The Underrated Bedtime Routine That Helps Me Sleep 8 (or more) Hours a Night
Better sleep makes a better life!
You’re not getting enough sleep. This lack of sleep is not doing you good either.
It’s worsening your mood, reducing your energy, impairing your focus, weakening your immune system, shortening your life, and making you less happy (sorry to be a downer).
Essentially, it’s making your life worse in every possible way.
After being inspired by Matthew Walker (author of Why We Sleep), I decided to figure out the best bedtime routine for myself.
It took years of experimenting, but I now finally average 8 hours of sleep a night.
Try this out for yourself!
Step 1: Stop eating food
Typically, what you will hear is that you should not eat 2 hours before sleeping. Personally, I am aim for 3 hours.
I’ve found that by not eating 3 hours before sleeping, I no longer feel like I’m digesting or hungry, yet still feel light.
This results in falling asleep quickly.
Not sure if you’ve tried eating before sleep, but when I do, I find myself constantly tossing and turning in bed.
Scientifically, the reasons you should avoid food before bed are:
When you lie down, you are more likely to get acid reflux and digestive issues.
Eating raises your body temperature. You need to drop it to fall asleep
Step 2: Wind-down window
Technically, not eating before bed is part of your wind-down window, but there is more to add.
The most important thing is that you stay off your screens 1 hour before sleeping.
This means turn off the TV, put the iPad away, set your alarm on your phone, plug it in, and put it away.
Don’t check your phone one more time before sleeping. In fact, don’t even have it accessible.
During this time, you should also avoid anything that might overstimulate you.
So, no workouts, flashing (or bright) lights, or any stressful tasks.
Step 3: Read
You won’t find many people who specifically tell you to read before bed. I have it here because it is something to do instead of being in front of a screen.
Try to avoid books that make you think too much.
One time, I tried reading a heavy book on economics and the state of the world before bed… bad call!
Instead, try reading fiction or a spiritual book (if that’s your thing).
If you’re tired, you’ll get even more tired after 20-40 minutes of reading.
Step 4: Meditate
Full disclosure, after the reading, I brush my teeth and whatnot. But after those things, I jump into a meditation.
My bedtime meditation is fairly simple.
I sit on my meditation pillow and start by breathing in deeply for 4 seconds, holding it for 3 seconds, exhaling for 4 seconds, and then pausing for 1 second.
Now, repeat that 6 times.
Next, I meditate on those I love, and feel myself loving them. It’s very comforting and warms my heart before sleep, reducing stress levels.
This goes on for about 5-15 minutes. Whatever feels right that night.
I then shift my focus to myself.
On my inhale, I say “I love you” (in my head), and then on my exhale, I say “thank you”.
Repeat this 10 times.
Step 5: Journal
After jumping into bed, I pull my journal from the nightstand next to me and start writing.
This isn’t meant to be stressful. Light on the details.
I put on paper anything important that happened during the day and different things that I was grateful for. I make sure to highlight the things that I liked and didn’t like.
This helps get everything out of my head so I can let it go when I sleep.
I’ve also found it helpful to write down a problem I want to give deeper thought to. This often results in waking up with the answer.
Journaling is definitely something you need to customize to your liking.
Sleepy baby, sleep!
Once this routine is complete, I close my eyes and let go of any breath I have. On average, I’m asleep within less than 5 minutes.
On most nights, I don’t wake up once and end up sleeping 7.5 to 8.5 hours.
Keep in mind that you need to go to sleep at a similar time every night to be able to fall asleep quickly. Give your body a couple of weeks to adjust to that.
Thanks for reading!