Are you having sleep problems? If there is one mistake we often make, it is to imagine that the evening ritual only concerns children…
Given the many problems that adults present with falling asleep, it would seem that the ritual evening may also concern them. Do you have sleep problems? Are you looking for tips on how to get to sleep faster?
Here are our tips for successfully closing your eyes quickly when you go to bed!
Also read: What type of sleeper are you?
Let’s go.
Sleep Problems: Reasons To Adopt An Evening Ritual
High Level Of Stress
Throughout the day, you are faced with a high level of stress. You run around, and when bedtime comes, you stay at the same level of nervousness.
Most often, difficulty falling asleep reflects significant stress: your family and/or professional concerns do not diminish when you fall asleep, and you are unable to fall asleep.
To fight against this, our little tips will help you!
You Think Too Much!
When it’s time to go to sleep, it’s as if your brain suddenly turns ON. When he should be resting, going out slowly to join Morpheus, he begins to think about the course of the day you have just spent.
“I should have done that”, “I forgot to organize this”, “I should have answered that”
Worse, you sometimes think about what you are going to do the next day or what you should not forget to do… And we’re not going to lie to each other, it can be endless.
According to your brain, all opportunities are good to keep you awake! But rest assured, you are not the only one.
Many people struggle to fall asleep because their brains are in turmoil. He continues his day as if nothing had happened, he is on all fronts!
And this, because you did not tell him beforehand that it was soon going to be time to go to bed… You did not condition him! Yes, that’s the whole point of establishing an evening ritual.
You Have Bad Habits!
You don’t think you’re particularly stressed, anxious, or thoughtful, but you still have a lot of trouble falling asleep. When you go to bed, two possibilities:
- The fatigue is not there! Your eyes are wide open, you are waiting for Morpheus who makes himself desired…
- The fatigue is there, but without knowing why, sleep does not come.
Well, it’s time to open your eyes: you need to review your lifestyle. In the evening, we make a lot of mistakes: screens on until late at night, inappropriate food, consumption of stimulants…
It’s time to remedy all this, by establishing an ideal evening ritual for those who have recurring problems falling asleep.
Syndromes and diseases
Certain illnesses and syndromes can also cause problems falling asleep.
This is particularly the case with restless legs syndrome, which is characterized by an irresistible and urgent need to move the legs when lying down.
Unpleasant sensations then arise in the lower limbs: tingling, tingling, feeling of electric shocks, tightness, etc.
This syndrome then hinders the onset of sleep by forcing the person to get up and walk. Setting up a ritual before sleeping and establishing regular sleep schedules can sometimes have a positive impact on this type of problem.
Sleep Problems: A 4-Step Evening Ritual
The phenomenon of mental conditioning, you know? This is what happens when you perform a little evening ritual, before going to bed.
You prepare your body and your brain to go to sleep, you put them in condition. And since it is not only valid for children, here is how to structure your ritual, step by step!
Two Hours Before Sleep: Quiet Time
Ideally, two hours before sleep, makes room for calm. During this period, let your body know that it is soon time to go to bed.
The meal must be done before this time, to give you time to digest well. Also, avoid practicing your sports session during two hours before your bedtime!
At H-2, it’s the perfect time to start taking a little herbal infusion and to start relaxing gently.
One Hour Before Sleep: Revolutionize Your Evening
You are caught in a little routine: before sleeping, you relax in front of the TV, or front of your Smartphone.
And sometimes, in front of both at the same time! A small series here, a discussion on social networks there…
Well, if you want to ward off your sleep difficulties, your evening ritual needs to be challenged.
Because you guessed it, an hour before going to bed, you will have to say goodbye to screens.
For a very simple reason: the blue light that these devices radiate keeps your brain awake! So you have to get away from it.
Instead, opt for calming activities: reading, music, painting, and writing (on paper!) can be interesting.
To achieve them, slightly lower the light level in your living room. Sieve the place a little, to tell your brain that it needs to start getting ready to go to sleep.
5 Minutes Before Sleep
The time is approaching! Five minutes before going to sleep, choose one of the following two exercises, the one that suits you the most.
You can test them both, to be sure that this evening ritual will be the one that suits you best.
Exercise 1: Positive meditation
For 5 minutes, sit on your bed in the lotus position. Think about the three best times of your day.
Be exhaustive, and remind yourself why they were positive, and what they brought you.
Thinking about this, inhale gently through your nose, and exhale through your mouth, to gradually slow your breathing down.
Exercise 2: mental projection
Still in the lotus position, imagine a pleasant, soothing place, a place where you feel relaxed, and at peace.
Go through all the details of this place in which you find yourself: colors, smells, sensations, warmth.
Imagine how to improve it to make it ever more comforting, ever warmer, and ever more Zen.
You may draw inspiration for this location from a book you read, an online image, or a conversation you had with a loved one for five minutes.
And every night, before you go to sleep, change places, and exercise your imagination.
Time To Go To Bed!
Live In The Moment When You Go To Bed
If you’re one of those people who overthinks when it’s time to go to bed, you need to channel your thinking. To do this, you can test mindfulness.
It helps you stay in the present moment, to avoid thinking about what you did during the past day, and what you will do tomorrow.
The idea is to focus on what you’re going through: you’re in bed, warm, under the duvet, in your pajamas, the temperature is ideal, next to you your other half is starting to fall asleep, you feel your breathing slowing down.
Force yourself to think about only that and nothing else.
By focusing on your breathing, you also focus on your slowing heartbeat, which is about to fall asleep. As soon as your thought wanders, come back to the present moment.
It’s hard work, but worth the effort! Most?
The technique of the present moment can be used in everyday life, at work, when you brush your teeth, when you are in transport: at any time, you can learn to come back to the present moment, to allow your brain to breathe, and your anxiety to get away!
Take A Seat In A Cocooning Bed
All this little evening ritual to ward off sleep problems only makes sense if you have suitable bedding! To sleep well, you need to be properly equipped.
You need to take care of your body and give it every chance to regenerate, enjoying restful sleep. And to succeed in relaxing, bedding plays a big role:
- Your mattress should take care of your back. It should give your spine, arms, and legs room to relax.
- Your pillow must be adapted to your morphology, your sleeping position (on your stomach, on your back, on your side), and your health problems.
If you happen to feel neck pain in the morning, you must opt for a suitable pillow, otherwise, you will find it difficult to rest as you need.
- Your bed linen must be suitable: if you have problems sweating at night, opt for airy materials (cool pillow protectors, pillowcases, duvets, sheets).
If you tend to be cold, opt for warm and welcoming materials! Every detail counts, to fight against sleep difficulties.
Conclusion
You are there! After all, it’s not just children who are entitled to their little evening ritual.
If the little story before going to sleep is not enough for you, follow these tips: Your problems falling asleep can be solved thanks to these tips, but you still have to give yourself the means to rethink your evenings.
Ready to take up the challenge to sleep well?
I have an extended article stating: How To Improve Your Sleep Hygiene?