When you think of your bedtime rituals, what comes to mind? You might assume you don’t have any, but you probably do—habits like watching TV, drinking water, examining your face in the mirror, or looking at your phone. Some of these may make it harder for you to fall asleep; however, a few little tweaks can help bedtime go more smoothly.
For a long time, my evenings went like this: eat dinner, give my son a bath, read a couple of books together, head back downstairs for a movie with my husband and a glass of wine. Brush my teeth, wash my face, slap on some eye cream. Catch up on email in bed. Look at social media. Set my alarm, lament how late it was, and try to fall asleep. None of that was wrong, but I rarely felt rested, so I made some adjustments. I picked a couple of evenings to stay up later, but most nights I nixed TV after 9 p.m. I brushed my teeth and washed my face earlier, which encouraged a sense of relaxation and winding down. And the biggest change? I viewed my phone as off-limits once I physically got in bed. As a result I slept better overall, and I could fall asleep without needing to count a million sheep.
TRY THIS
Do a bedtime behavior audit. Write down your routine every night for a week and notice any patterns. Do you always watch TV before bed? Crave something sweet? Keep track of your actions and how they make you feel, then for the subsequent week, make specific swaps based on your ideal bedtime routine while tracking the results a second time. Maybe you love reading on your phone in bed, but you accidentally stay up until midnight three nights in a row—instead try reading a paperback book for a set amount of time, like fifteen minutes, before lights out. Identify what’s interfering with a good night’s sleep and adjust accordingly.