Master The Tricks To Let Go of Stress & Sleep Better
Are you finding it hard to let go of the stress at the end of a busy day?
I don't know about you, but life feels like it's more stressful than normal between the pandemic, homeschooling, feeling isolated, dealing with personal and business finances. I kept finding myself waking up at night with panic attacks, and I wanted to share a few things that I learned within my research, and what is working with me.
10 Easy Ways to Let Go of Stress Before Bedtime
Sleep is one of the core ingredients to happiness and also one of the easiest. However, in our society today when we are always trying to do more, be more. We too often try to limit our sleep. {Click Here } if you want to read more about why sleep is so important to your happiness
Today’s topic is a little different. Today we are going to talk about ways to help let go of stress so that you can sleep.
Have you ever laid awake before bed, not being able to fall asleep, or wake up in the middle of the night in a panic?
I know that my sleep has suffered from stress and I wanted to share with you some popular ways to ease the stress away.
#1 Bedtime routine
And why is this important? Well, just like in anything else, our body sets off cues. If you have a good bedtime routine set your actions will be telling your body, "Hey, it's bedtime. Let's get ready to fall asleep." A bedtime routine can be as simple as drinking something warm, taking a hot shower, and reading a few pages. The key is to find something simple enough to do every night.
#2 Meditation
Practicing a guided meditation to help you let go of stress, or to help you relax.
Anything that's going to bring your mind back into the moment and start relieving any tension throughout your body. I have also found that when waking up in the middle of the night, using a guided mediation can help let go of the worry and fall back to sleep. I linked my 2 favorite nighttime mediation apps.
Relax & Rest Guided Meditation
iSleep Easy Free Meditations for restful sleep
#3 Journaling
Journaling is a great opportunity before you go to bed to remember what you are grateful for, to celebrate the wins of the days, and to let go of anything that's just sitting there and nagging you.
#4 Schedule Worrying Time
Stress and Anxiety can become all-encompassing, but you have a life to live. I love the concept of setting aside “worry time”. I practice this if I wake up in the middle of the night. I will say, “This is not the time to worry, tomorrow I will focus on trying to find a solution.”
How to have “worry time”:
1. Determine what is in your control
2. Brainstorm ideas and solutions
3. Make a plan
#5 Sip Your Stress Away
Sipping on chamomile tea or a Magnesium supplement drink can help reduce anxiety and sleep better. It’s a lovely ritual as well. I have noticed that when I drink Calm before bed, I am less likely to wake up with anxiety.
#6 Wash the Stress Away
It's proven that going from a hot bath or shower and into a colder room will drop your body temperature and that alone will make you sleepy. This is also a great time to use tip #7 and aromatherapy.
#7 Aromatherapy
Such as lavender, chamomile, Jasmine, or peppermint, they've all been known to help reduce stress and help you sleep better. You can either use an oil diffuser, linen spray, or if you'd like, you can add it into your bath or shower. I know right now I have Epsom salt that's infused with lavender, so talk about a double whammy. It helps relax your muscles and lavender helps you sleep. In my shower, I love using shower spray to help me relax.
#8 Working-out
When you work out it releases stress endorphins. I am not a scientist, so I am not going to pretend and share the science behind it. I do know that when you are having a bad day, going for a workout, whether it’s the gym, a hike, playing tennis, or anything that gets your body moving, you walk away feeling better.
#9 Only Happy Thoughts
Limit scary movies, books, or any sort of conversation that might bring up that stress and anxiety.
For Example :
· Putting your phone and your email away
· No Stephen King Novels
· No Walking Dead
This is a good time to talk about blue light. Studies show that turning off all electronics 2 hours before bed will help you sleep better as well. Grab a cup of tea and a rom-com instead.
#10 Bedtime Yoga
If meditation is not your cup of tea, it's not everyone's cup of tea and I totally get that, yoga has the same sort of benefits. Bedtime yoga\ and its guided moves will help to relax your mind, body, and soul. It will help you start to unwind from the day. Here are a few good videos to help get you started
What works for me:
1. Workout (see my morning routine)
2. Drink a glass of Calm
3. Take an aromatherapy shower
4. Read
5. *** If I wake up in the middle of the night due to stress, I practice guided meditation
We are all uniquely different. What works for me may not work for you and that is 100% normal. Play around with different routines until you find something that works. If you have a routine that helps you let go of the day's stress, please share in the comments below, together we THRIVE.
Stay Brave, Be Curious & Love Yourself.
Psst........ Remember to Share your Nighttime routine in the comments below