Get Relaxed Before Bed
Are you usually not tired when you go to bed? Here are some things to try that may help you get relaxed before bed. You don't need to do all of the steps listed here, but just doing a few of them can help a lot.
Contents
Steps
- Take a warm shower or bubble bath. You can even go as far as using a lavender body wash, because lavender is a calming scent. Take a few minutes to close your eyes feel the water wash your troubles away.
- Read a good book that you enjoy. Make sure it's a book that doesn't contain violence, or something that won't get you too excited or intense.
- Try a warm beverage. You can try herbal tea (specifically chamomile, which helps your body), warm milk, or something else you like. However, make sure it doesn't contain much sugar.
- Skip caffeinated drinks. If you feel you need to use this to wake yourself up, try to only drink one or two cups per day, and not after 3:00pm. Or if you just like the taste, try decaffeinated.
- Take a few minutes to gently stretch your body - as if you were getting ready to exercise, but in a more leisurely way. Linger in that position for awhile, breathing softly. This can really help you to relax.
- Meditate. Sit or lie quietly and imagine that each breath is carrying the stress and tension out of your body. You can visualize the tension being carried directly out of your body by your breath itself, on each exhale. You can picture your tension as sand, melting wax, smoke, etc., that is dissolving away further, all over your body, each time you exhale.
- Read a good,but dull book. This will surely make your eyelids drop
- Get rid of noise- if you hear outside noise, block it with either a white noise generator, or maybe nature sounds on an ipod( if listening to ipod make the screen dark to keep you relaxed)
Tips
- Once you have done some of these things to feel relaxed, it's good to develop a simple routine that helps you to stay relaxed as you go to bed. If that's difficult for you, due to emotional stress, a chaotic home life, or for whatever reason, try doing the relaxing visualization in step 6 while seeing in your mind a safe and quiet place - real or imagined - that is a refuge for you. Pick a place that you can see clearly in your mind, and when you find the right one, use it every time. Then as you make your way to bed, you can recall this place of refuge to remind yourself of the relaxation and peace that you felt there.
- Some of these things are best done well before you go to bed - an hour or two earlier if possible.
- Lighting a scented candle develops a soothing, relaxing atmosphere.
- Green tea has a very modest amount of caffeine compared to regular tea or coffee. It may be helpful to someone trying to ease back their consumption of stimulant beverages.
- Do not watch TV, use a phone, tablet, or use a computer at least 30 minutes before bed.
- Sleeping pills may help with relaxation, but they can be highly addictive so try some other tips before resorting to them.
- If you don't have a lotion with lavender scent to use after shower, you can use a lotion without perfume.
- Try listening to calm music when you fall asleep.
- Listen to white noise, it calms the body to hear rain or other nature sounds - you can find it for free on Youtube.
Warnings
- Never take sleeping pills unless prescribed to you by a doctor.
- Make sure not to stay up too late
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