Your body needs adequate rest to repair and replenish itself. While sleeping, your body goes through many biological processes like storing new information, eliminating toxic waste, repairing cells, restoring energy, and releasing hormones and proteins. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation, irregular sleep patterns, and insomnia prevent many adults from getting the rest they need. Consequently, their bodily function declines, causing a plethora of medical problems.
Many factors contribute to a person’s sleep quality ranging from stress and anxiety to underlying health problems and medications. Improving your sleep quality will ultimately require you to identify the core cause and develop a recovery plan. One such option is to create a bedtime routine.
What Is A Bedtime Routine?
Simply put, a bedtime routine is a series of activities you do approximately an hour before you go to sleep.
Why Bedtime Routines Are Important for Adults
There’s a common misconception that having a bedtime routine is just for children; however, it’s also beneficial for adults. Humans are creatures of habits, and routines help them develop practices that can enhance their lifestyles and well-being. Engaging in healthy, positive, and calming activities before bed sends a message to your brain that it’s time to go to sleep. They separate the day from night and put your mind and body in a state of relaxation.
Tips To Create An Efficient Bedtime Routine
Now that you know what a bedtime routine is and why it’s essential for adults, let’s look at some solutions to help you build an efficient nighttime plan for improved sleep.
Set A Bed Time
The first step is to determine when you will go to sleep. Based on your schedule, when is the best time for you to rest? Although this time could fluctuate depending on what your daily schedule looks like, you want to try and keep it the same time every night. Now that you have a bedtime, you can determine when it’s best to begin your wind-down routines to get adequate sleep. Ideally, it should be an hour or two before bedtime.
Unplug
Using technology bed can heighten your anxieties and make your mind uneasy. The blue light emitted from computers, smartphones, and televisions can convince your brain that it’s time to be active. Therefore, you should use this time to unplug. Turn off the television, put your phone on silent, and log off your computer.
Have A Snack or Beverage
Consuming heavy foods and liquids before going to sleep can cause digestive problems. It also leads to sleep disruptions as you run back and forth to the bathroom. If you’re going to have a snack or drink, it’s best to do it an hour or two before bed. You should also keep it light and healthy. Opt for something like a piece of fruit, yogurt, a granola bar, or a handful of nuts with a glass of water, warm milk, or hot tea.
Take Care Of Your Skin
Your face is the most exposed part of your body and requires extra attention to remain healthy. Remove any makeup or moisturizer from your face using makeup remover wipes. Apply toner for deeper penetration. Then, use a scrub cleanser to gently exfoliate your face to remove dead skin cells, dirt, and bacteria.
Shower or Bathe
It’s essential to shower or bathe before bed to rid your body of toxins, bacteria, dirt, and other contaminants. The water also has calming and therapeutic effects that can ease your mind and help prepare you for bed. Give yourself anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to cleanse yourself from top to bottom. Once you’re done, you can towel dry, moisturize from head to toe, and put on some comfortable pajamas.
Do Something Relaxing
If you’re not quite tired enough to sleep yet, try doing something relaxing for a few minutes. You can listen to soothing music, read a book, stretch, meditate, or converse with a loved one.
There’s no denying how essential sleep is to your quality of life. Creating a bedtime routine can assist if you’re not getting enough sleep. It helps you develop healthy habits that relax the mind and body and enable you to get adequate sleep. Use the tips above to create a bedtime routine that works for you.