You GUYS! Why is quality sleep so elusive in adulthood? And why do we as adults put sleep at the bottom of our priority lists when we have heard time and time again that sleep affects every other aspect of our lives?
While working to control my anxiety and trying to get pregnant at the same time (a difficult task, mind you), my therapist asked me if I had a sleep routine. Umm what? A sleep routine? I’m almost positive that I laughed in her face. I’m pretty sure I hadn’t had any sort of sleep routine since I was a child. She was adamant that I try a fairly specific sleep routine, and it changed every aspect of my life. I talked to my primary care doctor, and we made some slight tweaks to it to make it absolutely perfect for me. My anxiety went way down, I needed less naps during the day, and I started craving this time during my day. In addition, it was so much easier to simply tackle day-to-day activities which made the goal of getting pregnant far less stressful. I’m now a huge advocate for this routine and I want to share it with all of you.
If you follow this sleep routine, I guarantee that you will find yourself more rested and ready to take on the rest of the day!
My Doctor and Therapist-Approved Bedtime Routine:
Start by determining a bedtime that you want to try and stick to. For me, it was 10:00pm. From there, work backwards to see what time you need to start getting ready for bed. I decided this would be no later than 9:15.
Get everything in my room ready. Finish scrolling the deepest depths of social media and put your phone in the charger. The phone DOES NOT GET PICKED UP AFTER THIS POINT. No more screens. This is the most non-negotiable aspect of the routine in my opinion.
Set out your pajamas, turn on the bedside lamp, and turn off the rest of the lights in the room. Get that ambiance going so that when you finally climb into bed, your room is ready for you.
Take a nice warm shower. Sometimes this is just a body shower for me, but the point is simply to get warm and let your body calm down for bed. After showering, put lotion on, brush your teeth, and do any other nighttime things you need to do in the bathroom.
Put pajamas on and climb into bed with your favorite book. While this can be any book old or new, I like reading something I’ve already read because it’s easier to put the book down after only a few pages or a chapter. Others may want to try something new; that’s the beauty of making this tailored to you! It’s no surprise that I typically choose the Harry Potter series most of the time. Read a chapter or two, or maybe only a few pages if that’s what you can do before your eyes start to close.
Put the book down and slip into a glorious sleep. That’s it!
Just watch how easily you fall asleep. Even the feeling of being bed is different after using this routine. It’s truly a place of relaxation and not just a place to crash.
Try it tonight and let me know what you think!
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