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I don’t like to make “resolutions” at the beginning of the year, instead, I prefer to make quarterly goals and hit those goals by introducing small daily habits one week at a time. For instance, if I want to read 12 books in the first quarter of 2017, I’ll break it down into 1 book per week, or 1-2 hours of reading per day. This post is all about the 7 habits I’ve been practicing for better sleep this year.
I decided if I want to get more sleep, I’d need to integrate some end-of-day routines that will facilitate deeper and longer sleep times. I set aside my 1-2 hours of reading for right before bed so that I don’t have blue light from my phone, laptop, or tv preventing the production of melatonin. Scheduling your day in accordance with your goals can produce exponentially better results. In addition to my nightly reading routine, I’ve been introducing the following sleep better habits each evening:
1. Supplementing with Magnesium Orotate
I use this form of magnesium to specifically support my genes. You can read about the benefits of Magnesium Orotate here. I took a 23andme test a few years ago and each year try to find new insights on how I nurture my particular genetic makeup for optimum health. It’s been amazing and I highly recommend getting a 23andme test done – you can order the kit here.
2. Turning on my ionizer (negative ion generator)
I want to make sure it’s on for at least an hour before I go to my room to read. Not only does it clean the air of mold spores, dust, pollen, and other air pollutants, it cranks out negative ions which are great for your health. You can read more about the benefits of negative ions here.
3. Dimming the Lights
This increases melatonin production which is great for falling asleep quickly.
4. Diffusing Lavender, Chamomile, and Frankincense essential oils in our bedroom.
I’ve noticed that I dream very vividly but the dreams have always been pleasant (so far).
5. Journaling my days
Keeping track of my days’ “roses and thorns”, observations, and brain dumping the next day’s to-dos and priorities. It’s nice to get all of the junk and clutter out of my brain before sleeping.
6. Cutting out wine
Ugh – this has been difficult, but I’m getting higher quality sleep!
7. Replacing that wine with Pau D’Arco Bark Tea
This stuff is amazing! It not only tasty and caffeine-free but has a ton of other perks such as being an NAD precursor and tons of other benefits you can read about here.
Have you had success by incorporating small habits for big impacts? Share them by commenting below! Have questions about any of the tips I’ve listed? Please contact me, as I LOVE to talk about simple life hacks that make a huge difference.
Evening routines are important and so are morning routines. Check out what I’ve been doing to rock my morning routine here.
