5 Easy Ways to Completely Relax and Wind Down Before Bed

From an early age, we are taught the importance of good sleep.

Not only does it feel terrible to go through the day with little sleep but it can also be detrimental to your health. You won’t be as productive, you’ll notice bags under your eyes and it can make you susceptible to sickness. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg!

We know it can be difficult to fall asleep, especially with so many daily stresses. However, once you know how to wind down before bed, your body recognizes that it’s time to sleep and you’ll be off to dreamland.

It may sound too good to be true but keep reading to discover how to wind down before bed.

1. Think Ahead
Do you find yourself in bed, tossing and turning, worrying about the next day? This might be one of the reasons you’re having trouble winding down! To avoid that anxiety, create a to-do list for tomorrow.

You can see what needs to be done and your mind will let go of those tasks, allowing you to drift into sleep. Keep the list next to your bed so you can add to it if anything comes up.

Want to take it a step further? If you have time before bed, set yourself up for success. Choose an outfit to wear tomorrow, set your coffee maker to brew before you get up, and do any light chores that need to be done around your home.

One of the best ways to wind down before bed is to make sure your mind is not racing with concerns about the next day. This doesn’t mean dedicating your entire evening to chores but little things that will bring you comfort before falling asleep.

2. Turn Off Electronics
This is a common tip but if you cannot wind down before bed, staring at a screen might be to blame. While it may be relaxing to scroll through your phone as you wait to feel drowsy, it can also be the reason you’re not counting sheep. The blue light that electronics emit can disrupt your natural sleep cycle, so it’s time to put the phone away.

You don’t need to give up looking at a screen all night, try to leave everything alone at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Instead of relying on a screen, find other activities that can fill up that time while you wait for the drowsiness to kick in. One of the things you can do is put on a relaxing podcast or audiobook before bed and close your eyes.

3. Read Something Light
Not interested in audiobooks or podcasts? Then try a good ol’ classic paperback. Reading requires consistent eye movement as your words follow the words.

It also requires your brain to interpret the letters and convert them into something meaningful. Since your brain and eye muscles are working hard, it’s only natural that they would slowly wind down. You also tend to read in a comfortable location, this can signal your body that you’re in a resting state.

If you keep a book by your bedside, you’ll be able to read to aid you with falling asleep. All of the necessary ingredients are there, you’re already relaxed so all you need to do now is enter the world of your book. Before you know it, you’ll be dozing off.

4. Consider Meditation
Surely, you’ve heard of meditation and all of the benefits that come from it. If you’re already meditating before bed, wonderful! You’re ahead of the game.

Maybe you’ve always been interested in meditation but are curious to know more, that makes complete sense. Meditation is great for your overall well-being so naturally, that means it helps with sleep.

How? Well, meditation works by helping you achieve a sense of inner calmness and clarity. It’s an effective tool for sleep but anxiety and depression as well.

When your brain is relaxed and calm, those distracting thoughts that keep you awake seem to melt away. Most importantly, meditation increases the natural melatonin levels in your body to help you fall asleep and it has shown to have benefits on patients with insomnia symptoms! There are so many benefits to meditation, there’s just not enough time to list them all.

So as you wind down for bed, try meditating. If you need help getting started, consider a guided meditation, this will show you the ropes.

5. Take Sleep Vitamins
While you should be able to wind down using all of these helpful tips, there will be times where you feel extra stressed and restless. For any day you need a little help with slumber, consider taking gummies to sleep. Sleep vitamins are made of all-natural ingredients so you don’t need to worry about addiction or side effects.

They work by organically boosting the sleep hormones in your body so that you fall asleep quickly. Combined with the rest of our tips, there’s no way you won’t be snoozing with ease. Be sure to look for sleep vitamins that contain ingredients like lemon balm leaf, melatonin, and passionflower.

There’s also a variety of ingredients to look out for when it comes to winding down and relaxing. Although sleep vitamins don’t need to be part of your daily bedtime routine, they’re perfect for those days when sleep seems a little more difficult than usual.

How to Wind Down Before Bed
With 27% of Americans having trouble with getting enough sleep, there needs to be more information available for combatting that. Part of learning to fall asleep is figuring out how to wind down before bed. Creating a consistent bedtime routine is the way to do that.

This means creating an oasis of relaxation before you slumber. Turning off your electronics, meditating and reading can all be part of this routine, you can even take some sleep vitamins for good measure!

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