These are the things that you need to do before sleeping to set yourself up for a successful day to come!
Let’s face it, we’re all busy people! Finding time to set a “bedtime routine” doesn’t exactly seem like it’s going to make that big of a difference in your life, but trust me, it will! Don’t you remember being a kid with a pretty strict bedtime routine? There was a reason for that! This past year, I’ve been playing around with setting an actual bedtime routine to help me unwind before bed so that I get higher quality sleep. It allows me to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day! If you’re curious about how this might help you too, you’ve come to the right place!
This post will show you 10 things to do before sleeping so that you wake up feeling great and ready to tackle all that the day throws at you!
10 Things to Do Before Sleeping
1. Turn Down the Temperature
The first thing you want to do when setting your bedtime routine is to turn the air conditioning or heat down. The ideal sleeping temperature for your body is between 60° and 67° Fahrenheit. Our bodies start to cool down about two hours before we go to sleep which helps us to release melatonin. By keeping your sleeping space cool, you are allowing your body to get the most time in REM sleep which in turn helps you to wake up feeling refreshed the next day! Just by lowering the thermostat, opening a window, or sleeping with a fan on you will help your body temperature to regulate and improve your quality of sleep!
Check out The Sleep Foundation for everything you need to know about the perfect sleeping temperature!
2. Prepare Your Lunch and Work Bag
Some people love the convenience of picking up lunch from their favorite spot just to get out of the office and have a tasty meal. Unfortunately buying lunch every day adds up and you quickly will realize that your money can be spent in better ways. If you’re someone who brings their lunch every day, try preparing it the night before. I like to cut up all of my vegetables or meal-prep by putting some leftovers in the fridge. I don’t carry a lunch box, but I do put all of the food contents into a gallon-size zip lock bag just in case anything spills! By prepping my lunch the night before, I just have to open the fridge in the morning, grab my lunch, and run out the door!
Another great thing to do before bed would be to prepare the bag that you take to work. I like to make sure that my wallet and planner are in my bag before bed and I always leave my backpack in the same spot every night so that I know exactly where to find it in the morning. If you go straight from work to the gym, make sure to put your gym clothes and a water bottle in your bag the night before. This way, you are preventing anything from being forgotten! These are simple things to do before sleeping that will really set you up for success the next morning!
3. Prepare Your Clothes
I know what you’re thinking, prep my clothes before bed, are you crazy?! The thing is, everything that you do the night before means less things to do in the morning as you’re rushing out the door. Honestly, anything that gives me a little extra time sleeping in the morning is absolutely worth it! Check the weather while brushing your teeth and then decide what outfit you want to wear tomorrow. Bonus points if you pull it out of the closet and steam it the night before! I read somewhere (years ago so don’t quote me) that people who decide what they are wearing without changing their minds are more likely to have a productive day due to their decisiveness. I ALWAYS think about this when picking out my outfit. I know if I change out of my first outfit my day is going to be rocky!
4. Tidy-Up Your Space
Going to bed always feels better when the space around you isn’t cluttered. One of the things that I always do before sleeping is to clear away anything that is on the floor of my room. Dirty clothes go in the hamper, any questionable amazon purchases are piled in a corner, and all books and paperwork that I have in my room are stacked neatly nearby. By doing a quick tidy of your room, you avoid needing a big clean-up every week. More importantly, cleaning up the space around you creates a relaxing environment, which gives you the best shot at optimal sleep! Clearing the chaos around you really helps to clear your head before bed. I’m here for better rest so I make sure to do this one thing every single night! The best part is that it takes less than 5 minutes- way faster than that one big overwhelming clean-up each week!
5. Put Your Phone Away and Avoid TV
To start your bedtime routine, you should plug your phone in to charge and commit to not looking back! Blue light created from our phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs is disruptive to our sleep. If you’re looking to maximize your rest and recharge your body, be sure to avoid any type of screen within an hour of going to bed. You could start small by putting your phone away a half hour before bed and work up to longer.
Onto the next big issue, Netflix before bed. I know it seems like a good way to unwind, but I promise, doing something more productive like the many options below are better for your sleep! I don’t even have a TV in my room anymore so it automatically cancels out any possibility of watching TV before bed.
6. Read 10 Pages
You know mindlessly scrolling on your phone before bed isn’t exactly the most productive thing you can do before bed. Try reading 10 pages of a book each day. It might take you 15-20 minutes to read 10 pages of a book before going to sleep, but it is worth it! It allows your mind to step away from your daily stressors and focus on getting lost in a fictional story, help you learn about a new topic, or allow you to work on your own personal development. Whatever you chose to read, try to read a physical book so that your eyes are getting a break from the blue light that comes from our phones, tablets, and computers. As mentioned above, blue light negatively impacts our ability to fall asleep and get good quality rest!
Related Post: 5 Books That Will Change Your Life
7. Write Gratitudes
Some people love to start their day off on a positive note by writing 10 things they are grateful for in the morning right when they wake up. Others prefer to do this exercise before going to sleep so that they end their day on a positive note. Whichever you choose is fine, the important thing is that you do it! Writing ten things that you are grateful for each day helps to change your energy. You can’t be down in the dumps or have negative thoughts when you are in a state of gratitude.
Pro Tip – If you ever are upset or in a bad mood, challenge yourself to think of three positive things right away. This will help change your mood immediately!
Related Post: How to Practice Gratitude
8. Review Your Successes
A friend of mine told me that he reviews his day before bed and finds three “successes” and jots them down in a journal. By doing this, you are triggering your brain to find the good parts of your day. These accomplishments could be as simple as paying all of the bills, finding time to meditate, running X miles if you’re training for something, not fighting with a sibling or partner, or even doing a flawless presentation at work. A win of any size, is a win! Often my success of the day is writing 250 words per day as I work to grow this blog! The other benefit to highlighting your successes each day is that you start to be proud of yourself and get a little mood lift around the fact that you actually accomplished something today!
9. Set Your Intention for Tomorrow
After you write out your three successes, think about what it is that you want to accomplish tomorrow. Again, these don’t have to be massive goals! You can choose things that are small and habitual they will get you closer to achieving big goals. It could also be any small task items that you need to get done. I typically use my planner to write my successes and my intentions so that everything is in the same place and somewhere that I naturally look at every day. This way as I go about my day, I am reminded to get these tasks done! If you don’t have a planner, this is my go-to notepad that I keep by my desk when I work from home! It helps you to set daily tasks and intentions and then forces you to stay on track throughout the day!
10. Meditate
Meditating before bed is an easy way to help put your mind in a relaxing state. This can even help you fall asleep faster! I love throwing on a 10-minute Peloton Meditation before bed. Often times I fall asleep before the meditation is over! This really helps to quiet and clear my mind while setting an intention for the day ahead. By taking time to meditate each day, you are allowing your brain to turn off and step back from all of the chaos and stress throughout your day. It took me a long time to get into a meditation routine that worked for me and now I always look forward to it, even if just for 5 minutes each day!
This post was all about the best 10 things to do before sleeping that will set you up for a more restful night and a successful tomorrow.
If you didn’t have a bedtime routine before reading this article, I hope you feel ready to create one today! There are so many different things you can do before sleeping to help improve your quality of sleep and leave you feeling refreshed the next morning. Getting quality sleep is a crucial factor when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. Let me know some of your favorite things to do in your bedtime routine in the comments below!
