Wellness rituals to do before bed to sleep like a baby every night

Like most adults, if sleep evades you because you lie awake at night going over your day and analysing every conversation you had, it’s time you looked at some pre-sleep wellness habits. Our busy lives and even busier minds have made it nearly impossible for us to get the kind of rest our body actually needs. It’s why we feel zombie-like even after getting eight hours of sleep the previous night.

It all comes down to what we’re doing right before our heads hit the pillow. Are we binge-watching a documentary about a serial killer? Sleeping with the lights on? Napping too much? All these seemingly small things affect our internal clocks and the quality of our sleep in a big way. We aren’t light switches. We can’t just turn it on and off. Our minds need undivided time to unwind and decompress. The same way our bodies need to cool down after an arduous workout. To improve our sleep hygiene, we have ensured that we find activities that clear our minds and help us feel nirvana-like calm. We’ve curated a list of habits that you can inculcate in your everyday nighttime routine to ensure you sleep like a log every night.

Listen to a bedtime story

If ever you feel like sleep is evading you, put on a podcast that has bedtime stories. Don’t worry, we aren’t suggesting Clifford The Big Red Dog. Nor do we mean true crime, if that’s your thing. Apps like Calm or Headspace have actual bedtime stories narrated in a soothing pitch that you can listen to. The beauty of these is that they stop your mind from racing and shift your focus from whatever is giving you anxiety to this calming story. Eventually putting you to sleep with a peaceful frame of mind. 

Turn off all electronics two hours before your bedtime

You know the nights you fall asleep while watching FRIENDS? That needs to stop. Ideally, all electronic (including your phone and computer. As tough as it is to not doomscroll in bed). The reason is simple. The backlight from these devices suppresses our melatonin production which offsets our internal clocks, making it tougher for us to fall asleep and wake up. Instead of staring at your phone, pick up a paperback instead.

Create a cosy environment

Take a warm bath, dim the lights, draw your curtains and put on some soothing music. You could also invest in a white noise machine if you think that will help. This cosy environment helps your body recognize that bedtime is near so you can begin to wind down. 

Meditate and write down the things that keep you up at night

Okay, we’re sure this isn’t the first time you are hearing this and it certainly won’t be the last. But the reason that meditation and journaling is so highly recommended is that they help you align yourself. It’s what your mind needs after long days and even longer nights. Just simply focusing on your breathing after you’ve jotted down all your worries of the day and random 2 am thoughts will help you achieve the sound sleep your body and mind yearn for.

Keep your pre-sleep routine as consistent as possible

If you want to sleep like a baby every night, it’s important to start small. Pick two habits from the list above, to begin with, and then build on those. Slow consistency is the key. If you work on your pre-sleep habits and stick to them like velcro, your sleep quality will improve. Just be careful to not over-complicate things as that would no longer be relaxing. It would yield the opposite results of what you’re trying to achieve.