How to Create a Bedtime Routine
The summer season is dominated by the fire element. Here, we may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep due to restless energy and active minds. Routines settle restless energy, creating predictability. Try to adopt three or more of these suggestions as you create a bedtime routine.
- Eat dinner at roughly the same time each evening
- Avoid caffeine/ sugar consumption late afternoon into evening
- Incorporate a movement practice like yoga or qi gong, even if just for a few minutes
- Give some thought to what’s coming for you tomorrow – pick out your clothes or plan your meals
- Evening epsom salt baths or foot soaks
- No electronics at least two hours before bedtime
- Avoid drinking excess fluids too close to bedtime if night-time urination tends to disrupt sleep
- Have a conversation to reflect on the day or journal
- Brush your teeth and engage in other grooming tasks routinely before bed
- Get into bed around the same time every night
Incorporating routine tasks before bed helps your mind become prepared for sleep. Striving to have better sleep is an important step in finding your balance.
by Hailey Ward-Maldonado & Shannon Menestrina, June 25, 2024