterwards to test out your playlist. If not, there are lots of premade playlists on music streaming services available.
You can start to play the music while you’re doing your skincare routine or stretches and by the time you’re ready for your head to hit the pillow you should be feeling tired enough!
Write off the day- create a to-do list
Our minds naturally buzz about all the things we need to get done. Writing things down at bedtime helps you to organize your responsibilities and gets you ready with an order for your day.
Journaling about the events of the day and your thoughts and feelings about them will also help you to clear your mind to make way for a more relaxing sleep.
Take some supplements
Supplements can help to enhance sleepiness. For example, Juna is a CBD company that formulates oils to help you to relax.
If CBD isn’t your thing, drink some camomile tea or take some melatonin supplements to help bring you to sleep quicker.
Do some light exercise
Gentle exercise involving stretches designed for relaxation can help to prepare your body and mind for bed.
Yoga is a great example of the type of exercise to help to aid sleep. It helps to push stress out of the lower back, shoulders and hamstrings. You can practice yoga while listening to bedtime music, focusing on breathing and calming yourself down for sleeping.