Have you ever heard of the circadian rhythm? It is a built-in body clock that is generally around 24 hours in length. Our cells have circadian rhythms built into them, telling the body when to release specific hormones, when to get hungry, when to get sleepy, when to wake up, and so on.
Keeping a consistent bedtime and waketime is important for helping to keep your body’s circadian rhythm in check. Whether we want to admit it or not, we’re creatures of habit. One habit that’s very useful to allow our body to know that bedtime is coming soon is practicing a solid wind-down routine.
Despite what many people think, sleep isn’t an on/off switch. Instead, I think it would work better with a dimmer switch, which dims before bedtime and brightens in the morning. A wind-down routine is a solid way to help dim the body and brain to prepare it for bedtime.
There’s no one ideal wind-down routine for everyone, but doing something you find quiet, calm and relaxing in dim light is key. As for how long it should be, I aim for 30-60 minutes. If that’s too tough and you usually just crash into bed, start with just a 10-minute wind-down buffer and once you’re better with that you slowly add on some time when you’re able to do so. Find something you enjoy doing, in a comfortable environment (ideally outside of bed for most of the time, but moving towards the bed as your sleep time comes) and try to stay off of a screen. Although the light from the screens can be quite bright and alerting for some people, the content of what we watch often gets even more in the way of our sleep. Social media apps are designed to be addictive, while streaming services often lead to binge-watching, and texts and emails can be distracting. Reading, puzzles, journaling, arts and crafts, listening to podcasts, and gentle stretching are all really popular options.
I have a pretty simple wind-down routine and don’t overthink the steps. First, I sit on my couch in my den with the lights a little dimmed. My family is sometimes in the room with me, but usually they’re off doing their own things and my younger daughter is typically already in bed. Feeling cozy is important to me, as it helps bring about a sense of sleep and relaxation. My favorite way to bring about that tactile experience is to relax for a bit of time watching TV on my comfy sofa with the GentleSoft Ribbed Heated Blanket on my lap. I’m often quite cold, so a heated blanket is a great option for me to wind down and relax. I love how soft the blanket is and that it comes in different sizes (I have the throw), so you can use it on your bed with a partner (the larger blankets have two controls for each side!) or for individual use, as I have on the couch. It also has a pre-heat mode that I will occasionally use if I’m making dinner or cleaning up in the other room and then can just get under the nice, warm blanket to relax. It also has multiple heat levels with an easy-to-use controller. I greatly appreciate that it has built-in safety features so it won’t overheat and will shut off in case I get up to go to bed and forget to switch it off.
Once I’ve watched a bit of TV under the blanket, I switch to some reading for about 20-30 minutes with the lamp on that’s next to where I’m relaxing. After that, I start feeling a bit more sleepy, so I turn off the GentleSoft Heated Blanket and go right to my bathroom where I put on my PJs and wash my face. After that, I go to the floor next to my bed and do a few gentle stretches for maybe 3 minutes. Then I turn off the lights and get into bed (sometimes I’ll read some magazines or a book for 10 minutes in bed, but I’m usually so sleepy I don’t even get to it!).
While the length of my wind-down routine might vary from 30 to 60 minutes most nights, I generally try to keep the structure of the activities there so my body and brain know that bedtime is coming. As winter is just about here in NYC, I crave coziness even more so -- getting into hibernation mode during my wind-down with quiet, calm and comfortable activities in a relaxing and inviting environment.
Do you have a wind-down routine? If so, what does it look like? If not, what steps can you take tonight to ease into a short wind-down routine?
