Guest Post: Samantha Kent with The Sleep Help Institute.

We humans tend to like our routines in every part of our lives. When things go the way we expect them to, we’re much more comfortable and happier, no matter what part of our day it applies to.

This includes when it comes to bedtime. Setting up a bedtime routine helps our bodies and minds calm down in the evenings and start to produce melatonin, which helps us to feel sleepy at the right time

What Can You Include in a Bedtime Routine?

Honestly, anything can be included in a kid’s bedtime routine, or your own. Anything that is relaxing and good for your sleep makes a good addition. Here some activities that we think would make a great addition to yours! Make sure that you are using all of your prescribed medications and machines at the right time for the optimum sleep.

Reading

Reading is essential to a child’s bedtime routine, especially when they’re younger. Reading helps you to develop faster socially, emotionally and linguistically. It also makes for some great quality time between a kid and their parent that will make for fond memories into their own adulthood. For adults, reading just a little bit can be enough for your brain to turn off and allow you to rest easier.

Yoga

If you are still feeling jittery In the evenings, try doing some light yoga to stretch out those muscles and focus on the good things in life. This can help you to get to sleep easier by burning some energy without getting your heart racing, as well as by helping you to feel less pain when you wake up in the morning. It can even be done as a family

Oral Hygiene

Don’t forget to make brushing Your teeth and Unforgettable part of your evening. Your mouth helps to make the rest of your life possible by making sure you can eat and talk. Taking care of it will be very important to the rest of your self-care.

What Shouldn’t You Include in a Bedtime Routine

Now, I know we said that you could include just about anything in your bedtime routine, as long as you’re consistent, but there are few things you should leave out in order to improve the quality of your sleep.

Your Phone

Phone screens emit blue spectrum light which tells our brains to stay awake and pay attention to what we’re looking at. This can cause delays in melatonin production that make it a lot harder to fall asleep on time.

Snacks

Eating late at night means that your body will be digesting while you are trying to go to sleep. This can make you need to use the restroom more often at night and disrupt your sleep from indigestion and heartburn

Strenuous Activity

Strenuous activity can lead you to Quicken your heart rate, which makes adrenaline pump. This will lead you to feeling tired, but not sleepy, and can keep you awake late into the night. If you are going to work out in the afternoons, make sure that it is three or four hours before  you intend to go to bed so that your body has time to calm down after your workout.