It’s so important to develop an evening routine that works in harmony with our natural circadian rhythm. The addition of artificial light can drastically disturb your sleeping patterns which ultimately disrupts all other hormone functions. It is vital to spend at least two hours before you go to bed without any devices.
A normal sleep cycle goes from light sleep into a deep sleep and then back out to the lighter dreaming REM sleep. Most people have about four of these cycles during an optimal seven to eight hour night’s sleep. A lack of sleep affects your dose of growth hormone and your bodies ability to heal (autophagy) which could leave you with a feeling of being ‘hungover’ from yesterday’s half-repaired cellular damage.
Sleep is for re-growing all the tissues of your body so you can feel and be ready to go in the morning. But you may need to look at some simple changes to help get that quality sleep.
Ignite your evening ritual
Set yourself a routine. Go to bed around the same time each night, ideally around 9:30 pm.
Turn all your devices to aeroplane mode or better yet – turn the wifi off at the wall 2 hours before you go to sleep. Knowing your phone is accessible keeps you on standby mode – preventing you from actually being present in the moment.
Prep for your day ahead – organise your lunch, outfit, gym clothes, whatever you need to make your morning smooth and stress-free.
Journalling – try a 30-minute stream of consciousness where you don’t take your pen off the page. Allow your mind to open and your emotions to flow freely. You can choose a theme, such as reflecting on the day you’ve had or simply allow the pen to be your guide.
Read – opt for a book instead of a movie. You can learn so much from books and the use of your eyes will make you naturally more tired.
Self-massage – use some warm sesame oil to massage the souls of your feet, your hands, temples and or scalp.
Meditate – take twenty or so minutes to sit, be present, breathe and let go.
Value sleep highly as the magical resource it is for you.
Take some time to visualize how you would like tomorrow to be for you. See, hear, and feel what it will be like when you reach your goals. This will tell your brain which of the data stored in temporary memory should be flagged for transfer into long term memory.
Create a morning ritual designed to capture these insights, perhaps a special journal on your bedside table.
Design your bedroom primarily to support good sleep. Keep it clean and uncluttered…no overflow storage in there.
Have control of the lighting in your bedroom. Be able to make the room totally dark.
Avoid turning on the light if you have to go to the bathroom. Any bright light will shut off melatonin production.
Listen to white noise or relaxation CDs.
If possible try to awaken naturally without the use of an alarm. Your brain will know when it has had enough sleep. Ideally, you should wake up with the sunrise.
Dim the lights in your house around 8 PM. Light stimulates the release of cortisol and shuts down the release of melatonin.
Stop watching TV or using your computer by 6:30 pm
Avoid snacking just before bedtime, particularly grains and sugars.
Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 23 degrees.
Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide L-tryptophan, a precursor to melatonin and serotonin.
Avoid caffeine as much as possible. This includes tea.
Keep electrical devices as far away from the bed as possible so their electromagnetic fields do not interfere with your nervous system. Make sure you don’t have any power boards behind your bedroom wall or close by.
Avoid foods that you are sensitive to.
Take a hot bath with magnesium salts and lavender oil or sauna before bed if you have trouble falling asleep.
Journaling may be helpful if you often lay in bed with your mind racing. Writing your thoughts down may allow you to let go of your concerns before bed.
Remove your clock from view. It will only add to your worry when constantly staring at it…2 AM…3 AM…4:30 AM…
Support your adrenals – adrenal stress can interfere with sleep.
Let go of the negative self-talk and pressure put on self, be kind to self.
Know that it’s OK if you’re not sleeping. Accept what is and let go of trying. Trust if you are meant to be asleep you would be asleep.
Although a completely natural bodily function, external stimulation and our racing minds allow us to overcomplicate the process. Remove the pressure and allow your body to subconsciously take the reins in your evening routine.
Sweet dreams xo