Nighttime Routine Habits for Better Sleep Quality

_{Disclosure: Lifestyle by Remi is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Please read full disclosure here.}

It’s hard not to bring the stressors of life to bed with you and a restless mind can keep you up at night. That’s why a solid nighttime routine is a must-have nowadays.

When you don’t have enough sleep, you’re tired, moody, less motivated, lazy. The list goes on!

Going through life tired can make you feel anxious because you can’t 100% show up in your life.

A restless mind can take you places, but a well-rested mind takes you where you want to go.
Raihan Hadi

Sleep quality is crucial because it allows you to show up in your life. Good sleep puts you in a good mood, gives you the energy to be productive; it’s beneficial for your immune system, etc.

So, how can we improve our sleep quality during times like these? By incorporating optimal sleep habits into our nighttime routine.

Here are 13 nighttime routine ideas for you to start incorporating today!

Night Routine Better Sleep

Give yourself time to digest before bed.

Experts recommend that we stop eating three hours before we want to go to bed so that our bodies have time to digest our food content.

This rule of thumb also goes for alcohol consumption, which can disrupt your sleep cycle throughout the night and sometimes cause insomnia.

Going to sleep too soon after you eat can also leave you vulnerable to indigestion and inflammation in the gut when you wake up in the morning.

Cut the caffeine early in the day.

Another sleep deprivation culprit can be consuming caffeine way too late in the day. You’ll want to avoid caffeine (a stimulant) as early as possible in the day to ensure that it doesn’t affect your ability to sleep at night.

Turn off the TV 2-3 hours before bed.

Watching TV before bed is a common practice in many households, but doing so too close to when you want to sleep could affect the quality of your sleep.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the blue light emitted from your TV, and other electronics, is capable of stopping your production of melatonin (the hormone that keeps your sleep/wake cycle in check). In turn, this messes with your circadian rhythm (your body’s biological clock).

Additionally, a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that binge-watchers reported more fatigue, more insomnia symptoms, and greater alertness before going to sleep. And compared to non-bingers, they had a 98% increased risk of having low sleep quality.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, or are feeling the effects of inadequate sleep, try turning off the TV at least two to three hours before bed to start cleaning up your sleep hygiene.

Set your alarm at the start of your night routine

Try to set your alarm clock early in your nighttime routine versus right before you go to sleep.

I started doing this because it allowed me to avoid the temptation of looking at my phone right before bed and then getting sucked into checking my other notifications.

Setting your alarm earlier in your routine also helps limit phone usage and blue light exposure before going to sleep.

Clean up after the day

We are all spending so much more time at home, and things can pile up or get out of order from the day.

I like to take a moment at the end of the day to put things back in order so that I wake up to a clean slate in the morning. And it’s also one less thing to worry about as I go to sleep.

Bedtime herbal tea

I drink tea as I’m starting to wind down from the day. A hot cup of tea can be a great way to help your body relax and get in the mood for sleep.

Make sure to avoid caffeine and sugar (or anything that could affect your sleep) when choosing your tea. My go-to is Trader Joe’s Well Rested Herbal tea.

Write out your next day’s game plan.

I don’t know about you, but a lot of what keeps me up at night is thinking about how I’m going to tackle the next day. That’s why I like to map out what I need to accomplish the next day before I go to bed.

It gives me peace of mind knowing that I already have a plan in place to conquer the next day. Again, one less thing for me to worry about as I go to sleep.

Journal

Journaling before bed is a great way to release any thoughts or worries so that you can hopefully avoid bringing those concerns to bed with you.

Use your journal session to work through any unease or uncertainty. Try leaving it all on the page and, if you need to, you can come back to it in the morning.

Write down positive night affirmations. Read it aloud and internalize them before bed. Use this time to give yourself permission to rest for the day.

Stretch

Americans sit for more than 13 hours a day, which is why stretching before bed is essential — it helps get your body moving and increases circulation before sleep.

Developing an evening stretching routine can help you release tensions built up throughout the day and help your body get into a relaxed state for sleep.

Studies have shown that a good stretch routine can be meditative and help bring you in the present (and away from your present worries).

Prep for the next day

This point was more relevant for me before COVID-19 because I used to lay out my clothes and get all my stuff ready for work the night before.

I felt that this was still worth calling out because prepping the night before did help me feel better and more prepared as I went to sleep.

It reduces what you need to worry about in the morning so that you can focus on your self-care morning routine to start your day off right.

Listen to relaxing music.

Music has the power to get you in the mood for an activity. According to the National Sleep Foundation, music can slow your heart rate and breathing, lower your blood pressure, and even trigger your muscles to relax.

Switching to mellower tunes with a slower beat can help you get ready mentally and physically for a good night’s sleep.

Take your time doing your nightly beauty routine.

Make time to take care and treat yourself EVERY NIGHT. Be intentional with what you do here and use the time to decompress and unwind from the day.

Remove your makeup with care.

Wash your face with care.

Exfoliate with care.

Use that sheet mask and take 10-20 minutes towards extreme relaxation!

Give yourself this time to take care of your skin (and yourself) without having to rush.

Read or listen to an audiobook.

Reading puts your brain in another plane of consciousness (which induces sleep) and can reduce stress levels.

I’ve found that reading before bed helps me block out worries or stressors. My brain gets so engrossed in the story that it feels quite meditative for me.

Alternatively, you can listen to audiobooks as you’re getting ready to bed or set a sleep timer if you want to listen as you fall asleep.

The sleep timer is clutch because it turns off automatically so that you don’t have to look at the blue light to turn off your phone.

Related post: Books I Read That Got Me Through 2020

RECAP:

Give yourself time to digest before bed.
Cut the caffeine early in the day.
Turn off the TV 2-3 hours before bed
Set your alarm at the start of your night routine
Clean up after the day
Bedtime herbal tea
Write out your next day game plan
Journal
Stretch
Prep for the next day
Listen to relaxing music
Take your time doing your nightly beauty routine
Read or listen to an audiobook

Leave a comment down below if you found these helpful or have any other habits that have worked for you!

Wanna know the best way to stay up to date with all the latest posts? Subscribe to receive my bi-weekly newsletter highlighting my latest blog posts and life updates that I may not write about in the blog!

Nighttime Routine Habits for Better Sleep Quality