My Nighttime Routine
I have a confession to make to you. I used to be an awful, terrible sleeper. It would take me at least an hour to fall asleep and I would toss and turn all night. Around the time I wrote this post and got inspired from my sister's nighttime routine, I chose to start creating my own nighttime routine.
And guess what happened? I started sleeping. So. Good. I fall asleep almost immediately now and only wake up once throughout the night (I used to wake up at least 2-3 times a night). I am working on training my body to not wake up at all. I have been doing that since I was a child though, so I'm working hard to break a very old habit!
So how did I start sleeping so soundly? I started priming my body to prepare for sleep. Creating a nighttime routine was the key!
Before I begin my nighttime routine I make sure my house is clean, our food for the next day is ready to go and any business tasks I have for that day are complete. Even better if I can squeeze a walk in with my pup, too! There are totally some days where I don't do any of that though. Just being real! From there I do these steps:
I sip on turmeric milk. I've been including more anti-inflammatory foods in my diet to help me heal, and this has easily become one of my favorite additions to my diet. I find it so incredibly soothing. I usually drink this pretty early on in the night, around 7:30pm. As part of my goal to stop completely waking up at all during the night, this is one of the last things I will drink for the night. I usually do this during my social media time. I wish I had more time to spend connecting with you, but I usually can only find 30 minutes a day to do this, around this time. So I sip my milk and talk to you guys! If I need to separate myself from social media, which I purposely do at least once or twice weekly, I cuddle my family and watch our favorite shows. We are ALL about comical shows in our house. Parks and Rec, The Office, It's Always Sunny...on constant repeat around here! Also, occasionally I'll drink a glass of red wine instead of turmeric milk, too :)
Around 8 pm (no later than 8:30pm) I completely separate myself from all electronics. My phone, my computer, the TV. All. Of. It.
Wash my face with coconut oil and charcoal cleansing bar. Sometimes I'll do a honey face mask (going to add activated charcoal next time, I'll let you know how it goes!) Moisturize my face with almond oil, my eyes with this eye cream and apply lavender lotion to my body. Brush my teeth/floss/all that good stuff. If I need some extra relaxation time I'll take an epsom salt bath with lavender. Not only is it good for muscle recovery but the magnesium in the epsom salt can also help you sleep better.
Stretch, light yoga and foam rolling. Usually only for five minutes or so. A couple times a week I also fascia blast. Learn more about this deeper version of foam rolling here.
Sit down and review/finalize my to do list for the next day. When I write it out, it helps me keep it completely out of my mind when I lay down for bed. I also take this time to journal and write my next day's intentions, although I am still working on forming this habit.
Meditate. Again, it's often only for five minutes or so but it makes a profound difference in my sleeping habits. I have also been playing with tapping meditation.
And lastly, I read. I find this is like the ultimate way to help me fall asleep immediately. Sometimes I'll only read a paragraph and I'm like anddddd it's time for bed! Other times I will read for 10-15 minutes. I really, really love reading and for so long would blame lack of time for not reading. I'm so glad I added reading back into my life through my morning and nighttime routines. I may be a dork and typically read nutrition books, but it still very calming and relaxing to me!
And around 9 pm (sometimes earlier, sometimes later) I apply some lavender oil to the bottom of my feet, turn on my white noise machine and its lights out. I wake up early, so I need to get to sleep early. I prefer my schedule this way for my current life. For me personally, I love going to bed early and waking up before the sunrise!
Tell me: What's your one must-have step to help you fall asleep at night?
Want more? Read my morning routine here!
