Creating a night routine and actually following it is one of the best ways to make your life easier.
Following a morning and night routine will help you structure your days to focus on what really matters: your life goals.
This night routine for busy women will help you take control of your time to get things done and finish each day on a positive note.
If improving your sleep quality and health in general while staying super productive is part of your priorities this year, you’ve just stumbled upon the perfect night routine.
Clean and tidy your space
Nothing is worse for productivity and focus than waking up to a messy environment.
When trying to be more productive and achieve goals, physical clutter often turns into distractions and mental chaos.
If you want to be more productive first thing in the morning, cleaning and tidying your environment in the evening is a great idea.
Take 20-30 minutes early in the evening to clean around to make a fresh start the next day.
Avoid screens
Screens produce blue light, which is the part of the light spectrum that is the most active in our sleep cycle.
Stimulation of this part of the brain negatively impacts melatonin production, a hormone the brain produces in response to darkness. And the lack of melatonin makes it challenging to fall asleep.
So even when you engage in relaxing activities online, like reading on a tablet, the blue light will decrease melatonin production and delay your transition to sleep.
Ideally, you should avoid screens for at least 2 hours before bed.
If you can’t stop using your smartphone, tablet, or laptop before bed, a blue light filter (night mode) can help you fall asleep faster.
Enjoy a relaxing warm drink
Another habit to add to your healthy bedtime routine is to drink a warm drink before going to bed.
As you can imagine, you should avoid coffee (at least 3 hours before bed!) and drinking alcohol if you want to sleep well.
Drinking chamomile tea in the evening is a good habit to improve your health and digestion and help you relax before sleep.
Journal while listening to calming music to relieve stress
We all have a million things going on in our lives.
And endless thoughts swarm around in our heads, trying to catch our attention when we are about to fall asleep.
If you are sensitive to stress and often have anxious thoughts at night, journaling and listening to relaxing music could improve your life.
Getting negative thoughts and limiting beliefs out of your head is key to improving your mental health and sleep quality.
And journaling is a great way to do it.
Take 15 minutes in the evening to write down everything that comes to mind.
Don’t know where to start?
Writing down your day’s ups and downs will help empty your mind before bed.
Stretch
After a long day, especially if you spend countless hours sitting at your desk, your body is bound to be tense.
Taking 5-10 minutes to stretch it out before bed will help relieve stress and prepare your body for sleep.
If you don’t know how to stretch correctly, you should definitely try out the FitOn app.
FitOn offers a ton of free workouts, from pre and post-workout stretches to HIIT workouts.
Plan and define 3 daily top priorities
Daily goals are vital to accomplishing something big and achieving your visions.
And starting every day with a clear plan and to-do list is key to making the most of your time.
Set small goals that align with your yearly goals and long-term vision of the ideal life.
Commit at least to your 3 daily priorities, and you will quickly see the results compound.
So take your planner to write down some kick-ass goals and define deadlines for each of them. They will help you plan your daily days and stay motivated to work on your life goals.
Never forget that the little things add up. A few months of hard work will put you years ahead in life.
Listen to a podcast
Listening to podcasts is a great way to educate yourself and relax.
I LOVE listening to podcasts while doing chores. It’s a great way to keep my mind busy while doing these unpleasant activities.
Listening to podcasts is also a great way to unwind while avoiding screens before bed.
Here are a few inspiring podcasts you should listen to:
- Ten percent happier with Dan Harris
- Happier with Gretchen Rubin
- The Lavendaire Lifestyle by Lavendaire
- Design your dream life with Natalie Bacon
- The Tony Robbins Podcast by Tony Robbins
Read a book
Reading is a great way to unwind and relieve stress to fall asleep.
According to research, reading for 20-30 minutes daily can decrease stress by up to 68%.
In many ways, reading can be considered a form of meditation in itself.
No matter what you decide to read, reading is like pressing “pause” and stopping the world around you.
It’s also, of course, a great way to educate yourself and boost your creativity.
If you are looking for personal growth books to read, here are a few of my favorites:
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Mountain is you by Brianna Wiest
- Ikigai by Hector Garcia
- 101 Essays that will change the way you think by Brianna Wiest
- Make it Happen by Jordanna Levin
Meditate
Meditation has changed my life.
