subject: Establishing A Good Night Time Routine [print this page] Many will attest to the fact that there is little better than a good daily and nightly routine to keep your body and mind in balance everyone has their own night-time rituals, but often it can difficult putting these into place, particularly if youre of the spontaneous sort.
The first step is actually sorting out the things that you know need to be done before you go to sleep each night often menial tasks such as switching the hot water on or grabbing the washing from the dryer. Make a simple list and prioritise everything that way if something else crops up, you need not worry yourself and lose any hours of sleep.
If you work a 9-5 job, try and think about what youre going to be having for dinner that evening before youre actually home, perhaps on the journey back. That way youll be able to pop to the shops before youre actually home. Once you get home, try and give yourself a short moment to relax and unwind after work before you start cooking, as this will help to keep up your temperament and improve your mood, particularly after a bad day.
If you simply cant be bothered to cook properly (because sometimes, understandably you just dont feel in the mood), grab yourself a ready meal from the supermarket and your food will be ready in a matter of minutes.
Try to avoid carbohydrates before bed as this will give you unnecessary energy and could make it harder for you to actually drift off to sleep. The same applies to caffeinated drunks such as coffee, tea and fizzy drinks. A much better drink is hot milk, or chamomile or valerian tea. Valerian tea has been used for years to promote a good night of sleep, but has a somewhat unpleasant taste, so chamomile is generally preferable.
Perhaps the most important factor in getting a good night of sleep is establishing a routine of making your bed in the morning and keeping sheets washed at least once a month (generally once every fortnight is recommended) the pure psychological factor of settling down into a made and clean bed has proven to be more relaxing and can promote a better night of sleep.
The whole factor of the routine is really up to you to decide and find out what is better for you, but it is an undeniable fact that your body adapts to certain routines and can prepare itself for sleep if you stick to said routine.
