Today I will share things to do every night before bed that will help you sleep better and wake up better the next day.
A solid solid evening routine will make your life better in different ways:
- It helps you wrap up your day whether it was a good or bad one.
- It helps relax and ease your mind to sleep.
- It helps you plan for tomorrow.
Try each of the tips below for a better evening and a more productive day.
Turn off your screen
You should have seen this tip coming but, yes, turning off your screen at least an hour before you go to bed is one of the most life-changing things you can do before bed.
This tip actually has a scientific reason behind it. The blue light emitted from your smartphone disrupts the release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. Thus, the more you look at your screen, the more you will have trouble falling asleep.
Relax your brain by committing to a no-screen before bed and give your eyes (and yourself) a much needed rest. There are a number of ways you can set this up depending on what phone you use.
For iOS, you can turn on the Screen Time Mode and select a Downtime frame. I usually have mine from 11PM to 5AM. For Android, you can go to Settings > Battery Usage > Show Full Device Usage. This will give you an overview of the amount of time you spent on a particular app.
Plan Your Day the Night Before
I used to plan my day in the morning. Although this is in no way wrong, I found out a better way to plan is actually doing it the night before. Doing this allows you to make a game plan for the next day in advance.
Because I know the biggest rocks of my tomorrow the night before, it’s way easier to batch tasks, assess priorities of the day and insert minimal tasks I can do. You also get to familiarize yourself in case there are appointments or meetings the next day unlike looking at your calendar at 7AM only to find you have a meeting at 9AM.
I have my ever so reliable bullet journal to do all my planning. Here’s my latest bullet journal set up should you need inspiration.
Declutter
Having a clear space will also lead to having a clear mind. Make sure to spend time to tidy up your workspace or bedside before sleeping. This will amplify your productivity so much. You don’t need to do massive cleaning, just put things together in the place that you wanted them to be. Clear out your work space with paperwork and free yourself from things that will remind you of work itself.
Other decluttering to-dos under this category are as follows:
- Do the dishes
- Put to trash any scattered items, wrapper of the snack you ate earlier, used cotton from your skincare, etc.
- Put in place items that belong to a different place
- Change your pillows and bed sheet
Skincare
Throughout the day, even though we are just staying home, our face can get dirty. That’s why it’s important to put time as well into skincare. I personally see skincare at night as a pampering routine, one that makes you feel relaxed before you go to sleep.
No matter how tired I am, I see to it that I still do proper skincare at night even if it’s as simple as cleanser - toner - moisturizer.
I also try to drink my vitamins and get as much water as I can to rehydrate before bed.
Some extra things you can do as part of your night routine self care every now and then:
- Apply a sheet mask
- Apply hair treatment
- Exfoliate your body with body scrub (i.e. Asian Secrets Lulur Body Scrub)
Read a book
Part of my downtime is reading a good book. It’s one of the best ways to decompress at night and it makes me fall asleep faster and better, to be honest. Reading is a great mental exercise and you can actually reserve your non-fiction books at night to help you doze off. Go find a self-help or personal growth book you can read.
I spend the rest of the night reading until I fall asleep.
Other related activities you can do every night before bed is to listen to relaxing music or catch up on your favorite podcast episode.
Journal
If you don’t journal in the morning, then why not do it before bed instead? Journaling is one of the best ways to unwind and let go of anything that happens throughout your day. Take a moment to reflect on the day and jot down a couple of things you are grateful for. It can be as simple as having the best coffee or as big as getting a promotion.
Now more than ever, we need to express more gratitude towards life. We’ve witnessed how in a snap of a finger everything can change. Find time to record your thoughts even with the little things.
Set intentions for tomorrow
Lastly, set your intentions for the next day. How do you want to feel tomorrow? Any personal goals you want to accomplish or make some progress on?
Here are examples of intentions you can set:
- Be productive
- Be active
- Be forgiving
- Be organized
- Be creative
That’s it for this post. I hope you picked up a thing or two for your own routine before going to bed.
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