The Fit Lady

Sleep itself can be a cure for anxiety.  It is vital for those of us prone to anxiety to make a good night sleep a priority. Your therapist may tell you to go home and commit to getting 8 hours of sleep every night this week and you will see a huge improvement in your anxiety symptoms. This is more easily done with a concrete set of adult bedtime rituals that help send you off to dream land.

If you have kids you know how important a bedtime routine can be. Kids need the time during this routine to transition from wakeful play to out cold sleep. As adults we can fall asleep much faster with a ritual as well. You may not realize you have a ritual now but it is probably one that is feeding your anxiety.

My anxious mind can keep me up all night with things that wouldn’t concern me at all during the day. It can be torture and completely maddening!

The following has become my go to bedtime ritual for my anxious mind. With it I have been able to train my mind and body it’s time for sleep using all my senses.

Have the Same Bedtime Every Night.

If you have little kids at home their bedtime should be before yours. Get them tucked in and enjoy some kid free time decompressing. We love our children but every night they can act like it’s the first time ever going to bed or having to be separated from me and can put on quite a show.

Consistency takes out the debates, ultimatums and frustration keeping a feeling of comfort, safety and love at the forefront. As adults we can be worse about our own bedtimes because we have to be our own boss.

Make this routine so consistent, comforting and rewarding that you look forward to it.

Being consistent with a specific time trains our body to get tired and fall asleep on cue. Plan for a half hour of time for your ritual to help your body make a smooth transition to sleep.

Have a programmable thermostat that is set to make the house cooler at this time. Cooler temperatures is a good physical cue your body will learn is a signal to begin getting tired. Cooler temps make it easier to sleep. Heavy or weighted blankets also signal a comforting and grounded sensation.

Clean up the clutter

It’s best for me not to spend the evening cleaning I leave that for earlier in the day. However, before bed I walk though my bedroom and tidy up. This room is always free from toys, paperwork, electronics, bills and anything else that might suck in my attention. It is simply decorated and off limits to the regular bustle of life.

The bedroom should be calming, dark and free from distractions. This part of the routine takes little time if you can keep this room a separate space. If you have to use this space for your home office, for example, cover it over with a blanket. This is a strong signal to your brain that you are turning off work for the night.

Wash your face and Brush your Teeth

After walking through my room and tidying up I get into something cozy and get all cleaned up. Brushing my teeth first has become strangely important.

Having an earlier bedtime with clean teeth prevents all late night snacking. That snacking at night keeps our bodies revved up with energy and wakeful longer. Read my post here all about my eating routine which has surprisingly helped me have more restful sleep.

Smells

Whether it’s a room spray or essential oils having the same smells every night in the room also help trigger slowing down. This will happen without you realizing it. When I smell my nighttime smell during the day, I get strangely tired.

Stretch it out

Take a few minutes before bed for a nighttime stretch routine like a moon salutation. No need to be a pretzel, but a little nighttime yoga helps improve blood flow, slow down breathing and heart rate. Studies show yoga can help chronic insomnia sufferers get better sleep.

Yoga lowers our stress levels, relieves tension we didn’t know we were holding in our body, it has shown to improve metabolism and creates a more balanced body.

Read

For me, night time reading is scripture time. It helps bring to me good feelings, calms worries, brings feelings of gratitude, and helps focus on a bigger picture rather than momentary troubles.

Whatever you read, do it in the same place, the same way, and at the same time. Set a short time limit and stick to it. Studies have shown 6 minutes of reading reduces stress by 68%. You can’t read a novel in 6 minutes but poems or short stories are good.

Avoid flitting around the internet reading news or random things that could be stimulating and a time suck.

Journal

• Write out a to-do list of things you need to do or will worry about tomorrow.  Putting these things on paper releases the stress and energy around trying to remember or solve it all as you try to fall asleep.

If something happened during the day that is still hanging over your head writing it out can help put things into perspective. Sometimes our minds can have us convinced something deserves a heightened sense of worry and stress but writing it out helps our objective mind take a more logical look at our fears.

• Write out everything you were grateful for that day and what you are excited about tomorrow. When our brains and bodies are tired it is easy to slump into negative thinking which can spiral for hours. In the beginning this may feel forced but focus on the good and smile.
• Use fun pens and cute paper, don’t be too hard on yourself or take yourself too seriously with this journal time. This isn’t the time to write out your goals for your 10 year life plan. This is de- stress time.

Lights out, Sounds on

Pick a soothing sleep hypnosis, or white noise. After enough repetition that sound will be putting you to sleep faster and faster. If your partner isn’t on board use these sleeping headphones.

Relax all the muscles in your body, each muscle one by one starting at the toes helps my ritual. Try some breathing techniques. Read about my technique in this post here.

Night time Hanky Panky

Just a quick note on night-time partner fun time. This hanky panky is a recommended de-stressing feel good sleep aid. Just plan your time accordingly 😉

Be Deliberate and Consistent.

Every night may not be a success and that is normal and perfectly fine. Try to make most nights bedtime around the same time with a similar feel to the ritual.

Write out your plan and tell those you live with your bedtime. They may be night owls that won’t be on board but they will begin to notice your mood improve and may soon be persuaded. Be clear with them that night time is not the time for heavy conversations or solving big problems.

Related post

How to manage Anxiety without Medication