Help me out!: What's your bedtime routine?

From the Community…

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  Posted by legomyego Fri Jun 20, 2008 6:08pm PDT

  Brusha brusha brusha-gargle-spit-

  then worship my partner,

  wawa or wine, more worship-feet.

  Cuddly and coy, joking or a good read outloud, more worship-

  massage and then something more interesting-if theres time

  and mood. talk shop-talk interests-talk to each other.

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  Posted by fools_and_sages Fri Jun 20, 2008 6:30pm PDT

  Sometimes I think people get so involved in having routines that they establish a check list of things they need to do before they do anything-- including going to bed. That creates stress over going to bed because you worry about whether you brushed your teeth, did the mud mask, gave your hair 500 brush strokes, checked the email, locked the doors, turned off the stove, let the dog/cat in, checked the baby, etc.

  If you are having a hard time sleeping, sleep doctors will tell you to establish a routine and follow it every night for best sleep results. But the routine they are referring to isn't a check list of things to do. They mean going to bed during the same hour each night and establishing a routine to relax yourself enough to fall asleep. This can mean reading, watching tv, or doing *something else* that relaxes you before going to sleep. If you are suffering from insomnia or even simply having a hard time falling asleep, you should never take work to bed with you (this means leaving the laptop, the legal briefs, etc. in the living room or the den).

  At the same time, sleep doctors will tell you that you should never lay in bed for hours staring at the ceiling in the dark wide awake either. If you don't fall asleep in an hour or 90 mins, the docs tell you to get out of bed and do something else for half an hour. Then go back to bed and try to go to sleep again.

  Compartmentalizing my routines works for me. I don't do a ton of things that has my mind running a million miles a minute right before I go to bed. I also don't work until I'm so exhausted I end up with keyboard imprints on my face. This isn't a good way to make sure you're winding down for the night.

  My evening routine separates the process of getting ready for bed from the process of going to sleep. I am showered and cleaned up for the night by 9:30. And I usually watch tv or play online until 10 or so.

  My "going to sleep routine" begins with being in bed by 10 or 10:30 (unless I go out or its a special occasion). Then I read or watch tv for 30 mins to an hour (maybe 90 mins if the book/movie/tv show is really good). That usually gets me to the point where my eyes are closing on their own. Then I sleep through the night (unless I need some water or a I need to pee about 3 am). And then I get up sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 every morning completely refreshed, without being jarred awake by an alarm clock.

  But I'm also single with no kids and I live alone. So I don't have to put everybody else before myself like a lot of people do either. I don't have to worry about getting the kids to bed, making sure my partner's needs are met, having tomorrow's meals planned, etc. All I have to worry about is making sure I get to work on time all ready to teach the little darlings-- so its easier for me to maintain a "going to sleep" routine.

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  Posted by Melisma Fri Jun 20, 2008 6:42pm PDT

  I don't follow this (oops), but I set a bedtime of eleven o'clock on weekdays because I know it takes me two hours to fall asleep. Sometimes I read (fiction) before I go to sleep. Listening to music helps sometimes too.

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  Posted by Chula Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:59am PDT

  I love this article! I'm also looking to change my bedtime routine to a more healthy one. Usually, I veg out in front of the tv with wine and sip away til I'm sleepy. Not good at all for the mind or body.

  I like the idea of compartmentalized rituals that take a certain amount of time and leave you exhausted enough to go to sleep on your own.

  Thanks for this!

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  Posted by SilverFlower123 Sat Jun 21, 2008 4:21pm PDT

  I try to make my bedroom very welcoming (my sanctuary) for me kinda of a little garden. I try to do my stationary bike, get in the shower. Head to my bedroom. I found a great way to destressed with peppermint lotions I bought. For my feet a little rubby du dub will do. For my body a nice lotion and facial moisturizers. A favorite read or magazine. Nothing to wire me up, mind you. Just something soothing. A book I bought a while back is Clear your clutter with Feng Shui. It helped. I hope you find you Sanctuary.

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  Posted by Phoenix.at.the.gates Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:53am PDT

  Hi, I just started this new bedtime routine two weeks ago and believe me its the best thing ever, it goes like this,: every day I go to sleep at 8:00 - 9:00 p.m., and wake up at 3:30 - 5:00 a.m., my morning routine is wake up, warm up by checking my e-mail, then I workout for about an hour, after that I take a shower and start making some good breakfast to prepare myself for the day, and then I get dressed and go to work, fresh and ready to meet the new day.

  The thing is you can do whatever you want early in the morning without getting interrupted all the time, this can be very helpful for students, also, don't push yourself into doing things, change the routine every now and then, if you want to stay up late for one more hour, so be it, you can compensate for that the next day and have an extra hour of sleep, this will prevent you from getting bored with it.

  But, starting this routine is not as easy as it sounds, when I started it I had to stay up for 38 hours before I could wake up early the next morning and not feel sleepy during the day, but believe me, its worth it.

  Finally, at the end of the week, you can reward yourself with some late night movie or by going out with your friends and staying out late.

  Give it a try.

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  Posted by Richard Sun Jun 22, 2008 7:19am PDT

  I'll tell you what worked for me, taking my life back and being in charge of me, clearing out all the drama or editing it to be tolerable, putting a limit on what I allow to become pressure or stress and venting the excess. also cutting off eating and drinking after 7:00 is a good habit to get into, and a little exercise regiment wouldn't hurt you either. I go to bed at a different time every night and lay my head on the pillow and have a good thought usually of a woman and am out. there is that occasional night when a stress will sneak thru but I know it won't last . best advice, get your life in order and all else will follow...........

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  Posted by Lorraine Sun Jun 22, 2008 11:57am PDT

  Thank you alot.

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  Posted by Eric S Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:53pm PDT

  Lifestyle changes are hard! Hats off to you! I had a similar problem and let me say it hasnt gone away over night! I'm a nurse and i work shiftwork so I'm thrown all over. I find the best thing that works for me is routine building, I go to bed timely as possible on my days off and try to the days i work. Sometimes that isnt possible and I'm up pounding the keys until 2 am but the following day I have a short nap and/or go to bed early. Another thing that has helped me greatly is exercise, I find i sleep better since I have started an exercise routine and i feel better the next day. It took a few weeks for this to really take effect on me but i really feel it now. I wake up some mornings i want to take the alam clock and smash it up with a hammer and go back to bed... but other mornings i wake up before my alarm goes off moving back and forth into a light sleep waking up naturally which is such a delightful day to start the day!

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  Posted by Rowdygirl Mon Jun 23, 2008 10:40am PDT

  My bedding is a major factor in my "sleep happiness". I love soft, high thread count sheets.. fluffy comforters or blankets, and great pillows.. I use wonderful smelling fabric softeners so I'm drifting off in a sweet perfumey cloud.. this helps me relax and sleep well. If I'm stressed it's hard to fall asleep, and having a hard pillow and scratchy sheets would compound the problem for me...

  :)

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