At the end of a busy day, you should have time to decompress and unwind before you go to bed. You don’t have to turn your home into a silent retreat. These are some small changes you can make that are going to calm your busy mind and awaken your senses. This will help to ease the transition from day to night.
- Music can soothe you. Instead of spending a lot of time watching and listening to the news when you get home, consider putting on your favorite music. Classical music has been shown to help reduce stress and lower blood pressure, but you can choose any type of music you enjoy. Listening to something that is going to lift your mood. There are many apps you can download that have sounds that have been designed to soothe. A good example is Headspace.
- Dimming the lights when you get home. There is no need to switch on the bright overhead lights, get dimmer lamps or candles so you can create a more serene setting. Dim lights are low-key, and they are less disruptive to your body’s wake-sleep cycle.
- Limit alcohol and caffeine intake late in the day. The process of winding down starts during the day. This will include limiting caffeine – tea, coffee, and soda – after lunch, exercising early, skipping happy hour, and avoiding foods that can cause a stomach upset. Consuming alcohol late in the day is not good because it is going to diminish the quality of sleep you get.
- Exposing yourself to natural light. Try doing this earlier in the day and outdoors if possible. When you get enough natural light in the day, your sleep-wake cycle is going to work well and you will be able to sleep and wake up easily.
Ramping down evening emails. You should avoid reading or sending work emails after you are done with your dinner.
- Checking your emails after hours can lead to anxiety and stress. When you get a new email, it represents another decision to make, and it takes away from the time you would have spent with your family. Practice mindfulness because it will help in unwinding and it is going to keep you present for family, solo, and social activities.
- Make your bedroom a relaxing haven for sleep. Your bedroom should be relaxing and comfortable, it should be cool and dark and your bed should be supportive. Invest in a new mattress if yours is no longer doing the job, read these Layla mattress reviews.
