How to Create a Night Time Routine that Works for You

If you’re anything like me, then you’re probably guilty of doing these two things on a daily basis:

1. You work until you cannot keep your eyes open anymore
2. You spend your night in front of a computer monitor or the TV watching your favorite show or playing your favorite video game before ending the night with your face buried into your phone

Since I am so sure one of these two applies to you, don’t worry, it’s not just you. 

It’s very common for today’s generation to practice bad night time habits before going to sleep. However, these unhealthy behaviors not only make it harder to go to sleep, but also to stay asleep and have a restful night’s sleep. 

If you’re reading this, you’re probably like me and know how important it is to have a healthy nighttime routine for a restful sleep, but not sure how to achieve that. Maybe you’ve read all of the foods and drinks that are supposed to make you sleepy or the “top 5 things you MUST DO before going to bed” articles, but are still not any closer to sleep. So, why is it so difficult to sleep even after reading all of these articles? 

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One of the biggest issues I found when I was in your shoes was that it was only one routine that was supposed to work for everyone. How can that be? No two people are the same, so one routine can’t work for everyone! 

So for this blog,. I wanted to teach others how you can create and design your own nighttime routine that will work for YOU (and only YOU). 

In this blog post I am going to go over a long list of habits to incorporate into your nightly routine. Keep in mind though, you’re not to incorporate EVERY one of these into your nightly routine, just the ones that you think would be the most beneficial to you. 

For each habit, I am going to discuss what the habit is, and the type of person it will most likely work and not work for.

Habit #1  Turn Off Your Devices

This is in my opinion, one of the most important habits that everyone should implement into their nightly routine. 

Electronic devices like tablets, cell phones, and laptops emit something known as a “blue light”. Blue light contributes to poor sleeping patterns and disturbed sleep. Such poor quality sleep not only affects your body, but your mind as well. 

As an anxiety and panic sufferer for over 13 years, I learned how crucial restful sleep is. One of the biggest things that has helped me is not scrolling my phone late at night and not having the TV, laptop, phone, or other devices turned on that emanate light. 

Not only does the blue light bother your sleep patterns when you’re scrolling through your phone at night, but the light from your TV or laptop disrupts your sleep and the likelihood that you will stay asleep. 

If you’re someone who needs noise like me, try getting a bluetooth speaker and playing a movie, tv show, or music through the speaker from your phone. 

To do this I hook up the phone to the blue tooth then put my phone face down on my side table, so the light doesn’t keep me awake, but the soft sound helps me sleep. Typically, I turn Gilmore Girls on through Netflix on my phone, or I listen to Brian Crain until I drift into a deep slumber in my hammock.

Habit #2 Listen to Soft and Relaxing Music

This is one of my favorite ways to unwind once I reach my hammock before I fall asleep. I have two playlists for the night time, and I switch between them depending on how I am feeling that day. One playlist is full of newage classical music like Brian Crain and George Winston. The other night time playlist is full of sounds like wind chimes, waves, heavy rain, thunder and more. 

I’m not sure about you, but spending on my mood, the sound of waves or rain and thunder can put me right to bed. I use the same bluetooth speak I mentioned above and let my mind drift off into a state of relaxation before I go to sleep. 

I highly encourage you to use Pandora, Spotify, or YouTube to find the music that fits your soul to incorporate into your night time routine.

Habit #3 – Journal

To be quite honest, this is my favorite habit that I have started incorporating into my nightly routine! 

Writing can be done in many forms: poetry, journaling, short stories, essays, etc. Journaling allows you to  write in two ways: journal prompts or stream of consciousness. 

Journal prompts are a fantastic way to learn about yourself and discover things about you that you may have not known before. It’s a great way to focus and grow as a person. 

Writing from a stream of consciousness on the other hand,  is one way that a person gets out all of their thoughts before bed to help clear their mind. Writing from a stream of consciousness lets me get out all of the thoughts that have been gnawing at me all day so there’s nothing to keep me awake. 

If you’re having a hard time sleeping because you find yourself up for hours at night thinking, I highly suggest implementing this habit into your life and your nightly routine. 

