My new bedtime routine

Shannon McLain
Shannon McLain Member (Full) Posts: 8
in Home and Daily Basics

My new bedtime routine

I have been working on a new bedtime routine to help me fall asleep faster, wind down the energy of a busy day, and take care of my body.

While the sun is setting, I try to get away from the screens. I start by going to a room in my house that I can see outside. I light a candle, put on some calming music, and stretch. When I make time to stretch daily, I feel a great difference in my pain and range of motion.

When I am done stretching, I like to lie on the floor with comfy pillows propping me up and try to quiet my mind a bit. This step is certainly a luxury and not something that I can always do.

I like to make one last small batch of electrolytes before I go to sleep. I will drink this with my sleeping pill.

When I wait for my sleeping pill to kick in, I like to lie down with a heated eye mask to take care of my eye strain. During this time, I will also do a magnesium spray and take my melatonin. If I really need good sleep, I will sometimes also take a passion flower tea.

This is a good time to ice anything that really hurts, usually my neck, or put a heating pad on to soothe my tight muscles.

After that, I will wash my face and get ready for bed. I set up my inclined pillow to raise my head and decrease my high heart rate. I grab my body pillow to either put under my legs or to help my back pain when I am on my side.

When I know I am ready for bed, I will put ointment on my eyes to help hydrate them for the next day.

I would love to hear your bedtime routines that take care of your body and mind

Comments

  • Ali Ingersoll
    Ali Ingersoll Posts: 91

    Fascinating Shannon. You are actually speaking directly to so many sleep books I have read… What's of particular interest is the technology piece. Apparently we need to be away from any type of light because our skin and eyes absorb photons even through our skin before bed. I've been trying to get better at this as well. When we go to sleep if we have any light in the room it actually naturally reduces our melatonin production by about 50%. Startling!

    You've such a great routine. Also, not eating 3 hours before bed allows the body to utilize this energy for sleep instead of digestion.

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