How to Build Your Relaxing & Restorative Evening Routine
Your body and brain work hard every single day to bring you focus, productivity, joy, movement and all the other amazing things we experience. At the end of the day, you owe your brain and body the time to unwind and get ready for deep relaxation and sleep.
As humans, we love routine. Our brains and bodies work much better if we know what is coming up next. Setting a basic evening routine is an effective way to tell your brain that it is time to start settling down so that when you actually lay down in your bed, you fall right to sleep and get a deep and restorative sleep.
My evening routine includes the same three core categories as my Energizing & Empowering Morning Routine, (Physical, Mental, & Nourish) only different activities in each category.
It is important to take what works for you and leave the rest...though I do encourage including at least ONE item from each category in your evening routine in order to see the most benefit.
Taking care of our bodies is important at all points of the day, but making sure it is ready for a restful sleep can have lasting benefits.
Walk: Still be active in the later part of the day but unwind and slow down.
Cleanse: Simply wash your face or taking a quick rinse.
Mental:
Just like we trigger our brains to be active in the morning, we can trigger it to slow down at night. Train your brain to know sleep is coming with a few simple activities.
Create: Another chance to unwind with some painting, writing, or reading (No tech!).
Relax: Whatever makes you happy! A warm cup of herbal tea, turning on low lights, or just curling up with comfy clothes.
Decompress: Writing a daily journal can leave your brain clear to sleep.
Fun: Don’t forget to reward yourself sometimes with a nice dinner out or a drink with friends.
Nourish:
Our bodies require sufficient nourishment all day long and making sure you get a healthy dinner and plenty of comfort will help guide you to a wonderful sleep.
Eat: Fuel with a healthy dinner to get ready for rest. Be sure to eat at least 2 hours before sleeping.
Comfort: Nourish your body with plenty of water and enjoy comfortable attire.
What items sound like things you would like to include in YOUR evening routine? It’s all about self-discovery and experimentation. Give yourself time to try things out, evaluate, adjust, and repeat until you find a routine that is great for you. If you want some help working through this process, give my Evening Routine Generator: Relax, Restore, Rest worksheet a try!
Your brain and body deserve to have time to relax and decompress before falling into a deep, restorative sleep. If you find ways to do this that work best for YOU, you will wake up feeling fantastic each day!
Let's hear how you have created YOUR evening routine! Leave me a comment below, tag me onInstagram, or likeLists and Lovelies on Facebook...we can all learn together!
Bonus Healthy Sleep Tips:
Limit Blue Light:
Our brain is sensitive to light. Blue light stimulates our brain naturally. The sun gives off this light which triggers our brains and tells us that it is time to be awake and moving. Removing the blue light from your devices after a certain time of night (I do about 7pm) helps tell our brains it is evening and be more willing to sleep when we lay down.
Know When to Quit the Tech
Limiting the use of technology in the evenings is SO important for quality sleep. Not only does it limit your exposure to blue light, but it also encourages you to stretch your imagination and find ways to be creative and relax without the constant stimulation of tech.
Time to Hit the Hay
Another important tip is to try to get to bed at a decent hour! I know some of us are night owls (me included!) but we always regret staying up late when we try to wake up the next morning. (Am I right?) If you try to keep a set time to be sleeping or at least laying down in bed, your brain will eventually accept this and begin to want to sleep at that time every night. The more consistent you can make this time, the better. Again, our brains and bodies LOVE routines and consistency. Having a set bedtime comes with tons of benefits.
