My Best Nighttime Routine | 7 Steps to Snooze

A nighttime routine helps the brain and body prepare for sleep.

There are a select few people who might be able to sleep on demand, but this is unlikely to be you if your adrenaline is revved up from watching the latest police drama.

When you Googled ‘bedtime routine” chances are there were some mummy bloggers sharing bedtime routines for babies and children.

We take so much time and effort creating the perfect bedtime routine for children, but we quickly forget everything when it comes to us.

My advice here is treat yourself like a child for the perfect night time routine.

Choose a bedtime and wind down properly before your head hits the pillow.

We share some ideas for how to relax before bed in this blog.

A sample nighttime routine to help you sleep faster and better

1. Have a warm bath – few hours before 

Ideally, you want to be having a bath a few hours before you go to bed.

During sleep your core body temperature drops, which according to research increases your chances of falling asleep and enjoying a deeper sleep.

One way to trigger this drop in core body temperature is to raise it, which you can do easily in a warm bath.

2. Moisturise  

Practice self care and moisturise. Your skin will thank you for it!

Moisturising before bed can help your skin to glow the next day, it is also a relaxing way to begin your wind down.

If you wear a sleep mask to bed then consider buying a 100% silk sleep mask which prevents your moisturiser from being soaked up by fabric rather than your skin. 

3. Turn the lights low

Bright or direct light before bed can mess with your sleep cycle. Instead use dim light or candles during your nighttime routine.

4. Eat a snack

A drop in blood sugar in the night can be a cause of nighttime wakings. If you find you are often waking around 3am, try having a snack before you go to bed.

Think sleep inducing foods such as porridge, bananas, yogurt, peanut butter sandwich or a bowl of cereal.

Avoid food that is high in sugar or contains caffeine.

5. Have a warm drink

Before you go to bed enjoy a chamomile tea which has been long used as a natural sleep aid.

You might also add a dose of Pretty Peaceful to help you really relax after a busy day. If you are looking for a natural sleep aid see how CBD for sleep could help.

I find it hard to recommend this one as I don’t drink milk, however, if you are mad for the while stuff then warm milk also has sleepy properties. Milk contains tryptophan which increases your serotonin. This raise in serotonin helps boost the sleep hormone, melatonin.  

I think I’ll be sticking to the CBD chamomile tea! 

6. Read your book

Read your book, but not in bed.

There is a thought that your bed should be for sleep and sex only.

The longer you stay awake in bed reading, watching TV, checking your phone just leads your brain to associate your bed with being awake.

If you are someone who struggles to drift off, then this could be a game changer in your nighttime routine. 

7. Lights out 

Turn your lights off or blow the candles out at around the same time each night. This will help your body get into a rhythm of when sleep happens. Try to do this every night, even on the weekends.

What is your nighttime routine?

Follow this nighttime routine each evening and your brain should soon get used to the wind down. Overtime, hopefully your bedtime routine will allow you to get to sleep quicker and enjoy those deeper layers. 

Share your bedtime routine with us on Instagram @itsourremedy