Tips for Establishing a Healthy Nighttime Routine

Sleep is more than feeling refreshed and ready to tackle a new day. It impacts your overall health in many ways. Sleeping and weight loss share an intrinsic link, and many biological functions rely on regular sleep cycles. That’s why many health experts recommend establishing a nighttime routine.

A nighttime routine is a schedule of activities that you perform before bed. Getting into a pattern reduces stress and helps the brain recognize that it’s time to fall asleep. Over time, a routine helps you fall asleep faster, avoid insomnia and wake up rested.

Need help establishing your nighttime routine? Follow these tips.

Choose a Bedtime

Having a set bedtime is an excellent first step that makes a substantial difference—staying up late and going to bed at random hours throughout the week do you no favors. A strict bedtime is necessary for training your brain. Consistency can trigger your brain to get tired at just the right time.

Your nighttime routine should revolve around this chosen time, occurring 30 minutes to two hours beforehand.

Have a Light Snack

Eating heavy meals can make many people feel drowsy. While you might fall asleep quicker, the effects on your system will likely have you waking up in the middle of the night! Instead of eating full meals before bed, limit yourself to light snacks.

Healthy foods like fruits or yogurt bridge the gap, helping you feel satiated without unwanted indigestion or acid reflux.

Meditate or Stretch

Stretching and meditating can relieve tension and help you relax after a long day. Including these activities in your nighttime routine can dramatically improve sleep quality and prevent the risk of cramps and nighttime stress.

Consider doing mindfulness exercises or trying your hand at yoga. Short sessions are enough to experience the benefits.

Take a Bath or Hot Shower

Did you know that your body temperature drops when your body produces melatonin to go to sleep? A bath or shower can mimic that effect, helping you feel that drowsy effect. Taking a few minutes to relax in the heat of a bath or shower can also benefit your muscles, making it easier to relax.

Avoid Electronics

Last but not least, ditch the electronics! With the link between sleeping and weight loss, many experts blame the rise of social media for growing obesity rates. Staring at your phone for several hours as you lie in bed is the opposite of what you want.

The blue light tricks your brain into thinking that it’s daytime, impacting melatonin production and making it difficult for you to fall asleep.

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