Do you have a bedtime routine you stick to?
For the longest time, I just went to bed and woke up at different times. At that moment I didn't even realize how much damage that did to the way I function throughout the day. It was only when I finally decided to set a specific time I would go to bed and wake up that I noticed such a big difference. I was truly amazed by how much the quality of my life changed. The most shocking part was how easy my body just accepted my bedtime routine. I guess it was like that because I really listened to my body and set a bedtime routine that works the best for it.
HOW I STARTED?
I started simple and that was with deciding at what time I need to go to bed to get 7-8 hours of sleep. As on the weekdays, I need to wake up at 7am I decided to go to bed at around 11pm. On the weekend I allow myself to sleep maximum till 8am and with that, I sometimes go to bed around 12am but never later. The reason why I didn't set in a second fixed time is that each night is slightly different and I don't want to put too much pressure on me. I would rather go to bed 5 or 10 minutes later than to feel rushed to go to bed as I know that it would disturb the quality of my sleep.I've been following this bedtime routine for at least 6 months now and I can definitely see some big changes it brought to my life. I'm so happy that I managed to find the routine that works the best for me and my lifestyle. I would advise you to not feel discouraged if you still haven't found the best routine for you. We all have different lifestyle and what works for some doesn't work for others. Take your time and slowly start to notice which time works the best for you.
4 CHANGES I NOTICED
EASY TO FALL ASLEEP & WAKE UP
Since I started to go to bed at the proximately same time each night, I noticed that I fall asleep much easier and quicker. Before, I had trouble falling asleep. It would take me a few hours to ease into sleep. As I need to wake up early for university it would make me even more annoyed which wouldn’t help with me falling asleep any sooner. After a week of setting the exact time on which I go to bed, I realized that my body got used to it. It knew that around 11pm it is time for bed. I would start to feel tired and I would immediately finish with anything that I was doing and get ready for bed.
It was the same with waking up. Each day I found it easier to wake up. Now I don’t even need to set alarm as my body wakes itself naturally. I really like that as I feel much more awake when I wake up like that. Waking to annoying alarm sounds isn’t that pleasant and turning off the alarm before it even goes on feels much better. On days that I need to wake up earlier than usual, I also don’t feel tired because I make sure that I at least get 7 hours of sleep each day.
MORE ENERGY
I honestly don’t remember the last time I woke up and had trouble getting out of the bed. In the past, I know how tired and annoyed I felt when I needed to wake up early. It was all because I didn’t go to bed at the right time and my body didn’t get enough sleep. Since I established my bedtime routine, each day I wake up full of energy. Of course, there are some days that I might feel more tired than on others but it is never so much that it would make my day harder. I can immediately leave my bad and start my day full of energy and ready to deal with whatever comes my way.
It made the quality of my everyday life so much better. Waking up with more energy means more energy to burn and with that better night sleep as it is the way my body can recharge. It is a beautiful chanted circle that works perfectly. If you feel like you wake up more tired than you went to bed than your bedtime routine is probably all over the place. Try to set a realistic time to go to bed and to wake up at least for a week. I’m sure you will see the difference in a short time.
BETTER QUALITY SLEEP
As I mentioned before, in the past I had a hard time falling asleep. My sleeping pattern wasn’t good and I could feel it. I had trouble getting into a deep sleep zone in which you actually relax the most. We all know how important sleeping at least 7-8 hours a day is but when life gets in the way it seems like we rather sacrifice out time to sleep than reschedule other things throughout our day. A lot of people just don’t prioritize a high quality sleep. We tend to look at people online talking about their bedtime routine and try to follow it to then shortly realize that it doesn’t work for us.
We don’t realize that we can’t copy someone else’s routine. We need to find our own. You know the best how much sleep you need to function the best. Workaround our life and not around someone else’s. You might not get it right from the first time, I definitely didn’t but after some time it all falls to its place. Having a set bedtime routine will leave you with quality sleep even if you do end up getting less sleep on someday. You will be able to fall asleep much quicker.
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
I have a challenge for you. Next morning on your commute to work or university look around you and I’m sure you will see more than 4 people looking sleepy, tired, annoyed or grumpy. They most likely look like that because they didn’t actually have a good night's sleep. Most people don’t like others to approach them a few hours after they’ve woken up. Who would like that when all you can think about is how you wish you could just stay in your bed.
I definitely had those kinds of days in the past. If I knew I slept less than 7 hours I immediately felt anxious and tired. My energy was so low and so was my attitude. You could just see all over me how tired I was. Now that I know exactly how much time I am going to sleep and my body getting used to that, I honestly wake up in such a good mood. I am well rested which means that I already started my day on a good note. The act of getting out of bed and getting ready to head out doesn’t bring any negative emotion.
Are there any changes you noticed after establishing your bedtime routine?
Was it hard to realize what time to fall asleep and wake up was the best for you?
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