Introduction

First of all, what's the point of having an evening routine? Well, as the old saying goes, humans are creatures of habits. We're big fans of spontaneity in life, but when it comes to sleep, an evening routine helps establish a rhythm that ultimately improves the quality of our sleep.

When we do the same activities before bed every night, our brain becomes accustomed to what's coming next. And that's a blissful and wonderful night's rest!

The perfect evening routine can also help reduce anxiety and promote calmness, which will aid us in falling asleep. So let's check out the 'perfect evening routine'.

Keep in mind that there is no one true "perfect" evening routine as we're all different. But if there's anything in here that you can adapt into your own routine, that's also a great start!

1. Check Off Your To-Do List

What? A bedtime routine that includes a to-do list? Yep. I know it sounds weird, but a busy brain is something we want to avoid here.

Get everything off your plate during the day. And if you haven't finished something, just write it down and leave it for the next day. If you get it written down, then you know that it's there for tomorrow. So you can train your brain not to worry about it tonight.

“You must use your mind to get things off your mind.” ― David Allen, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Image by Glenn Carstens-Peters

2. Take a Warm Bath

We talked about the importance of temperature regulation in a previous blog post. We mentioned that our body cools down at night and then heats up again when we wake up. 

So how does a warm bath help?

Well, the obvious one is that it's soothing and helps us get into a state of mind perfect for sleep. But after this, our body also starts to cool down.

According to the Sleep Foundation, a growing body of research suggests that a warm shower can help improve sleep quality and help us fall asleep faster.

Image by Roberto Nickson 

3. Listen to Music

Another great tip from the Sleep Foundation, 62 percent of people listen to music to help them sleep. Just make sure that the music relaxes you and puts you into the frame of mind for sleep. Keep the gym playlist for the gym.

Listening to music can also help keep your mind from overthinking, which can also affect your ability to fall asleep. 

"Music can heal the wounds that medicine cannot touch" ― Debaish Mridha

4. Breathe and Stretch

In another blog post, we talked about the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique, developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. This is a simple breathing technique which is closely related to yoga. 

Which leads us to the 'stretching' part.

You don't have to be a full fledged yogi, but if think about it, you've been on your feet and active the entire day. The end of the day is the perfect time to wind down your body and mind by stretching it out.

Check out this quick bedtime stretching routine:

Combined with the 4-7-8 breathing technique, this is a fantastic combo to get relax your body and mind before sleep.

5. Practice Meditation and Gratitude

One of the main reasons people find it difficult to fall asleep is due to stress and an anxious mind. Meditation can help by helping us de-stress and calming an anxious mind.

For those that haven't tried meditation before, there isn't one specific way to do it, nor is there a one-size fits all approach to it. Meditation can be defined as follows:

Meditation is a practice where one uses a technique to train attention and awareness, achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm state.

We can use various techniques such as mindfulness or focusing on a particular object to achieve this state. For beginners, we would recommend looking into Apps such as Headspace, which guide you through the process in an easy-to-approach way.

Image by Ben Blennerhassett

6. Darken Your Surroundings and Close Your Eyes

Now that you've calmed your mind and your body temperature is well-regulated, it's time to drift off and fall asleep. A rejuvenating and restful sleep awaits. We recommend making your room as dark as possible, as light may disturb your rest.

Dreamie Sleep was made for exactly this reason. Our 100% mulberry sleep masks are the ultimate in luxurious comfort, and can help you achieve total blackout. They're designed to be oversized on purpose, and feel like a warm, squishy hug for your face. If you have the chance to try them out, let us know what you think. We're sure your sleep will thank you!

Image by Dreamie

Conclusion

That's the end of our perfect sleep routine. We've done a lot of research on the topic, as our goal is to help you achieve the ultimate sleep. As we mentioned in the introduction, there is no 'perfect' routine for everyone. But you can see in our routine that calming the mind, darkening your surroundings and regulating your temperature are crucial to improving sleep quality. 

Wishing you a wonderful sleep.

— The Dreamie Team