9 Simple Yet Effective Self Care Ideas Before Bedtime

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After a long day, taking time for yourself is important to clear your mind and relax your body. That’s why we’ve made a list of 9 easy self care ideas before bedtime to help you prepare for sleep.

Self care before bedtime can help you unwind in healthy ways and improve your sleep quality. And when you get quality sleep, you can start the next day feeling energized and refreshed. Before diving into these ideas, let’s talk about the importance of self care before bedtime!

Why Self Care Before Bedtime Can Be So Impactful

Have you ever had one of those days where you woke up stressed? Maybe you had a ton of errands to do, a big paper due, or your work calendar was insane. What was your bedtime routine like for the previous day?

Believe it or not, your day may actually be a product of your nighttime routine.

Subsequently, if you do not prepare or get yourself ready for the next day, you may be incredibly stressed. Additionally, if you spent all night scrolling through Instagram until 3 am, you may wake up groggy and tired. The last few hours of your day will directly contribute to the quality of the following day.

Sometimes it only takes a few minutes before bed to prime yourself for an awesome tomorrow. When you take time to focus on yourself before bed and use some simple self care ideas, you’re setting yourself up for success.

Now you may be thinking… but does a bedtime routine really make a difference? We want you to try out some of these ideas and let us know. Some of these ideas have been shown to positively impact your health by research.

Also, we can also attest that a bedtime routine is a game changer because we do these self care activities regularly.

Aside from a bedtime routine, good sleep hygiene is also a game changer. We wrote a post on sleep hygiene awhile back where we covered the benefits of good sleep hygiene. This idea, of sleep hygiene, is different than self care but some of the sleep hygiene tips go hand in hand with self care ideas.

Sleep Hygiene and Self Care Ideas Before Bedtime

It’s hard to have a good self care nighttime routine without embracing some sleep hygiene activities. Sleep hygiene will also allow you to have an excellent night of sleep. But what is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is a collection of habits or series of activities that help you fall asleep and stay asleep. 

Think of sleep hygiene as the foundation for a good night’s rest. Good sleep hygiene is a collection of habits to help you sleep better. Some examples of sleep hygiene are similar to self care. These examples are: relaxing your mind before bed, sleeping in a clean and comfy bedroom, and setting boundaries for your bed.

If you’re interested in implementing good sleep hygiene activities and self care, you can also use this sleep tracker pdf to track your sleep.

Now let’s jump into the fun part of this post – self care ideas before bedtime.

Before Bed Self-Care Ideas

Limit your time on electronics right before bed

Taking some time to put down your electronic devices an hour before bed can make a huge impact in your sleep quality. It’s easy to fall into the trap of scrolling through social media until late at night, but try to resist the temptation. Set boundaries to limit screen time or use the Do Not Disturb function on your phone.

Also – assess the results of scrolling on your phone late at night. It’s likely you’re going down a rabbit hole and or not doing any productive scrolling. Some people may think that this is a great way to wind down at night but it’s actually the opposite.

According to SLC Health, the blue light emitted by your screen restrains the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle. This makes it difficult to fall asleep and wake up the next day.

Try limiting your phone time before bed and let us know if you see a difference!

Soak in a warm bath or shower

Taking a warm bath or shower before bedtime can help you relax your body and mind for the night.

The heat of the water helps to soothe any aches or tension in your muscles, while also providing time for some quiet reflection. To make it extra special, add some soothing aromas like lavender or chamomile to help ease you into a gentle sleep.

Just ten minutes in the bath will help you sleep better. If you’re interested in the other benefits of baths, we have a full list here.

Write down three positive things that happened that day

Writing down three positive things that happened that day is a great way to show yourself some self-love and gratitude before bed.

Creating this practice helps you look back on your day in a more positive light, and is also an opportunity to reflect and appreciate the good moments throughout the day. Doing this routine consistently can also help increase your overall well-being – both mentally and physically.

