Nighttime routine for a good night’s sleep

A good night’s sleep is super important for your health. It improves concentration and productivity, heals your damaged cells, boosts your immune function and recovers you from the day’s activities. Besides that, having a good night’s sleep is also really important for your mental health. Unfortunately, we are not all easy sleepers. I myself have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep and I know a lot of people struggle with that. I used to check my phone in bed or watch my favorite series before I went to sleep. Well, we all know that that’s not improving your sleep. In the last few months I have tried to improve my night routine, which made a huge difference. I fall asleep faster and I don’t wake up so often at night. This is my nighttime routine for a good night’s sleep:

• Stick to a sleep schedule
  First of all it’s important to have some kind of a sleep schedule. So for example, on a weekday I try to go to bed around 10:45 p.m. and I wake up around 7 a.m. Your body will get used to this schedule and know when it is time to go to sleep and to stand up.
• Bye phone
  What really helps me is to put my phone away an hour before I want to go to sleep. It gives my eyes and mind the time to really relax and get in the nighttime mode.
• Drinking some warm tea
  In my phone-free hour I like to have some warm tea. For me, tea is a natural relaxant before sleep. There are even special night time teas with herbs in it, which helps you relax and sleep better. Besides that, having a ritual like drinking tea before you go to sleep gives your brain a signal that it’s time for bed.
• Plan out the next day and/or journal
  While I’m enjoying my tea, I like to plan out my next day and/or journal. One of the reasons why I couldn’t sleep was because I was constantly thinking about what I had to do the next day. Writing it down helps me to get it out of my head. I also like to journal from time to time. Especially after an intense day I like to write down what happend and how I felt. A great way to clear your mind!
• Read a nice book
  After my planning / journaling ritual I like to read a book. It’s a great way to stop (over)thinking and relax. I also made a blogpost with my favorite books, so click here if you like to have some book inspiration.
• Headspace app
  My latest addition to this nighttime routine is the app Headspace. You’ve probably heard about this app before, but it’s a guided meditation and mindfulness app. When I feel stressed or when I know everything above isn’t enough to help me fall asleep I like to do a sleep meditation with the headspace app. I used it a couple of times now and it really improved my night’s rest.

What are your night time rituals?!