Relaxing bedtime routine...I may be the wrong person to ask. I've had insomnia for as long as I can remember - and it got MUCH worse once I had kids. I have no trouble falling asleep. I just have trouble staying asleep. I may wake up as much as 7 times, falling back to sleep quickly each time, but not getting more than 45 min. at a time. I may be up once, but it's for 3 hours. It's different almost every night, but VERY rarely do I sleep for more than 6 hours in a row. It's not sleep apnea, I'm breathing just fine. It's not like I wake up with an overactive mind all stressed out. I just...wake up. I tried all the typical bedtime routines, herbal supplements, over the counter things that make me feel like crap the next day. It's quite possibly genetic. Both my mother and my daughter don't sleep through the night either. We never really have. I have it far better than either of them, so I don't complain about it. Anyway, back to the challenge.
As I said, I don't have trouble GETTING to sleep. Maybe my typical routine is what's right for me? Who knows? Maybe it would be way worse without my routine. Here's what I do:
1. I go to my room well before I plan on sleeping. It may be an hour or so early. I close the door,
and mentally close the door on the day. No more planning. No stressing over what I did/didn't do
that day.
2. I take the time to feel good. I wash my face. I brush my teeth. I get comfortable. My clothes are in
the hamper, no towels on the floor, no mess surrounding me. It's like minimalism - have less
cluttering your relaxing space.
3. I generally don't get on social media before bed. I don't get on Facebook - news stories would
stress me out. I avoid Twitter where I have almost all baseball stuff - I'd be up for hours reading
articles and watching videos of my favorite players. I avoid Instagram, no reason except that it
would get me on my phone and on FB/twitter/checking emails.
4. I have a sip of water. I'm technically on a very low dose one pill at night medication for high blood
pressure, but it's been normal for weeks at a time without it, so I generally skip it unless it's been a
particularly stressful day.
5. I get comfortable in my bed and go through a short mental exercise. I first eliminate any and
everything in my head that's not just truth. I shed the day's stresses, fears, things that got me
frustrated, conversations I did or should've had, everything but the truth. For me, that truth is
simple: I am getting better every day, I have a God that made me and loves me. I have more than
many others so I'm thankful. I even sometimes come up with a quick list of ten things I'm thankful
for, and it's almost never got anything materialistic on it: my health, my family, a roof over my
head, my kids have grown up and are good people, my friends, my faith that keeps me strong and
gives me hope, etc.
6. I then mentally "declutter" my head. I drop anything left that isn't thankfulness and peaceful. I
happen to be a Christian, so my one sentence I repeat once or twice is this, "Be still, and know
that I am God." That reminds me I don't have to run the world. Someone else is in charge, not me,
so let go. I don't need to be full of mindless busyness. Live simply, find joy, and be at peace. If
you aren't a person of faith, find some other sentence that reminds you to let go, have hope, trust,
and be at peace. Whatever works for you. It could be a positive saying you've picked up from
somewhere, a line from a book that changed your life, or just say to yourself, "Live simply."
With those 6 things, it should make falling asleep easier, more relaxing. Other things I've done in the past are spending a few minutes listening to instrumental positive yoga music while just being still, and doing a short 20 minute workout an hour before bed, taking a quick shower to rinse off, and then going into the steps above. Everyone's life and responsibilities look different. Find what works for you, but a routine is far better than just falling asleep in front of the TV, or having your mind working 100 miles and hour then dropping into bed expecting to sleep easily.
Take the time to shut down, close your mind to the day that's now behind you, and fall asleep ready to look ahead to a brighter future.
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