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5 Nighttime Practices to Set You Up For a Productive Day
Have you ever had one of those days where all the words you needed to say materialized in your mind at just the right moment? The kind of day that found you optimistic, energized and at the top of your game? More than likely, that state of bliss was the result of a very solid night of sleep. When thinking about changes you need to live a healthier life, often times we just think about diet and exercise and we discount the importance of sleep. However, when we sleep our bodies go into a natural state of healing/repair which is a vital component to an active life. Also, sticking to those commitments you made to yourself, whether it be going on a long walk everyday or eating healthy, can be much easier when you are well-rested. A good night of sleep=stronger willpower.
In addition to the number of hours our bodies need each night, there are 5 nighttime practices we live by. Before we discuss them, we have a few questions for you to ask yourself in evaluating your current nighttime routine. How many of you have a TV in your bedroom? Are you checking Facebook or Instagram in bed? Do you sleep with your phone next to your head? Are you binge watching your favorite Netflix shows until you pass out? Or, are you setting yourself up for a nice, deep sleep?
We have found that the absence of a TV in our bedroom is a key factor to improving the quality of our sleep. We have established a healthy routine which helps us unwind from the day and de-stress prior to hitting the sack. With technology today, there is no need to trade quality sleep for an extra episode or two of your favorite show.
Here are our 5 nighttime practices which help us get a good night sleep:
1.) Treat your bedroom as a beautiful retreat.
Splurge on sheets and pillows to make your bed super comfortable. Put a few candles around the room and light them as you begin to get ready for bed. No TV, computer, or phone in the bedroom period. This is a tough one for some, however, every insomniac we know watches TV in bed. If you’re having trouble sleeping, a healthier practice is to grab a book and read a few pages in bed. We live in a world of over-stimulation. We are bombarded all day long with texts, social media notifications, phone calls, email alerts, and game requests. Have you ever finished watching the news and said to yourself “Man I feel great! I’m ready for bed!” No, instead of closing the night with a calm, clear mind, the over coverage of shootings, murders, political scandals and other tragedies make us worry and feel bad. We have found that being too connected is unhealthy.
2.) Avoid large amounts of carbs with dinner.
This includes, pasta, bread, potatoes, desserts, and alcohol. Enjoy your dinner by all means, however, avoid over eating...especially carbs as they will keep you up late. Also, alcohol will rob you of peaceful sleep. Try keeping it to one or even better, just have water with dinner. We also find it helps to eat an early dinner if possible. This gives your body plenty of time to digest your meal before going to bed. We also enjoy a "green drink" every night after dinner and we will get into the benefits of this in a future blog!
3.) Set the mood for sleep.
We find a great way to get our bodies and minds relaxed is by playing some light spa music while we get ready for bed (shower, brush teeth, etc.). This is a good time to light the bedroom candles. Our spa music of choice lately is the Spa Suite station from Pandora. Winding down this way gives you the feeling of calmness and peace. This practice will do so much more towards ensuring a good night sleep.
4.) Establish a healthy hygiene routine.
At the very least It’s important to brush your teeth and wash your face every night. For women, completely remove all makeup. This is important because our bodies are exposed to so many chemicals throughout the day that the last thing we need to do is sleep with them. Let’s face it, no one likes the look of smudged makeup in the morning or makeup stains on a pillow case. A little secret for the women is the power of coconut oil to remove your makeup. Use the smallest amount, a little dab on a tissue goes a long way. Yes, the same coconut oil you may have in your kitchen. The same coconut oil we will recommend you cook with, moisturize with and maybe use for oil pulling. We use organic, unrefined, cold pressed coconut oil...it is amazing! Since we use coconut oil for pretty much EVERYTHING, we buy it in bulk from Costco.
5.) Go to bed at a decent hour.
Of course, this may vary from person to person depending on your work schedule. For us, we like to wake up and get the day started by 5:00-6:00am. In order to wake up refreshed, we make sure we are in bed by 9:30 giving our bodies between 7-8 hours of sleep. Getting enough sleep will set you up for success during the day. If you stayed up late watching TV or only got a few hours of sleep, most likely you will be dragging the next day. Also, what happens when you are not well rested? You make excuses for not working out or eating a well-balanced breakfast in the morning. It turns into a vicious cycle. Break the cycle and make sleep a priority. It is when you sleep that your body is able to heal and recover.
Sweet dreams! :-)