let's talk routine: NIGHT

First off, if you haven't read my first post I wrote on routines and specifically morning routines, check that out first before reading this one! Click here to read it!

Now onto what you came for! Night routines! I don't know why, but night routines have always been my favorite and as I've improved my own throughout the years, they've become even more of a fav of mine. If you read my first post on morning routines and watched the video that I was OBSESSED with in 2017, you can begin to understand my love for a good night routine hahaha. I feel like night routines are just so much more attainable especially when you're just starting out with creating a good routine for yourself! Anyone else agree?

I always used to think that in order for me to be able to fall asleep, I needed to be DEAD TIRED. Like so tired that the second my head hits the pillow I fall asleep. I didn't want to have to lie around staring up at the ceiling for hours just WAITING to be tired. So instead I would just watch Netflix or FaceTime people until I was so tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open. For reference this would usually be around 3 or 4am.

It wasn't until this past year that I realized that if I would just set more of a routine in place it wouldn't take me so long to fall asleep! So here's a few tips that I learned along the way and that will hopefully help you too!

The Night

1.

PUT THE PHONE AWAYYYYY!!! This is a MUST! At least an hour before you are going to bed, stop looking at all screens, especially your phone. Move the charger you keep right next to your bed into another room or downstairs in your house and go and plug your phone in there. That way you'll be less tempted to reach for it to "just check it real quick" because we all know it's never just "real quick". Reducing screen time before bed also helps to stimulate your brain to begin producing melatonin which is triggered by darkness and helps you sleep.

2.

Read a book before bed. This has been one of the newest things I've implemented and honestly one of my favorites. Even if its just a chapter or a few pages a night, reading a book before bed helps your brain wind down and personally it actually helps put me to sleep haha. If you need any book recommendations, check out my blog here!

3.

Try to get to bed by 10pm. Now I know, I know. It isn't always possible to go to bed by 10pm because homework, activities or work sometimes gets in the way, BUT try to make it a top priority! The more sleep the better and the more normal sleep hours the better. If you end up getting 8 hours of sleep but go to bed at 4am and wake up at 12pm, half your day will be gone and your body will be on this weird, wacked up sleep schedule. So do yourself a favor and go to bed at a decent hour BEFORE midnight hits.

4.

Drink a glass of water before bed and then refill that one and set it by your bed. Now this one may seem a little weird and not super related to having a good night's sleep, but it's related to overall wellness so I think it counts haha. I STRUGGLE BIG TIME with drinking enough water. We're talking I get dehydrated everyday almost three times a day and one time got so dehydrated that I didn't know where I was...which like at the time was kinda concerning but now we just look back and laugh lololol. SO! Drinking a glass of water before bed helps your body start out with some water because if you think about it, you are kinda depriving it from water for 8 hours... so like hydrate it! And then setting out that glass of water the night before helps set you up for success in the morning! Right when you wake up you can sit up and drink a glass of water! And BAM! That's two glasses of water already drank for the day!

I hope these tips helped you out and gave you some ideas for making your own night routine! Comment down below if you already do some of these things or comment some things that you do that I didn't mention! I'd love to add something new to my night routine!