A Day in the Life of Your Bedtime Routine
When do you think a bedtime routine should begin? 8 pm? Perhaps later? You aren’t alone. The vast majority of people only start preparing for bed in the final hours of the day. But, experts increasingly believe that our bedtime routines should be a day-long thing.
“From the moment that you wake up, you’re effectively winding down for sleep,” claims Dr Guy Meadows, the founder of the Sleep School app. In other words, even your best attempts at a sleep-conducive before-bed routine could let you down if you don’t also think about sleep across your daily activities.
But, what exactly should a day in the life of your bedtime routine look like? Keep on reading to find out.
7 am – Let There Be Light
According to Meadows, your sleep routine should begin as soon as 7am, or really whenever you wake up. At this time, sleep-healthy steps should mainly involve getting plenty of light. Immediate exposure to either natural or artificial lighting can kickstart your circadian rhythm, making it easier to wake up and, ultimately, ensuring a better bedtime later on.
10 am – Get Outside
Meadows is an advocate of the ‘10 at 10’ theory, which should see you getting outside for at least 10 minutes at 10 am. This is great for natural light, but studies also show that even short periods outside can help to boost mood and, you guessed it, sleep quality.
Noon – Switch to Herbal Tea
Most of us think about stopping the caffeine from around 8 pm onwards, but sleep experts recommend making the switch to herbal teas or other caffeine-free beverages far earlier. Even at midday, caffeine impacts adenosine, a sleep chemical we should spend all day accruing. From noon onwards, stick with peppermint tea or other fruity options, before moving onto specific sleepy teas like chamomile or even the hemp tea offered by companies like Naturecan as you move towards the evening.
7 pm – Eat Light
Evening meals can feel like a relaxing luxury, but experts state that a heavy nighttime menu could be a sleep-based mistake. According to Meadows, a ‘lighter and healthier’ evening meal will be far better for sleeping, especially if you lean towards focuses like a Mediterranean diet that’s rich in healthy fats and vegetables.
10 pm – Wind Down in the Same Old Ways
At 10 pm, or really whenever you go to bed, you can begin to properly wind down in whichever ways work for you. The key, at this stage, is not so much what you do, but the consistency with which you do it. While sleep-healthy pointers like avoiding blue light are universal, an M&S study found that as many as 60% of Brits also like to make the bed daily as part of their bedtime routine. You do you, just make sure you’re doing the same things each night to signify to your brain that it’s time for beddy byes!
Forget a last-minute rush to sleepy town, start your bedtime commute in the mornings with this crucial day-long routine.