A good night’s sleep. That magical thing people talk about, & I swear long ago existed in my life…but it’s few and far between since becoming a mama. Sleep is sacred now, & some days I am smiled upon and get more than 4 hours…sometimes not so much. These past few weeks, my days and nights consist of lots of baby feeding and settling, so separating the day routines between night routines is that much more important for me.
Focusing on good, morning habits is so important for having a good day, but preparing my mind and body for a good night’s sleep is just as crucial, & the only way I can take advantage of the rest I do get.
When you go go go all day, it’s so nice to just drop on your bed and slip away into Zzz land. Though, I know it’s also just as easy to toss & turn in the night when you haven’t fully decompressed from the day. Taking some time for yourself and calming down before bed, will give you a better sleep as you shed that day away to help you prepare for tomorrow.
These are some bedtime habits that will help cleanse you of all the craziness in your day, so you can rest well and be prepared for a new day! Because I promise, tomorrow is going to be a great day!
Remove Your Makeup
Whether you are up for doing a whole facial routine before bed or not (though I suggest you do!) … the least you should do is take off your makeup. We all know sleeping with makeup ages our skin, so do your future self a favour and take it all off! I swear by make up remover cloths, you just wet them with water and they are WAY less harsh on your face. I promise you will fall in love!
Brush & Floss
This is a no-brainer…I mean, you don’t have to brush & floss ALL your teeth…just the ones you want to keep.
Put away the tech
Turn off the TV (I suggest not even having one in the bedroom!), close your computer & set your alarm on your phone and put it where you can’t reach it from your bed. No matter who you are – you need some time to disconnect. *Check out my blog post on How To Disconnect In A Connected World for more ways to disconnect throughout the day! If you can put away your tech an hour before you go to sleep – bonus!! You can also get a separate REAL alarm clock, so you don’t use your phone (yes they do exist!! haha)
Read / Pray / Connect
Take some time to put your focus on something or someone else. Whether it be reading a few chapters of your current book, or praying/meditating on your day and week. Pray about the struggles you had that day, to relieve a few of your stresses. Or, spend the time in praise for all the blessings the day has brought. It’s also a great time to reflect on these things with your partner and touch base with them after a long day. Connect with a loved one whether it is your husband, children, etc. Take the time to give and receive love and connection, which will always keep you grounded on what’s important.
Makes notes for the next day
This isn’t a necessity for everyone, but I think it helps to make a list of tasks you possibly didn’t get to the previous day, or things you need to get done the next day. I am a very forgetful person, so writing these things down takes the weight and worry that I will forget them, off my shoulders. This could also be the time to journal, draw, colour or something similar. Check out my cute DIY tutorial for an easy way to make your own notepad!
Diffuse sleepy oils
Not only do we sleep better with more humidity as it takes away the discomfort of dry air & helps you breathe better – coupling it with some sleepy essential oils will promote relaxation to help you calmly drift away into sleepy land. I like to diffuse this before moisturizing and stretching so the oils can start to fill the room. My favourite blend is the DoTerra Serenity blend filled with lavender, chamomile, vanilla bean & other soothing ingredients. I received a beautiful petal diffuser with this special blend of oils from my friend & whole living lover Traci & I can’t go through the week without them – for any questions on essential oils, feel free to contact her here.
Moisturize
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.
I believe the key to keeping yourself looking as young as possible as you age is to moisturize! (& drinking lots of water of course!) While being pregnant and as my skin was stretching, moisturizing was key, especially with stretch marks showing themselves and getting all that itchy skin – there’s nothing worse than itchy skin when it’s dry too! I love my Bella B Tummy Honey Cream for this! It helps reduce stretch marks as well as reduces itchiness. This particular brand is hypoallergenic, petroleum & paraben free, which is a bonus because I had my tiny baby growing behind that skin. Now that I have had my little one, I use the dynamic duo of the Bella B Tummy Honey Cream & Bella B Skin Lightening Cream when moisturizing because not only am I wanting the stretch marks to fade but after pregnancy, my skin starts to lose its brightness. The Bella B Skin Lightening Cream is a nice addition to my moisturizing routine to keep my skin just a little brighter… (& it’s very subtle so you won’t get the sheets orange or anything!).
Stretch
The perfect time to stretch before bed is after you moisturize so you can let the creams sink in. Do a few yoga poses on your problem areas, really trying to focus on shedding all that stress you accumulated from the day.
What are some of your favourite things to do before bed to get a good night’s sleep?!
So many great suggestions, these are all super important!
Good suggestions but so hard to do consistently
These bedtime habits are ESSENTIAL for a good nights rest. I struggle to wind down unless I’ve diffused soem oils and read a book.
These are almost all part of my bedtime routine. I am just pretty bad about putting away the tech.
Making notes for the next day and moisturizing is a major must for me!!
Lauren
All of these are wonderful ideas for getting a good nights sleep. Sometimes, not all the time I will put on soothing music and that helps me fall asleep.
I never go to bed without removing my makeup. My mama taught me well. I keep a bottle of moisturizing lotion on my nightstand so that I can moisturize my dry feet before going to bed. Reading and praying are musts before bedtime! My routine helps me have a good nights sleep. (Love this list!)
These are wonderful tips. I have to get in the habit of stretching before bed. I love the idea of prepping for the next day.
These are great tips but I have to admit that I don’t follow all of these but removing makeup is a must. I use tech and TV to get to sleep and wind down although I know it is not reccommended.
Great suggestions for getting better rest. Moisturize is so important. Especially as you get older. Reading is my way to help me sleep.
I do try to do a lot of these. I most certainly moisturize to help my skin out. I also like to read.
Pretty much all of these do the trick for me. I have no trouble sleeping!
This is also my list but without the diffuse essential oils part. I like taking care of my skin so removing makeup and putting moisturizers is very important.
I could definitely use better sleep habits. I dont have the best bedtime routine or sleep schedule.
Great tips, my biggest struggle is with putting the phone away. I feel like my mind starts racing and I start googling random things as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I suck at putting away the tech. The rest I do, but since I read ebooks, I just can’t put the phone down.
Great idea. As someone who constantly wears makeup, I totally agree with removing them before sleeping.
Having good bedtime habits will definitely result in better sleep. Putting away that technology is the biggest thing for me to put my mind at ease!
I definitely put down my phone an hour before I sleep. It helps my mind relax and it’s a nice way to get some quiet time as well. It’s definitely one of the things that helps me sleep better!
Reading books, listening to music and having some essential oils are those that works for me to have a better sleep and of course, setting my cellphone into do nut disturb mode.
Good sleep is really essential to prepare one physically and mentally for the day ahead. Putting away the tech is so important in today’s world. This is something I need to practise. Also, want to restart my earlier habit of reading in bed.
Putting away the tech is so hard to do and that’s my biggest issue. Reading books help me a lot to fall asleep.
I totally needed to read this today! I haven’t been sleeping well at all for a long time. I desperately need a good nights sleep.
A good routine is all it takes to make sure you have a lovely sleep at night. I think these are good habits to practice before bed time.