How to Relax Before Bed

Taking care of your health is crucial. The healthier you are, the more you can get out of life. You'll have more opportunities to enjoy yourself, have more fun, and live longer. Yet, while many people understand that eating the right food, exercising regularly, and not taking up bad habits like smoking and drinking to excess is all part of staying healthy, it's easy to forget one of the most important elements – getting enough sleep.  

Unfortunately, even if you know that sleep is just as important as anything else when it comes to being healthy, that doesn't mean it's easy to come by. Many people have trouble getting to sleep at night, and that's often due to their stressful lives. Here are some useful tips to help you relax more before bed, allowing you to sleep better and become healthier because of it. 

Establish a bedtime routine

A bedtime routine might well be something you think only a child would need to consider, but the truth is that if it works for a child, it will work for an adult as well, and there is something to be said for having such a pattern in your life. In fact, routines in many different areas as well as sleeping, are great for your health and mental wellbeing. 

When it comes to your bedtime routine, start about an hour before you intend to go to bed. This is when you should begin to wind down fully. Your body will become calm, and your mind will go into autopilot mode, helping you feel drowsy and ready for bed. Your routine might include a variety of activities, such as:

• Taking a bath
• Putting on your nightclothes 
• Drinking a cup of chamomile tea or similar hot drink
• Turning down the lights 
• Turning off gadgets and particularly screens  

Put this plan into action, and you'll soon notice that you're feeling a lot more rested at the right time and ready for sleep. 

Destress

Even with a good bedtime routine in place, it can still be challenging to sleep at times, and the leading cause for this is too much stress. When you're stressed, your muscles contract, and your mind can't stop thinking, making sleep difficult to come by. 

Although it is much easier said than done, destressing as much as possible can definitely benefit you. This all starts with your routine, but there are other things you can do too, and staying away from social media is one of those things. Social media is often upsetting and stressful, so ban it before bed. Keeping your bedroom neat and tidy is another good way to destress; even if you don't realize it, having mess around you could be causing you problems. If you can't get rid of your things for sentimental reasons, look into renting a storage unit – in some cases, you can even get your first month free storage, which will be extremely useful.  

Try a supplement 

Although it's preferable to try to sleep naturally if you possibly can, it's not always realistically going to be possible; for example, if you're very stressed out and can't seem to shake the issue, or you're not feeling well, you could find it difficult. A supplement might be suitable in this scenario.

 You shouldn't depend on supplements to help you, and if you have long-term sleep issues, a doctor is the best person to consult with, but every now and again, a supplement from a health food shop, such as one containing chamomile or valerian root, might be beneficial for you.