Sleep Like A Baby: Four Tips to Creating a Nighttime Routine

It is no mystery that a good quality night of sleep makes a tremendous difference in how you feel, look, and function the next day. Have you ever been around a toddler who missed his nap? It’s a little frightening. We as humans cannot function without sleep. In fact, research has shown that poor sleep leads to more frequent sickness, weight gain, higher stress levels, poor productivity, and dangerous drowsiness. Living in a high-tech society of Netflix, Instagram, Twitter - provides us with many resources but also distractions (especially when it’s time to go to bed). If you are desperate for good quality sleep, it is time to become in tune with your circadian rhythm and support it with a soothing nigh-time routine.

Below I am sharing some steps to get you started. Feel free to personalize it.

1. Make sure your last food intake is three hours before you want to fall asleep. Eating right before bed does not communicate to your body that you are ready to wind down and sleep. Instead, by snacking late you are providing your body with more fuel which your body will use to produce more energy (something that you don’t want when falling asleep).

2. Create a cozy atmosphere in your home/room. Creating a cozy atmosphere where you sleep will communicate to your brain that you are safe. You can do this by picking up the clutter and turning off all of the harsh lights. Instead use a nightlight or a red light. This will signal to your brain that the sun is setting and it’s time to get ready for sleep. Also, making sure you are getting into a clean/ warm bed can also give you a sense of peace and comfort. If you have the extra resources, look into investing in a better mattress and a pillow.

3. Turn off electronic screens an hour before bed (unless its a kindle paperwhite). Our bodies create a very useful hormone, melatonin, that encourages us to sleep during nighttime. Unfortunately, as fun as it is to check your social media before bed or watch a show – the blue light released from the screen hinders the production of melatonin (something you desperately need to get good quality sleep). In order to maintain a healthy production of melatonin for your body – pass on the electronics.

4. Pick a peaceful activity to do before bed. Use this habit as an opportunity to allow yourself to further unwind your mind from the day’s stressors. A peaceful activity can look like stretching, meditating, reading a feel-good book, praying, or journaling. Studies have shown that these activities lower our cortisol levels and can hinder experiencing a storm of racing thoughts before bed.

To summarize, we all want to feel great and hopefully be the best versions of ourselves. This is why we love setting New Year’s resolutions! Focusing on improving your sleep can affect your life positively in numerous ways – mental health, body weight maintenance, job productivity, and relationships. Creating a nigh-time routine and consistently utilizing it in your schedule will set you up for success in your sleep journey.

If you have any other tips on creating a healthy nigh routine, fire off in the comments. We look forward to hearing from you.  If you would like to find support or connect with a therapist connect with our team at www.compasscounseling.com.  If you would like to schedule an appointment today click here!

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Here’s the truth, you are overwhelmed, stuck and know something has got to change, but asking for help is hard. Most people think that their problems are not big enough for counseling and wait 8 years or more to reach out for help. At Compass Counseling we know that we all have mental health and you want to feel good about yourself and your relationships.  Over the past 8 years, we have crafted an excellent team of professionals that have served thousands of people in Western KY and we want to help you on your path to change.  Our Master's level therapists will support you and teach you skills to learn to manage the overwhelm and overcome your struggle. When you leave your first session, you will feel confident & ready to start on your path change. Connect with us today at www.compasscouseling.com or schedule an appointment.