The point of bedtime routines, no matter your age, is to help you relax and wind down for sleep. They involve consistent and repetitive activities to promote better snoozing. There is a lot of information out there on what constitutes an effective bedtime routine, but even if you’ve already decided on a routine, you may not know how to implement it.
Establishing a Bedtime Routine
These are helpful habits to establish for any nightly routine:
- Avoiding alcohol, nicotine or caffeine in the evening (even the afternoon if possible)
- Going to bed and rising at the same time every day (even on weekends)
- Limiting screen time before bed
- Practicing meditation, yoga, a warm bath, or other stress-relief techniques
- Keeping the bedroom at a comfortable temperature
- Using the bed only for sleeping (and sex!)
- Blocking out ambient noise and artificial light
If you are still deciding on your routine, feel free to pick and mix from this list.
Troubleshooting Bedtime Routine Problems
How can you make your routine, whatever it looks like, effective? If you’ve been struggling with your routine, take a few moments to figure out why and brainstorm solutions. Here are some examples of problems and possible solutions.
Health Issues
Chronic health conditions make you feel like your routine is pointless. No matter what you do, you won’t sleep well.
Possible solutions: If you have not already, talk to your doctor about how your conditions compromise your sleep quality. Different treatment approaches might be effective. Research good sleep routines for people with your conditions, and customize them as needed. You can also ask your doctor to test you for sleep-related conditions. It could be one of these that primarily messes with your sleep, as opposed to other concerns. If your partner says you snore, get that checked out.
Contrasting Routines
Your spouse has a different sleep routine. It throws yours out of whack and interferes with your sleep. On the other hand, maybe your kids don’t adhere to their routines despite your best efforts, which messes with your own bedtime routine.
Possible solutions: Sleep in a different room from your spouse. Quality sleep is not something to mess around with. Try changing the kids’ routines so they’re shorter or less complicated, and/or do the same with yours. Another approach could be to switch off with your partner the nights you put the kids to bed. An effective routine half the time is better than nothing.
Failure To Follow Through
You try your best but just cannot stick to your routine.
Possible solutions: Maybe you’ve made your routine too challenging. In theory, putting your phone and alcohol aside after 6 p.m., doing 30 minutes of yoga, taking a hot bath, and reading in bed for an hour may sound amazing. In reality, you could be setting too high expectations for yourself. Try moving up the phone time to 7 p.m. or even 8 p.m., and doing either yoga or the hot bath, not both.
Perfecting Your Bedtime Routine
Devising and following an effective bedtime routine can be tricky, but it is doable. It’s supposed to help you relax and unwind, so don’t stress about it too much. That defeats the purpose. For more tips on adulting, check out more Rugged Standard health articles.