You’ll look forward to winding down before bed and thinking about all the wonderful things that happened.

This creates a positive bedtime habit by expressing gratitude. When we reflect on the great things that happened, this puts our minds at ease before bed.

Stretch or do yoga poses for relaxation and pain relief

Stretching or doing yoga poses is a great way to relax and relieve tension in the body. It’s also a wonderful way to practice mindfulness as you focus on your breathing and take notice of the sensation in each body part when stretching.

Consider some gentle yoga poses like a cat-cow stretch, cobra pose, child’s pose, sphinx pose, seated straddle pose, bridge pose, upward-facing dog, and downward-facing dog for greater relaxation before bedtime.

We are a huge fan of Yoga with Adrienne and if you’re interested in trying guided yoga before bed, here’s an easy 12-minute practice to follow.

Even stretching for a few minutes will have major benefits!

Practice guided meditation

Guided meditation is a powerful tool that can help you stay calm, centered, and focused before sleep. Guided meditation can be done with apps like Headspace and Calm, which sometimes provide visual prompts to guide your attention.

If you struggle with meditation, guided meditation is a great way to practice without the stress of knowing what to do.

For instance, the visuals may take you on a walk through some gardens or woods and ask you to pause throughout different stages of the journey. You can then note how you’re feeling as well as take deep breaths. This practice helps to center the mind and body and creates a focus for a more restful sleep.

There are tons of resources on Youtube also. One of our favorite guided meditations that actually allows you to fall asleep while listening is this one.

Play Relaxing Music

If you’d prefer to listen to something to calm down, try to play some calming music! Calming music has many benefits and one of them is allowing your mind and body to relax.

Research has shown that listening to relaxing music may help reduce your heart rate and breathing while also reducing blood pressure.

We suggest listening to calming music while you’re laying down in a comfortable position and dimming the lights. This will allow your body to prepare for sleep.

Create a Relaxing Skincare Routine

Did you know that maintaining a skincare routine can actually reduce stress? Yep, it’s been shown in research that a skincare routine may actually help reduce stress and encourage relaxation.

The study conducted by Rodan and Fields took place over the course of 8 weeks and included a 3-step regimen 2 times a day. Below you’ll find an excerpt from the study.

The results found that participants’ cortisol decreased by about 83%. In addition, the participants felt 76% more confident taking a selfie compared to 53% at the beginning of the study. Many reported being able to wear less makeup, as their skin looked better, and said their “skin looks as good as it feels.

Additional ways to increase relaxation include listening to calming music while you’re doing this routine.

Another tip is to try to use products that do not include fragrances or harsh chemicals. There are many plant-based moisturizers out there that will do wonders for your skin.

Get Cozy

Let’s get cozy! Come on, who doesn’t love to be cozy? By creating a comforting, clean, and zen-like bedroom, you’ll build a perfect room to wind down in. Additionally, you can create a soothing bedtime routine by wearing some comfy socks, cozy pajamas, and warm socks.

Being comfortable can actually help you stay asleep longer and may help you fall asleep faster.

Some other tips include: avoiding tight clothing, avoiding sleeping in a hot room, and do not sleep in a cluttered room.

Drink a Warm and Calming Tea

Chamomile is where it’s at! When you’re looking for a calming but warm tea before bed, make sure you do not drink caffeinated tea.

Winding down with a warm cup of tea and a nice book is ideal for a self care bedtime routine.

We do suggest that you drink your tea 1 hour before bed and ensure it’s not green tea. A warm cup of tea pairs well with a good book, a journaling session, or a nice bath!

Final Thoughts

Thanks so much for stopping by Tru&Well! We hope you enjoyed reading about these 9 Simple Yet Effective Self Care Ideas Before Bedtime!

We’d love to hear from you if you add any of these self care ideas to your bedtime routine. Feel free to drop us a line in the comments section. Let us know what you enjoyed and how it helped you!