I’ve professed my love for sleep in other articles, and if you have read those, you will know that getting to my love of sleep was a journey. I had to completely rewire my old, driven, ambitious brain that was rewarded by a culture that says you are weak if you sleep too much and that your character is built on grit and stamina (mixed with a ton of caffeine, stress hormones and adrenaline). Well, I am no longer operating with these old, outdated cultural norms. I hope you are already on your way to changing this too!
Here are some tips to get you sleeping great so that you can do all the things you love and be a better human!
Here are 12 Pre-Bedtime Relaxation Tips:
I recommend picking three of your favorites to start with, and adding on as you wish.
- Phone on DND or Sleep Mode. I am pretty hardcore about this one and it has helped me manage how much information and stimulation I receive at night and thereby helped improve my relaxation and sleep exponentially. I have my final check-ins on email, socials, and with my inner circle via texts, and then my phone is on DND or Sleep mode. Most days I do this from 8pm to 8am.
- Do a brain dump as you start your pre-bedtime relaxation wind down. Set a timer and for 3 minutes, write (not type) down everything on your mind from the day or what you are anticipating the next day. This helps your brain to get everything out of your working, short-term memory and have them safely recorded somewhere. It is like closing apps on your phone or tabs on your computer. There is some small resolution, and your brain doesn’t have to work hard to remember them while you are trying to rest.
- Take a warm shower or bath. Add Epsom Salt to your bath to relax your muscles. Having this change in body temperature helps your brain know it is time to relax on a deep, primal level.
- Too hot of a shower or bath can ramp you up or overstimulate you, so warm is best. Alternatively, many people are cold plunging as a way to detox the day. You will know what’s best for your relaxation before bed.
- Listen to relaxing music or read something you enjoy or something that makes you feel good. The point here is to listen or read what is relaxing, calming, and nourishing, not stimulating. I love a good mystery novel, but before bed it is too stimulating to me. The same for the news. NO news before bed!
- Do some light stretching/yoga. You just want to release any muscle tension so you can fully relax. This is not the time to try out that new headstand pose or do anything that raises your heart rate.
- Practice deep belly breathing for 2- 5 minutes. This will help calm your heart rate and bring fresh oxygenated blood into your brain and body.
- Use essential oils that you enjoy and that inspire relaxation. Use lavender, vanilla, cardamom, or rose oil on your hands or wrists for some olfactory relaxation.
- Still feeling tense? You might need more of a physical release. Laying with your back on the ground and legs up the wall can be very relaxing. And, yes, sexual activity and release help with sleep too, so if you can, why not?! Anything to get your body in a relaxed state, with some good chemicals flowing! If you have a partner, you get a double win with two people relaxed! The goal is relaxation to prepare your body and brain for sleep.
- Add ambient bedroom lighting. Prep your room, turn off overhead lights and turn all other lights down, close the blinds to minimize outside lightning. I recommend black-out curtains or shades. Use soft lamp light and/or candles. If you really want to invest in your lighting, there are light bulbs that you can control by an app on your phone and narrow down specific frequencies of light to help you stay away from brain-stimulating light like blue light.
- Cool temperature is ideal for rest. Your bedroom and bedding need to be cool. We sleep better when we are cool vs warm/hot. And we sleep better with little to no clothing–full PJ sets be gone!
- Prepare your room to smell like a spa: When prepping your room, make it smell nice too. This includes clean bedding and the air you breathe. Who wants to sleep while smelling a pile of dirty laundry? Get that dirty laundry away from the bed. Wash those sheets once a week. Add a few sprays of lavender, vanilla, or any fragrance that you like that’s relaxing to you. Spray your bedding. Your pillowcases. You can also light a candle you like. Use incense. Anything fragrance that signals to you, it’s time to relax. If I can make my room smell like a spa, I know I will immediately settle in.
- Brain still racing? Get up for 15-20 minutes max. Keep lights in the house dim. Drink a glass of water or some chamomile tea. Rose tea is a lovely alternative to help you relax. Do not get on devices. Do another brain dump, do some more stretching and deep breathing. Go lay back down after 20 minutes.
Write your sleep plan down and track your progress. Like any goal you have to measure progress and track what works and what doesn’t.
We are here to support you on this journey. We can assist you and your team with more tips on how to continue your LeaderHealth and Team Health journey.
LeaderHealth = Business Health
