Did you know that 2 out of 10 of every American suffer from sleep disorders? While 7 hours is the recommended amount of sleep, the average American sleeps for only 6.8 hours.
Sleep insomnia is more common than you think. If you suffer from insomnia, having a bedtime self-care will not only help you to sleep, it will also improve your mood and general wellbeing.
Bedtime Self-care Routine
Here’s a good bedtime self-care routine that will help you relax and put your mind at rest before going to sleep:
Take a Warm Bath
There’s nothing better than a hot bath to help you de-stress after a long difficult day. A warm bath doesn’t just wash away your dirt; it washes away your tensions and the muscle pain.
Dermatologists say that taking a warm bath is similar to the same effect you have when sitting out in the sun. The warm temperature in the bath releases endorphins in your skin which has a calming effect on your body and mind.
A warm bath has many other health benefits. These include reduced risk of heart attack, higher calorie burn, lowered blood pressure and improved blood sugar control.
Plan for the Day Ahead
There are so many times when even before my day started, I started to stress over it. Now that I think about it, I understand that I didn’t stress over it. I overstressed. I made my tasks to be more than they were.
Stressing about the day ahead isn’t going to solve your problem. You need to take charge of your life. Take your planner to bed with you. List down the tasks you have to do tomorrow. Think of how many you can do, and where to start.
Go to bed with a plan. It takes away half the worry.
Read
If you are in the habit of going through your emails, your social media or chatting late night with friends then consider replacing it with a book or Kindle. Reading before bedtime relax you. Research on the habit of reading before bedtime reveals that when you read before bedtime, your breathing relaxes. Your muscles relax. This lowers down stress levels, making it easier for you to sleep and enjoy a better quality of sleep.
At the same time, reading more bedtime improves creativity and brain health. This is enough for me to ditch the cell in favor of an old good book. Go for a thoughtful book. And I’d say that you should steer clear of gripping, thrillers. These could keep you reading long through the night. I say this from experience.
Mediate
Mediation helps you find your center and cleanse your soul for all tensions and worries. Here’s a simple mediation routine you can follow every night:
- Lay down on the bed on your back. Take 5 deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose, and let it out from your mouth. Concentrate entirely on breathing. Feel your lungs filling with air, and letting it out.
- Feel all parts of your body. Take into account all the sensations in your body. Give each sense time to take in all the surrounding. Now relax all body parts consciously.
- Welcome all your thoughts. Wallow in your thoughts for 5-10 minutes. Think about your entire day. From the beginning to the end. Let your mind wander if it wants to.
- Now, it’s time to fold all your thoughts back into your mind. Close all worry chapters. Welcome good thoughts. You should feel your body relaxing now.
Stop Thinking
Start counting if you have to. Train your brain to stop thinking of all your problems, financial or otherwise. If you are going through any problems, you can’t do something about it at night. Leave that for the day.
You need your good night’s sleep to recharge yourself for the day ahead. If you are facing any financial stress, you should seek help from a financial advisor. Check out Crediful.com online for more information.
Stick to the Routine
Many people start off with a bedtime self-care routine with great enthusiasm. They follow it for a week, even 10 days. Then it’s back to their usual routine. Most often with a cell phone in hand, mindlessly scrolling through social media.
The secret to any self-care routine is consistency. Even if you have run a 3k race during the day, you should follow your set self-care routine. Merely going through the same routine day in and day out is relaxing and calming for the body. If you find that this routine takes up a good time, remember it could be taking even longer for you to go to sleep otherwise.
Start your supercharged to take on all your challenges. Good sleep can go a lot in decreasing stress levels and improving energy levels to deal with all that life throws at you.
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