For some of you though, this would be a better morning habit than a night habit. How will you know which routine this one should fall under for you? Try it out and see how you feel. Some people are natural-born writers and writing gives them a sense of energy and productivity. For those people, writing a night may keep them awake so this habit should instead be done in the morning. If that’s you, that’s totally fine! We have tons of other night habits to add to your nightly routine!

Habit #4 – Jot down at least 1 thing in your Gratitude Log

This particular habit offers no negative side effects. Practicing gratitude is a wonderful way to start practicing mindfulness and bring more positivity into your life. 

As a huge fan of bullet journaling, I have a gratitude log for each month which I jot down one thing a day I am grateful for. In my journal, I add 3 more things I am grateful for that day. This allows me to end my day off on a positive note, while practicing more mindfulness to help enrich my life. 

It’s a great way to reflect on your day positively. At night, most of us tend to think about all of the things that we didn’t get done, or that went wrong throughout the day. This small practice lets you end the day off thinking about what went right so that you’re focused on the present moment and not the past. 

Habit #5 – Plan for the next day

This is a habit that will work for some people, and others will need to add this to their morning routine instead. If you’re anything like me, you waste way too much time during the day trying to motivate yourself and everything you need to get done that day. 

I am awful at making decisions, and sometimes I can send hours just debating what I want to eat, what I need to work on, what I need to clean, etc. I have found that setting aside 15-20 minutes a night to write in my to-do list journal for the next day, lets me have a much more product day the next day. 

It has become a huge time-saver for me and it helps alleviate my stress. If you’re not sure if this habit will be beneficial to you, I challenge you to try for one week to see how you feel. If you find that it energizes you too much, bring it over to your morning routine. We’re all different, and this is not a one size fits all habit.

Habit #6 – Eat a snack

Our whole life we’ve been told “you shouldn’t eat before bed”. However, that’s not true for all people. 

Some people can’t eat before bed because their metabolism gets thrown off and the food stores as fat. Others, however, like myself, find that eating a small and healthy snack before bed helps me sleep better. 

About an hour before bed I have something small like a piece of fruit to fill my belly and my mind. I find that I sleep much better at night when my stomach isn’t completely empty. 

Now, if you’re an over eater or can’t stop at just a small snack, this habit won’t be good for you. It will also not be good for you if you aren’t able to eat a healthy snack and instead are going to munch on some chips or ice cream. 

If you find that you wake up in the middle of the night hungry, I would suggest adding this habit to your nightly routine and see how it works for you. 

Habit #7 – Drink hot herbal tea

If you’re anything like me, you love a hot cup of herbal tea to soothe your soul before bed! Herbal tea is one of my favorite drinks, and has so many amazing flavors and uses! 

My favorite cup of tea to drink at night is peppermint or chamomile. Chamomile tea is known to help induce drowsiness from it’s ingredients (and it does)! It also helps aid in nausea and anxiety for those who have fatigue at night. 

A few other herbal teas that help promote sleep are lemon balm, valerian root, lavender, and passion flower. There’s tea for every type of taste bud a person may have! 

So, what type of person may not benefit from this habit? If you’ve got a sensitive and/or small bladder, this may be a habit you leave off of your nightly routine. 

I would suggest giving it a try, but if you find yourself waking up more frequently to use the restroom, take it off or drink it a bit earlier in the evening when you start to unwind. This will give you the chance to use the restroom and get it out before you go to bed.

Related article: -The 8 Best Herbal Teas for Anxiety

Habit #8 – Stop working an hour before bed

This is something we should all work on doing. Separating “work” from “sleep” is imperative to help you sleep well and get a restful night’s sleep. 

Be sure to give yourself at least an hour between when you shut down your computer to when you attempt to go to sleep. 

I know some of you are thinking, “but what if I’m a night owl? What if I focus better in the evening?” I hear you! 

There’s nothing wrong with working late at night and it’s not as bad as some people like to claim it is. You have to do what works for you! Just make sure that you give yourself some relaxation time before you go to bed!

Honestly, I’ve always been a night owl as well. I have also always worked until 11 pm until recently. So, here’s what I would try, and what works best for me. 

