On 40 million adults have a anxiety disorder, a sworn enemy of good sleep. The anxiety you feel during the day often carries over into the night. Leaving these emotions unaddressed can turn into mental hyperarousal, which makes it difficult to fall asleep. You may know that feeling when you lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to doze off. Suddenly the minutes turn into an hour and the longer we delay without rest, the more stressed we feel.
Unfortunately, stress and anxiety go hand in hand. It’s a vicious cycle because lack of sleep causes stress, and stress causes lack of sleep. However, there is power in a calming bedtime routine; Setting aside time to relax at the end of your day helps reduce anxiety and de-stress, so it is easier to fall into restful sleep. No matter who you are or what you do on a daily basis, everyone deserves some “me” time in the evening to relax and take care of themselves.
For other ways to sleep better, here are three tips to fall asleep in 10 minutes or less and five ways to calm anxiety before bed.
Steps to Include in Your Bedtime Self-Care Routine
Here’s a nine-step self-care routine to practice an hour or two before bed, including science-backed tips that are proven to work. lower cortisol levelsyour body’s main stress hormone, and promote relaxation.
For more help reducing stress before bed, here five ways to calm anxiety and advice on overcome Sunday scares.
1. Put your phone on “Do not disturb”
Devices like your laptop, TV, and cell phone emit blue light that is not perceptible to the human eye, but is capable of delaying the onset of blue light. melatonin release in your system. Melatonin is a hormone responsible for regulating our sleep cycles and is strongly influenced by darkness. Without melatonin, it’s harder for your body to recognize that it’s time to sleep.
Notifications from your phone, such as texts or emails, can also keep your mind stimulated when it should be going to bed. Our recommendation is to put your phone down an hour and a half before bed and turn on “do not disturb” mode to limit distractions.
2. Diffuse essential oils
Aromatherapy can be used as a useful tool for sleep. Set the mood in your home or room by streaming essential oils with scents that have been shown to have sleep-inducing properties.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that the smell of lavender can help promote better slow-wave sleep, also known as deep sleep in the third non-rapid eye movement stage. Other good oils for sleeping include chamomile and jasmine.
3. Take a hot bath with dim lighting
Taking a warm bath before bed can help you sleep better.
There are two things that come into play here to help you get a better night’s sleep. By taking a bath before bed, you trigger your thermoregulation system, which will increase blood circulation from your body to your hands and feet. This causes a drop in body temperature, which tells your body that it’s time to go to bed, because your body temperature is at its lowest during sleep.
By dimming your bathroom lights or using candles, the darkness helps signal to your body that bedtime is approaching and causes the release of melatonin to put you to sleep.
4. Read a book
Read before bed is a great way to get lost in your imagination and a good alternative to using your phone before bed. It has also been shown to be an effective way to promote better sleep, as a short reading session can reduce stress by up to 68%. Just be sure to choose a book that doesn’t trigger anger, sadness, or other strong feelings that can turn you on.
5. Practice a skincare routine
Washing your face (even if you don’t wear makeup) and moisturizing your skin before bed is important because it removes bacteria and pollutants and promotes healthier skin. Incorporating it into your bedtime self-care routine is not only good for your skin, but it can also help you relax and unwind. Humans are creatures of habit. Once you’re used to your routine, washing your face becomes another signal to your body that it’s time to go to bed.
6. Apply lavender lotion
As I mentioned above, the smell of lavender has a calming effect and can promote drowsiness. Knowing this, applying lavender lotion after your hot shower or bath can simultaneously help hydrate your skin and help you fall asleep. Our wellness editor Nasha uses Lush Sleepy Lavender Lotion before she goes to bed and swears by it.
7. Practice meditation or gentle stretching
Gentle stretches before bed can help your body relax and sleep.
Meditation is simple but has a strong impact on your quality of sleep. He helps reduce stress and anxiety and can even relieve insomnia. It’s a way to practice mindfulness and learn to deal with negative feelings that might otherwise keep you up at night. It can also decrease your heart rate and cortisol levels and promote more theta brain waves, simulating a state of mind similar to when you fall asleep.
Gentle stretching before bed also has a relaxing effect. It helps relieve muscle tension, relieve stress, and prepare your body for sleep.
8. Write in a journal
Journaling isn’t just for your high school English class. Write in a journal before bed is a great way to relieve stress and anxieties, organize your thoughts and plan the goals and/or responsibilities you need to accomplish. We spend a lot of time with our thoughts when we’re in bed, and writing them down in a journal beforehand helps free them from your brain and relaxes your mind, so it’s easier to fall asleep.
9. Ask a loved one for a massage
As you may be able to tell from the theme here, feeling relaxed and calm before bed makes a difference in the quality of your sleep. Beyond the simple fact that it feels good, a light pressure massage releases serotonin levels, decreases cortisol and stimulates the part of your nervous system responsible for relaxing your body. It can also distract you from anxious thoughts.
