Today I will be talking you though a bedtime routine for adults.
Sleep plays a vital role in all of our lives, and there are countless articles and sources of information that cite sleep as one of the most important factors in our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Any parent knows that sleep is crucial in their child’s development, their brains, their bones, their muscles, everything. Bedtime routines for adults is on the rise in recent days, due to the fact that sleep is also important for adults as well.
But, as obsessed as we are with our kid’s bedtime routine, many adults don’t give much thought to our own. Even when the kids have settled, and we can develop a routine of our own, we don’t.
Personally, I had got to the point I had enough of lack of sleep, so I finally started prioritising getting enough of it, therefore I created a routine and it has worked wonders for me.
I has helped me calm my mind, resulting in a better nights sleep and improving my overall wellness.
I’m here to tell you that having your very own bedtime routine is key to this process, and explain some habits that you can include to make up your routine to achieve a peaceful night sleep.,
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Why do we need a bedtime routine?
Besides improving both the quantity and quality of your sleep, developing your own personal bedtime routine can have a significant effect on your physical and mental health, and thus on your overall mood.
Don’t know where to start? Below are some of the things that you could do to improve your own bedtime routine.
Bedtime Routine for Adults – Ultimate Guide of 10 Tips
A consistent bedtime routine is key
It’s Friday night, the wine is flowing, Netflix is on and it’s gone way past your 10pm bedtime. You know the drill.
Consistency can be so difficult when it comes to the weekend, or just general life situations. However, keeping to your evening ritual daily will help you get a good night’s kip.
As humans we are habitual, creatures of comfort and routine. Your body grows accustomed to your weekday habits so when we ignore this over a weekend, come Sunday it seems to be a chore to drift off.
Try your best to keep your sleep schedule every day, where possible. Sometimes we can’t. That’s ok. No need to beat yourself up. We all fall off the wagon, hey, we’re only human.
Schedule a bedtime
It may sound silly, but give yourself a bedtime. We put our kids to bed at the same time nearly every night, right? They would stay up till they fell on the floor and passed out from exhaustion if we let them!
We should be doing the same for ourselves. Be reasonable with yourself and your schedule. But don’t say you will be in bed by 1:00 am if you know your kid is going to come bounding in 6 o’clock in the dot.
Try hard to make it so you are in bed with 8 hours before your alarm (or kid) goes off. But if you can’t commit to that, at the very least get 7!
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Disconnect, unplug, log off!!
30/60 minutes before you go before you go to sleep is the time to make the first step towards sleep.
Put your phone away, turn off your computer, the television too if you can. Even consider dimming the lights
These devices all emit blue light. Now like many things, blue light can be good or bad depending on the context.
Blue light wavelengths produced by electronics and overhead lights boost attention, reaction times and mood, which is a positive thing in the day! Not so much at the night time though!
Say goodbye to your electronics as the first step towards better sleep.
Tidy up your space
There is nothing worse than the feeling of waking up to a cluttered room/house. By cleaning up your space before you lay down at night, you will be able to feel calmer and more relaxed.
And plus, who wants to wake up to clutter? Clutter can just completely bring down your mood and make you feel like there are more things to do than there really are, which can lead to overwhelm and unproductiveness.
To avoid this, I like to do a 10-minute tidy. During these 10 minutes, I try to clean up as much as I can as fast as I can.
I love this method because at first glance, a huge mess may seem like it will take forever to clean up, when in reality, it won’t take that long.
Try adding this method to your self-care night routine, and you will so shocked once you see how much you can actually get done in just small amount of time
Meditation
Meditation has many benefits, and it is something that is good to incorporate into any part of your day.
Meditating or completing a guided meditation before bed can help to channel positive energy into your body, settle your muscles, calm your breathing, and get your mind into a positive state before heading off to sleep, ensuring that you sleep better.
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Plan your day
Another task you can add to your night-time routine is planning out your next day with goal setting. First, on a separate sheet of paper, jot down everything that you have to do for the day.
This will help you get a better visual overall of what you are needing to do. From this list, separate your hard priorities, soft priorities, and other non-urgent miscellaneous tasks.
If you are a person who likes to time block, you would then place these priorities in your planner and into the time frames of your choosing. I recommend adding your most difficult or time-consuming task to the start of your day if possible. In the mornings our brains are freshly rebooted and you will be more likely to knock through that task with a breeze.
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Practice gratitude/take time to reflect
The simple exercise of writing down three things that went well that day is an exercise that stimulates the good vibes. The kind of vibes that are beneficial to anyone, anywhere. It helps you appreciate your life, the small and the big.
Just as important as the above exercise of practicing gratitude, is creating time to reflect on the day. Did something go differently than planned? That’s ok, realising how you can make small improvements each day will help you course-correct early on.
Setting time aside to reflect deliberately allows you to go to sleep without having to dwell on it whilst you should be snoozing off.
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Do a brain dump
To take this a step further, I really love the concept of a brain dump. This is when you set a 2–3-minute timer and just write down EVERYTHING that comes to mind.
A brain dump doesn’t have to be organised, or even realistic. It’s different than a to-do list because it’s not a list of things for you to do in a specific time period.
Many people choose to make their to-do list from a few items that came out during the brain dump.
A brain dump can really help if you feel like you have information swirling around in your brain that you can’t control!
It helps to organize ideas, and work through your thought processes!
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Don’t late night snack
The temptation to snack late at night is hard to resist!
I don’t know about you, but once I start snacking in the evening, I can’t stop. But sugar and carbs can perk you up just when you’re trying to wind down. Plus, there’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night with an upset stomach or indigestion!
I eat a protein cookie/bar every night which takes away the urge to indulge in a late-night munch on junk food.
Relax with a good book
Reading is another excellent habit to pick up before bed.
I find that it’s a great way to relax and distract my mind. Often times, I’ll drift off naturally after reading just a few pages. Plus, it’s something fun to look forward to each night.
Pick a book that you’re able to put down though. Otherwise, you might be up all night with that juicy page turner!
Bedtime routine for adults – Final thought
Creating a healthy and serving routine is not going to be done overnight (pun intended), it requires perseverance, dedication and time. But it’s worth it!
You are you and when it comes to something as personal as a night-time routine it’s encouraged to experiment and feel what works for you. Ultimately, creating a totally customised routine and sticking to will have massive benefits for you in the long-run.
Creating a routine that works, is equal to a better version of yourself. Giving your body, mind, and emotions the place and time to unwind, heal and restore.
What are your tips for a bedtime routine?
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years!
If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!
I really hope you found inspiration in this article.
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Hello! My name is Adam and welcome to my space on the internet. Here you can find me writing about subjects such as spiritual growth, self-discovery, wellbeing, addiction recovery and mental health. Please connect with me on my journey and join the community!
