How to build a dreamy bedtime routine for adults

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Sleep. The thing we all need to function. The thing many of us craves after a busy day. But a restful nights sleep can be difficult to achieve. From thoughts running wild to suddenly remembering you’d forgot to do a minor chore that day and it now seeming like the biggest thing in the world. There’s lots of things that can keep you awake at night and stop you from getting the restful nights sleep you need. Having a few good practices in place can help though. Let’s take a look at why having a bedtime routine as an adult is important and how to build a routine for relaxation, reflection and a restful sleep.

Bedtime routines and rituals are important for signalling to your body and mind that it’s time to start winding down and getting ready for sleep. By performing the same routine every night your brain starts to recognise the routine as a precursor to sleep. Remember when you were a child and you’d have a nice warm bath, get tucked into bed and have a story read to you? Well that was all part of creating a calming environment in order to unwind from the day, and it’s not far off what you should be doing as an adult!

Why do adults need a bedtime routine?

The simple answer is a bedtime routine helps you to separate the day and night. Sometimes are brains need a little extra help when it comes to knowing when it’s time to relax and unwind. A bedtime routine signals to your brain that it’s just to calm down and prepare for sleep. We’re creatures of habit and it doesn’t take long for our brains to recognise that we’re repeating the same routine each night before bed.

We’ve all had those nights where we just can’t switch off. Your mind starts racing and all of a sudden you’re feeling anxious and restless. If this nightly pattern continues it can cause insomnia. A night time routine can help eliminate night time anxiety and stress by helping you relax and refocus.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few healthy habits you can start implementing to build a good bedtime routine for adults.

Read a book

Reading before bed is a routine that starts in childhood. This is simply because it puts you in the right frame of mind for sleep. Focusing on a book allows you to use your imagination and quite literally switch off from the outside world. This in turn allows your body to relax and wind down for sleep.

When reading before bed you should avoid reading on your phone because of the blue light emissions. Devices like e-readers do also emit blue light but you can adjust light settings and often turn the light off altogether which make them better than a phone. A good paperback is the best way to go though.

When it comes to what kind of book to read before bed I think that’s up to you and what works for you. I can relax and switch off with most genres. However some sleep experts recommend that you avoid high-drama genres like suspense, action and thrillers and opt for something a little simpler or easier going.

Breathing, stretching, meditation

This is all about giving your mind something to focus on, slowing down and being mindful. There’s an abundance of resources out there that can show you the best breathing, stretching and meditation techniques to do on a night. Make sure you’ve nailed the practices before bed as you don’t want to be checking your phone as it will become a distraction. Try out a range of things until you find what works for you.

Breathing exercises that focus on relaxation and letting go of tension are probably the best place to start. They’re also the easiest thing to do if you’re new to this kind of thing. If you’re totally clueless then apps like Headspace or Calm have lots of sleep resources and exercises that can be of a huge benefit to get you into a new routine.

Have a warm bath

Have you ever noticed that when you’re tired you often feel cool too? That’s because as you’re preparing for sleep your body temperature drops. You can give your body a helping hand with this though by having a warm bath and letting your body know it’s time to get ready for bed. It’s recommended you have a warm bath about an hour before bed to warm your body up, it will then cool down quickly as the water cools and evaporates which should in turn help to bring on that sleepy feeling.

Using a few relaxing products in the bath doesn’t hurt either. Think bath salts and oils with ingredients designed for rest and relaxation. I was kindly gifted some products from Absolute Aromas recently which have really helped with my bedtime routine.

I’ve been getting into using Epsom salts since I started my fitness journey a few months ago. The Goodnight Epsom salts are a wonderful alternative to original salts and they smell incredible which really helps you to unwind. Before bed I’ve been popping on a bit of the Relaxation massage oil but I also like to add a touch of this to my bath too. It’s been designed for people who struggle to unwind and switch-off so it’s an absolute star product to add into your night time routine. Lastly I’ve been keeping the Aroma-Roll in De-Stress by my bed to roll on just before sleeping as a natural way to de-stress my mind.

Write a journal or a list

The idea of journaling certainly isn’t for everyone which is why I’ve included a couple of options here. Either way, organising the upcoming days and reflecting on the day that’s just happened is a great why to organise all your thoughts before going to bed. This is really important as it helps to stop those racing thoughts late at night and clears your mind.

If you are into journaling or fancy giving it a go then using a little bit of time to reflect on the day before bed can be wonderful. Take time to think about anything you’re grateful for. Any positives from your day no matter how small and any problems that arose and how you dealt with them/plan to deal with them.

Organising the next day can help soothe your mind too. In fact there’s a study that’s shown that people who create to-do lists fall asleep faster than those who just reflect on what they’ve completed that day. So while I do think there’s a happiness benefit to taking time to think about your day and having a quiet 5 minutes to process it’s also super important for your sleep to spend a few minutes creating a to-do list. Which is great news for anyone who doesn’t want to spend time on a journal!

Create the right bedroom environment

Your bedroom is where you’re going to be getting a good nights sleep so it needs to be the right environment for this to happen. It goes without saying that your bedroom should be a tidy, clutter free space. It should also be cool, dark and quiet.

The Sleep Foundation have found that a cool room is one of the most important factors in getting a good nights sleep. It’s recommended that bedrooms are kept between 15.6 and 19.4 degrees Celsius (60 to 67 degree Fahrenheit). This links back to having a bath before bed as a cooler room helps with temperature regulation and lets your body know it’s time for bed.

The lighting in your room should be dim and warm rather than bright and harsh. Blackout blinds or curtains will help to block out any external light too.

Finally an aromatherapy diffuser can be a good addition to your bedroom. Certain essential oils like lavender, chamomile, ylang ylang and sandalwood can be perfect for creating a relaxing and sleepy environment.

Do you have a bedtime routine? What helps you get a better nights sleep? Share your tips in the comments!

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