Weekly motivation week 9 - Evening routine

Like a morning routine, a nighttime ritual prepares your body for the restorative benefits of sleep. It's no secret that sleep is important. It improves memory, attention span, cognitive abilities (therefore less risk of injury), rational thinking and reasoning. Sleep promotes creativity. Sleep affects our quality of life by improving our ability to deal with stressful situations, increasing brain plasticity and reducing the likelihood of depression and anxiety. Sleep sets us up to be healthy from the inside - it is paramount to heart health, promotes skin cell rejuvenation (thereby making you look younger), reduces inflammation and decreases blood pressure. Moreover, sleep helps build muscle more easily. Sleep also reduces the risks of obesity, diabetes and infections. Extrapolate this further and you will see that those with high quality sleep are less prone to colon and breast cancers. Therefore, the right amount of sleep actually helps you live longer. (Not to mention that those who have high quality sleep have more sex (this can probably be correlated to healthier testosterone levels in men which are promoted with sleep)).

If you want to be healthy, sleep cannot be ignored.

Is your evening routine sufficient to set you up for the land of nod? Going to bed at around the same time helps condition your body for sleep. Journaling can help rid your mind of negative thoughts before you turn off the lights.

Or is there something you could do to aid the transition from day to night? Meditation, chamomile tea, a warm bath with epsom salts, burn lavender oil, play soothing music, practice deep breathing and reading/listening to books on tape have all been reported to assist in falling asleep. Staying hydrated during the day (but not too close to bed time) can also help promote a fast transition to sleep.

What can you do to ensure you get quality rest at the end of a busy day? Exercising early in the day can help, as can exposure to sunlight during the day.

Are there changes to your sleeping environment you can make to ensure more comfort? Do you need to invest in a new pillow? Is the doona the right warmth rating for the season? Does your bedroom need to be de-cluttered to encourage the right head space when you go to bed?  Reducing ambient light, removing electronics and setting the temperature to between 15 and 19 degrees Celcius all assist in promoting good sleep. Weighted blankets are also said to improve sleep.