Something I’ve done this year that I think has made a big positive difference for me is develop a good nighttime routine. Like a lot of other things I’ve done, I’ve assembled this routine gradually and without much initial conscious effort, so it’s taken me some time to notice it and deconstruct it. Now that I have, I thought I’d share it with you and see if you find value in it. Without further ado, here’s my nighttime routine.
I avoid eating a lot of sugar or caffeine or drink much of any liquid a few hours before bed, and I typically have my last meal well before I call it a night. When I’m ready to start winding down, I sit in my zero gravity chair, lean back, and read a chapter or two of a book. That helps relax me and put me in the mindset to go to sleep. Then I might stretch my legs for a few minutes before I finish up my pre-bed routine of taking out my contacts (or taking off my glasses, depending on the night), brushing my teeth, and using the bathroom one last time. After that, I’ll lay in bed with my lights off and fan on as I spend a bit of time on my Kindle; I turn on the blue shade setting, which prevents blue electronic light from getting into my face and helps me sleep better. I try to avoid things that make me angry or sad and instead focus on things I like, especially things that I find funny, uplifting, or relaxing.
Once I start feeling sufficiently tired, I put my Kindle away and sit on the edge of my bed as I breathe deeply and slowly for thirty seconds or so. I’ll use this time to expel any negative energy I notice so that I’m not dwelling on it as I try to sleep. Because I do a lot during the day to expel or work through negativity, I usually don’t have much to deal with at bedtime. Then I lie down and begin relaxing my body, starting from my toes and working up to my head, making sure to release any tension I feel as I go. Before I know it, I find myself in a dream or waking up hours later. Even though I often wake up briefly a few times during the night, more often than not, I still feel good in the morning.
Since I developed this routine, I’ve found it consistently helps me fall asleep easily and relatively quickly and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning (as long as I get seven or more hours of sleep, that is). This is a wonderful change of pace from before, when I didn’t know if I’d go to sleep easily or spend upwards of an hour wide awake. I’ve also noticed that my mind is much quieter at night now than it was before I developed this routine. This makes it easier to go to sleep since I’m not thinking about everything under the sun and gives me more pleasant, peaceful dreams. I’m fortunate to not have insomnia, sleep apnea, or any other issues that can make it almost impossible to get a good night’s sleep, so I don’t know how effective this routine would be for someone with those issues. But it works well for me, a guy with a highly active mind, energetic body, and near-constant desire to be doing something. I hope something in this routine can help you too. Sweet dreams, friends.