We get so little of true silence these days.
A lot of people do not meditate because they are scared to be alone with their thoughts. This is also the main reason why so many people hate silence.
Yet, acknowledging what’s going on in your life and head is the only way to get clear on where you are headed and make changes if needed.
If you feel overwhelmed and stressed, you should add meditation to your bedtime routine.
Don’t know how to meditate? Headspace is a great free app for beginners. Meditating for just 15 minutes a day can help you change your life.
It did change mine.
So why don’t you give it a try today?
Follow a skincare/haircare routine.
Obviously, you should brush your teeth before going to bed. This is a no-brainer.
But taking care of your skin and hair is also key to feeling good in your body.
And the evening is the perfect time to take care of yourself by following a skincare routine.
Always wash off your face before going to bed and use a toner and moisturizer. This is the bare minimum when it comes to skincare.
If you know you are sometimes too lazy and fall asleep on your couch more often than not, don’t wait until you actually go to bed to follow your skincare routine.
You will probably be too tired to commit to your routine and will skip it.
So taking a warm shower or bath and following your skincare routine after having a light dinner might be an option.
If you decide to take a bath right before going to bed, avoid a hot bath, as it will increase your core body temperature, negatively impacting your sleep quality.
Prepare your bedroom
If you want to promote healthy sleep, you need to make a few tweaks to your bedroom.
Many things can impact sleep quality and trigger sleep disorders.
To make sure you create the perfect conditions for a good night’s sleep, follow the tips below:
- Make your bed and declutter your room
- Remove blue light-emitting devices from your room
- Cool your bedroom if necessary (the ideal temperature is 65-69°F or 17-19°C)
- Invest in black-out curtains to keep your room dark (key to staying asleep all night)
- Turn on an essential oils diffuser with some lavender oil for a few minutes before going to bed
Prepare for the following day
Another great habit busy women should add to their night routines is to prepare their clothes, accessories, and handbag for the following day.
Doing so in the evening will help you wake up more relaxed.
Not having to rush in the morning to pack your bag and find the perfect outfit will save you much time.
And you can use this precious time to do more productive things, such as having a healthy breakfast or even doing a quick workout!
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day will significantly impact your sleep quality.
Implementing a consistent bedtime routine and waking up at the same time every day will help you wake up energized.
Who knows, you might even be able to wake up without an alarm as your circadian rhythm adjusts!
Listen to a sleepcast in bed.
If you need a distraction to fall asleep, listening to a sleepcast is a great way to reduce screen time and ease anxiety to have a good night.
Headspace has some great sleepcasts. And if you don’t want to pay for a subscription, the Netflix series is the way to go.
Sleepcasts are basically bedtime stories that help you disconnect and feel sleepy.
Headspace’s sleepcasts are so good that I have never been able to finish any of them.
I just fall asleep after a few minutes, which tells you how effective they are!
Still can’t sleep? Don’t stay awake in bed for hours
Some days, life gets in the way, and falling asleep might seem impossible despite following every habit on this list.
So what should you do if you can’t fall asleep?
Believe it or not, the best way to fall asleep in these situations is to get out of bed.
Lying awake in bed when you can’t fall asleep is an important source of frustration, inevitably making things worse.
Sleep then becomes a focus of attention and a source of tension. And that’s when we usually start overthinking.
Anxiety builds as we start counting the hours left until the alarm rings.
Sleep should not be pursued. It should be evasive. If you can’t fall asleep after 30-45 minutes in bed, leave it.
This is called stimulus control.
Move to another place (your couch, for instance) where you can recline and engage in relaxing activities (no electronic devices allowed) while waiting for sleepiness to come.
Wait until your eyelids get heavy and you feel tired to return to bed.
Final thoughts
The calming activities on this list should help you prepare for the following day and get restful sleep.
To become a productive person, following healthy sleep habits is key. Waking up energized will help you stay productive all day to achieve your goals.
If you encounter difficulties falling asleep, these bedtime habits will help you adjust your circadian rhythm and improve sleep quality.
A good sleep routine should help you take care of yourself physically and spiritually, set your priorities and improve your health.
And this is precisely what you need to make every day count.
