Life is a carnival of distractions, especially in the age of endless scrolling and streaming. By using these ways to trick your body into going to bed earlier, restlessness will become a thing of the past.
1. Create a Consistent Bedtime Routine
Much like a well-oiled machine, your body loves a routine. Imagine a cozy assembly line; your activities before bed are the gears spinning harmoniously to produce the sweet lull of sleep. Start small and build upon your pre-sleep rituals to establish a consistent bedtime routine.
Try reading a chapter of your favorite tale each night, followed by light stretching or meditation. The key is repetition. With each consecutive night, you’ll trick your body into going to sleep earlier. Additionally, this routine could double as your ‘me’ time, shutting out the day’s noise before you slip into the realm of dreams.
2. Adjust Your Environment
In the quest for cozy slumber, your sleep environment is essential. Adding blackout curtains makes a world of difference. Create a bedroom that’s cool, quiet, and comfortable. The ideal sleep temperature for most is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit, so adjust your thermostat. Optimize your mattress and pillows for maximum comfort. If they’ve been with you longer than that favorite bedtime story, it might be time to bid them adieu.
Your cozy environment could extend to daytime hours as well. Creating a nice space where you bask in the sun could help you feel more tired at bedtime. One of the benefits of adding a skylight to your home is the healthier circadian rhythm that sunlight encourages. This helps you fall asleep faster, as that rhythm lulls you into a calm state at the end of the day.
3. Regulate Your Daily Habits
Habits are the busy bees of your daily life’s garden. Your sleep patterns are no exception. Avoid napping after 3:00 p.m., but if you can’t help it, take a 20-minute nap.
Resist dosing your senses with caffeine and heavy meals in the evening. These late-day indulgences delay your body’s circadian rhythm and cause sleep to elude you. Consider using a printable self-care bingo to improve self-care practices and include activities such as exercise before bed to raise your body temperature, priming it for a gradual decline into sleep.
Embracing these tricks requires some patience and persistence. But with practice, you should find that taming your sleep pattern is a graceful, rewarding dance. Sleep well, and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day.
1 comment
I definitely need to improve my sleep so this was super useful, and a great reminder to put some things in place to help ourselves out. Great post!