I thought I would share with you what I do to have a better night of sleep and also how to go to bed more relaxed, helping your body realize that is time to slow down and go to bed.
1.Take a warm shower/bath. You can use bath salts and oils or you favorite bath bomb, try to use products with a soothing calm smell like lavender.
I like to use in my baths Epsom Salt and a few drops of Lavender Essencial oil, and then whatever bubble soap I have in hand, I also make sure the water is warm and nice, I will grab a book or put some relaxing songs and spend a half hour there just letting my body and mind relax after a long day.
2. Dim the lights or use a Himalayan Salt lamp, just make sure it's a warm-color light, that way your body is triggered to release melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep.
3. Turn off you cellphone, if you can't turn it off at least make sure that it's on silent and then put it away from your bed. No calls, texting, snapchat, facebook, nothing.
Having your cellphone with you all the time specially close to the time you go to bed makes you focus on answering messages and checking facebook, instagram, twitter, snapchat and what not, so to resist the urge just put it away and go do something that doesn't envolve your phone, you will be surprised to realize how much you can do, and how much time you actually have but didn't realize till now cause you were buried in your phone.
The best thing I did was to unplug one night a few months ago. I was tired and my sleep was totally messed up, so I decided to turn off my phone, I told my mom so she wouldn't get worried in case she called, and I did not touch my phone till morning. I had such a good night, I did watch some tv for like half hour then I got bored and started to read, which I always complained I didn't have time for, but in reality I just wasted I lot of time on my phone instead of reading. I also did some catching up on my planner (paper planer), brushed my teeth, meditated in bed, and before 12:00AM I was ready to sleep.
4. On the same note as turning off your phone is: avoid electronics altogether, because the light on it is so bright that makes your body understand that is not time to sleep therefore it doesn't release melatonin as it should. As I said above you find so many things to do once you disconnect, you might even just go straight to sleep, which your body will thank you.
5. Make a list of the things you're grateful for, it can be on an actual paper or just mental.
Just take some time to acknowledge all the things you have in life, as simple as your bed, food, life itself, the people that love you, a job, health, it will put you in a greater mood, and the more grateful you are the better life gets because you won't take it for granted.
Well, those are the things I try to do as often as I can, but I won't lie and say that I do it successfully every night, but I hope you do... and then tell how it works for you :)
Much love,
Carry on girl
