If you struggle to get to sleep or to stay asleep, keep reading.
I have heard so many people lately say that they struggle to sleep and when I ask what their bedtime routine is they say they don’t have one.
If you have ever had a baby you will know the importance of a great bedtime routine. You can’t just put a baby in its cot and walk out and expect it to go to sleep. The same thing happens with us. If we are stimulated from our daily activities and try to go to sleep right away out brains are still wired and trying to sort through things, making it harder to sleep.
I love sleep, I would choose it over staying up late any time but after having my daughter I struggled to get to sleep and to stay asleep. I had a baby that never slept. For the first 2-3 years of her life she would wake every 2 – 4 hours. My body got used to listening out for her that when it came to bedtime for me, I struggled.
I ended up having a consultation with a yoga therapist and she put me on the track of having a great bedtime routine. This is hat I am sharing with you today. Try this for a week and see if it makes a difference in your sleep.
Firstly download the app Insight Timer (its free)
I usually start this routine about an hour before I want to go to sleep. I always try to be asleep by 10.15pm.
9.15 – Have half a pint of water and make a Pukka night time tea (I leave the teabag in and sometimes have 2 cups)
9.20 – Read a chapter or 2 of a book whilst drinking my tea
9.35 – Brush my teeth go toilet, wash my face
9.40 – get changed for bed an moisturise my hands and feet with a bed time moisturizing cream (I’m currently using a sleep balm, you can get loads of different ones online)
9.45 – spray some sleep mist on my pillow and set up a sleep meditation on my phone using insight timer. I love the yoga nidra ones as they go through relaxing the whole body. Just type in yoga nidra sleep and some will pop up. I also make sure I use one that’s over 35 minutes long to make sure I definitely fall asleep with it. If I don’t, I just put another one on. Below is some of the meditations that i listen to that always gets me to sleep.
- deep sleep yoga nidra for heart chakra replenishing – meditation haven
- yoga nidra for deeper sleep – John Siddique
- Ocean-Themed Yoga Nidra – Amanda Whiting (my favourite)
- Wake up your Inner Wisdom – Jana Roemer
This routine gets me to sleep every single time. What’s great is I will also put one on if I wake in the middle of the night and it get’s me back to sleep.
If you struggle with getting up and going to the toilet in the night, have the night time tea an hour earlier.
I hope this helps because sleep is so important to our mental health. Next week I will post a yoga routine that I also do some nights before I start this routine that also helps my body wind down from the day.
Leah x
If you would like to add a little yoga to this routine, 5 minutes before you start. Download this 28 day yoga checklist. Classes are around 5 minutes, nice and short to start or end your day!