When I get done with work, I give myself an hour to wind down and implement the habits in my nightly routine so that when I am ready to lay down in my hammock, I fall fast asleep. That hour gives my mind time to switch from work to bed time, and my body the time it needs to relax. My nightly habits have improved my nights and sleep so much. That’s what made me want to share my experiences.

Habit #9 – Take a warm shower

This habit is debatable amongst some people. I am a huge supporter of evening showers because a shower at night relaxes me. Not only does it loosen my muscles, but it starts my “relaxation time” and helps me unwind and clear my mind. 

If you’re like me, this is an awesome habit to incorporate into your nightly routine. Just be sure that you only wash your hair a few times a week so that you don’t ruin its natural oils. Some people, however, get invigorated by a shower and it energizes them. If this applies to you, then I would definitely move this habit to your morning routine instead.

Habit #10 – Use Essential Oils

Aromatherapy, one of my favorite additions to help me relax! 

A study in 2017 linked essential oils to the promotion of better sleep and relaxation  as noted by PsychologyToday. Johns Hopkin also has a few pieces of reading in regards to the benefits essential oils can have on sleep and sleeping patterns.  

I find that using lavender in my diffuser works great at helping me relax and unwind from the day. I have a pack of six that I swap between depending on the reason. If I feel like I need an extra long shower, sometimes I will bring my diffuser into the bathroom so that I have a spa-like experience to get my relaxation mood going. 

Depending on what scents you like, if lavender isn’t your thing, cedarwood, sandalwood, clary sage, valerian, and bergamot oil are some other alternatives that you can try that promote sleep and help your mind, body, and soul relax. If you have a sensitive nose, however, I would suggest buying a sampler pack to find which one is best for you!

Habit #11 – Read a Book

Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. During the day, I love to take a good book outside with me and lay in my hammock for a few hours to read on my day off. At night, I put aside 30 minutes to read so I can get through a chapter or two. Not only do I do this because I get enthralled in my books, but it also helps me get sleepy . 

Now, keep in mind, it also depends on the type of book. I can read a non-fiction book during the day because I am awake and can properly focus, but at night, I read fiction books. This let’s me be safe to get sleepy because I don’t need to focus my brain on the words and meaning. 

If you find that reading keeps you awake because you get too invested in the book, then you may want to only read during the day. 

For those who aren’t avid readers, I would highly suggest trying this habit and adding it to your day. Reading has a whole list of benefits, including expanding your mind and vocabulary.

Habit #12 – Dim your lights

This habit is one everyone should add to their list. Studies have proven that the darker a room is, the more relaxed people feel. Because of this, dimming the lights lets your mind and body recognize quickly that it’s time to unwind for the day. 

Typically, I dim the lights after I have done my journaling, planned my next day,  had my shower, and put my diffuser on. One of my favorite things to do at night once I am done with that is light my candles. Candles put me into a very zen headspace. I like to make my relaxing herbal tea, light my candles, and grab my book for a perfect night. I have a table next to my hammock where I put my cup of tea and my candles. I also turn on my bluetooth speaker and play my calming YouTube or Spotify playlist before I get lost in my book for 20-30 minutes before bed. 

Personally, my candles are my happy place. If you don’t like the scent of candles, however, I would highly suggest a Himalayan salt lamp. These lamps emanate a beautiful, orange light that is found very calming to most people. I highly recommend trying one out!

Recommended Items I Use and Love Mentioned In This Blog

• LED Portable Bluetooth Speaker (This is the speaker I use. I love it!)
• Spiral Journal & Pack of 6 Spiral Journals (This is the one I got)
• Spiral Bullet Journals (I use these all the time. I love them!)
• Bullet Journals (Just bought this pack, haven’t used it yet but I’ve used this kind in the past)
• Organic Tea Sampler (I would suggest this one if you’re new to incorporating tea into your nightly routine)
• Essential Oils (This is my new set. I Love the added scents compared to the 6 sample pack I bought first)
• The 4 Agreements – (Current book I am reading. Absolutely amazing)
• Jesse Stone#19 – The Bitterest Pill (Current fiction book I am reading. I love this series)