Follow These 4 Steps To Build Your Bedtime Routine, Sleep Better And Feel Energized

“Tired minds don’t plan well. Sleep first, plan later.”- Walter Reisch

As much as we would all love to complete 8 hours of sleep every night, many of us need help to achieve this due to our hectic lifestyles.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve experienced days where I wished I had more than 24 hours. Days where sleeping seemed like an option because I had so many things to do. If you can relate, then this is for you.

It’s important to remember that sleeping is not an option. It’s a requirement to function better the next day, no matter how busy you are. I’m learning too.

Having enough time to sleep is a good habit to incorporate to have your body rest and boost your energy level. That’s the reality of things.

If you are looking to improve your sleeping patterns, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll cover how you can plan out a bedtime routine for success.

How to organise your bedtime routine for your well-being?

• Set up a regular bedtime routine
• Establish a nighttime ritual that will help you relax
• Avoid these habits before bed
• Include these habits in your routine

1. Set up a regular bedtime

As you know, we all need a restful night’s sleep to feel rested and energised. So, to ensure you have your beauty sleep, set up a regular bedtime routine as if your life depended on it. We all do!

Setting a regular bedtime routine can be an extremely effective way to improve both the quantity and quality of our snooze time. Establishing a consistent sleep schedule sets our internal clocks and prepares us for a restful night’s sleep.

How to set a regular bedtime routine? Follow the below tips for a rested night of sleep.

Tip 1: Decide what time you must go to bed based on your wake-up time the next day. Look closely at your morning routine to understand how much time you need to have a restful night. Consider the entire week when you make this decision using the Weekly Self-Care Planner.

Tip 2: Set up a reminder using an alarm so you can stick to your schedule. The time you go to bed doesn’t matter if you stick to your bedtime. By sticking to a regular sleep pattern, we train our bodies to anticipate sleep at a particular time each evening and begin feeling more refreshed and energised during the day.

Tip 3: Be consistent. Staying up late or deviating from your sleep routine can be tempting. Still, by prioritising our bedtime, we prioritise our overall well-being. So, aim for consistency and commit to better, more revitalising sleep.

2. Establish a nighttime ritual 

The second step when thinking about your bedtime routine is establishing a ritual to help you relax and get ready for sleep. You want to find an activity that will lead you to a relaxed state to sleep better. I promise you that creating a nighttime ritual can make a big difference in your sleep quality.

What activities foster relaxation before bed? Here are some I have tried so far, and here is the good news: it works. Have a read of the Self-Care tips for more activities.

Tip 1: Reading a book, choosing a genre that relaxes you. I prefer biographies. How about you?

Tip 2: Listening to soft or instrumental music can help soothe your mind and prepare you for sleep.

Tip 3: Meditation helps you clear your mind and reduce anxiety, helping you to relax before bed.

Tip 4: Take a warm bath to help relax your muscles and promote better sleep.

Tip 5: Drink herbal tea like chamomile or peppermint tea possessing a calming effect and helping you relax.

Tip 6: Journaling by writing down your thoughts can be a therapeutic activity that helps reduce stress.

Tip 7: Practicing deep and slow breathing can help reduce heart rate and promote a sense of calmness.

So, the idea here is to incorporate a calming activity that works best for you. You don’t have to stick to only one, either. You can include as many as you want in your nighttime ritual. You want to find a routine that can help ease your mind and prepare your body for rest.

Please make this a regular habit for your brain to register that it’s time to start unwinding and preparing for sleep.

3. Avoid these habits before bed

If you’ve ever felt like you were always exhausted in the morning, then this may be for you. Waking up very tired in the morning is related to your bedtime routine. Sometimes, your sleep gets disrupted, and your body doesn’t rest as required.

If this situation applies to you, try changing your nightly routine to improve your sleep quality. Here are some habits that you should stop because they are disrupting your sleep. Download the free New Habits Builder to help you break bad habits.

Tip 1: Avoid heavy meals and spicy foods because they can lead to discomfort and indigestion, making sleeping harder.

Tip 2: Limit exposure to screens because the blue light emitted by phones, tablets, computers, and TVs can interfere with the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle. This is a good habit that will allow you to feel rejuvenated.

Tip 3: Avoid intensive exercise because rigorous workouts too close to bedtime can make you feel more awake, even though regular exercise can promote good sleep.

Tip 4: Limit caffeine and nicotine as they can interfere with the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Tip 5: Avoid alcohol because it can disrupt your sleep later in the night, even if it may make you feel sleepy at first.

The idea here is to avoid some activities disrupting your sleep so your body can recover during the night. Incorporating these few tips before bedtime will allow your body to wind down and prepare for restful sleep.

So, try it out tonight and see how a simple change can significantly impact your sleep.

4. Include these habits in your routine

Good night’s sleep is paramount to your well-being and morning routine. Including some good habits in your life will help you achieve this. Remember make sure you choose activities that bring you joy so you don’t get bored quickly. Checkout this article on how to break bad habits for more tips.

Here are some habits that will help you sleep better and feel rested in the morning.

Tip 1: Create a restful environment by clearing the clutter from your bedroom that can distract you from falling asleep. You want your bedroom to be a sanctuary, a space where you can unwind after a long day and drift off into a peaceful sleep. So, un-cluttering will remove your space’s distractions and improve your sleep quality.

Tip 2: Dim the light in your house to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. Moreover, ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet and cool when you are ready to sleep. If needed, you can consider using earplugs, an eye mask, or a white noise machine.

If you struggle with falling asleep at night, try dimming the lights in your home an hour before bedtime and see if it makes a difference.

Tip 3: Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. This is an excellent habit to help you fall asleep faster and enjoy deeper sleep. By getting some exercise during the day, you can actually fall asleep faster and stay asleep for more extended periods. Check out the Self-Care Activity List for more activities for the day.

Tip 4: Manage stress and incorporate techniques such as meditation, deep breathing or yoga can help you relax and manage stress, making it easier to fall asleep. Have a read on more tips on how to manage stress.

The idea is to include some habits in your routine to improve sleep quality. Try them out and see which ones work for you. Try tracking your habits as you progress using the Habit Tracker to evaluate your routine effectiveness.

In Essence

A good night’s sleep is critical to productivity and mental clarity throughout the day. Establishing a bedtime routine that meets your needs ensures you are well-rested for the day ahead.

These bedtime routine steps are easy-to-follow and will help you have a restful night. I hope you can use these tips and find the ones that help you sleep smoothly. What’s your go-to-strategy to foster a successful bed time routine? Share with us in the comments below 🙂