Quality rest is fundamental to optimizing your health. While your mind is slumbering in dreamland, your body is pulling an all-nighter to make sure that your health is being properly supported. Makes sense that you’d want to help your body out with this pretty major task by ensuring you get the best rest possible, right?
You might be wondering how to set yourself up for a sweet sleep. Your overall lifestyle choices are going to compound to determine how well you’ll sleep, so choose wisely! Let’s take a look at some simple steps you can take to support deep rest.
1.Boundaries Before Bed
This step can be a real challenge for all the people pleasers out there, but you’ll need to set boundaries if you want to prioritize your personal rest. Of course there are unavoidable interruptions like children and pets, but getting in the habit of making yourself unavailable after a set time in the evening helps keep your focus on you and the time you need to wind down without interruption.
Work emails, phone calls and text messages require you to extend energy outwards and keep your brain stimulated. Give yourself a break from this mental and emotional output in the evenings, knowing that in doing so, your mind gets the chance to power down. Try setting a do not disturb notification on your phone or aim to put all devices away an hour or so before bed.
2.Limit Your Caffeine Consumption
Caffeine later in the day can be a real hinderance when it comes to getting a good night’s rest, so you’ll want to keep your consumption to a minimum, particularly if you’re finding it tough to fall asleep. Instead of reaching for a mid-afternoon latte, try greens+ extra energy for a plant powered energy boost that nourishes your body throughout the day.
3.Consistent Bedtime Routine
An evening wellness routine helps signal to your body that it’s time to relax. Winding down at around the same time each evening develops a healthy habit that supports the sleep you need. Your evening routine should consist of peaceful activities like taking a warm bath, listening to soothing music, journalling or doing some restorative yoga poses or stretches.
You can also try deep sleep to support your rest! Non habit forming and naturally derived from reishi mushrooms, this plant powered sleep supplement helps quiet the mind so you can relax. Ultimately anything that you find restful works when creating a wind down routine, so take some time to explore your preferences and customize a bedtime routine that suits you!
4.Limit Screen Time
Screens before bed are likely to negatively impact your quality of sleep, by interfering with the melatonin your body naturally produces and needs to fall asleep. Instead of scrolling in bed, you can use your night-time routine as a reminder to restrict screen time and power down your devices out of the bedroom. Set up a charging station in the living room instead of at your bedside - out of sight means out of mind! Try falling asleep with a relaxing book or chill out with some ambient music. While this might feel difficult at first, you’ll soon get in the habit of heading to bed without a screen in hand.
5.Meditation
A mindful technique like meditation can work wonders when it comes to getting quality sleep. Meditation helps slow the mind and calm the body - a real two for one deal! Even if you’ve never meditated before, you can try this simple technique.
Sit with your back against a wall and your legs crossed. Use a meditation cushion or pillow for comfort if you like. Relax your shoulders and as you inhale, sit up tall and straighten your spine. As you exhale, keep the length in your spine, but allow your shoulders to release. Clear your mind and focus on the sound of your breath. Take a slow inhale, then a deep exhale and repeat. Begin with five deep breaths, and each night increase by five more. Before you know it, you’ll be calmly sitting in stillness, setting yourself up for a beautiful night’s rest.
Build a Routine for Rest
The quality of your rest is going to impact your health in all areas, so it’s a good idea to step up your sleep game with one or more of these wellness tips. Supporting your health is a long-term game, so select something that makes sense to you now and once you’ve got that technique down, you can shift your focus and move on to the next one. Before you know it, you’ll be hitting the pillow hard and waking up refreshed and ready to take on the next day!