How to Build the Perfect Bedtime Routine for a Great Night’s Sleep
Written By: Hapbee
While simply switching off the lights and closing your eyes may have been enough to get your 40 winks when you were younger, many adults — especially the 50-70 million U.S. adults who have a sleep disorder — find they now benefit from creating an optimal environment for catching their ZZZs.
Similar to constructing a series of morning rituals that help set yourself up for a successful day (we’re looking at you, coffee, gym and shower), building the perfect bedtime routine can help ensure you receive all the rest your body needs. This practice is known as “sleep hygiene” and comprises various healthy habits that help signal your brain that it’s time for slumber.
Read on to learn eight steps that you’ll take to create the perfect bedtime routine for a great night’s sleep.
Power down your devices. The blue light from your screens inhibits the natural production of melatonin, the body’s natural sleep-inducing hormone, and that can confuse your circadian rhythm. Though it may seem like watching TikTok videos or playing Wordle is a great way to wind down in bed after a long day or that firing off a few emails will put you in a better position come morning, those activities are more likely to negatively impact your ability to fall asleep. For best results, power down your devices at least one hour before bedtime (but be sure to set your morning alarm before doing so!).
Dim lights and decrease thermostat. Now that your tempting devices are stashed away, it’s time to set the mood and prepare for hibernation. Artificial light can negatively impact your sleep-wake cycle, so turn them down as low as you can get away with while still completing the rest of your perfect bedtime routine. According to the Sleep Foundation, warm temperatures can cause discomfort and restlessness and a higher core body temperature is associated with a decrease in restorative slow wave sleep. Strive for a bedroom temperature of 65 degrees for your most comfortable slumber.
Hydrate and have a snack. Nobody has ever gotten a good night’s sleep with a rumbling stomach echoing throughout the bedroom, so be sure to have a light bite to keep your hunger pangs at bay. Similarly, you’re about to go 8-ish hours without any water, so you’ll want to ensure you’re well hydrated (though it is a tough balance to strike, as you also don’t want to have to get up in the middle of the night because your bladder can’t make it until morning). Just be sure to steer clear of anything containing caffeine, which has a half-life of five hours in your system.
Skip the night cap. Speaking of drinking, a glass of wine (or two) may initially help take the edge off so you can fall asleep, but that sensation won’t last throughout the night — and the more alcohol you drink, the harder it is to get a good night’s sleep. In fact, drinking more than two servings of alcohol per day for men and more than one serving per day for women has been found to decrease sleep quality by 39.2.
Pair a soothing activity with your Hapbee. With your environment now squared away, you can focus inward and begin winding down. Consider such activities as a guided bedtime meditation, writing down your next day’s to-do list to help decrease middle-of-the-night anxiety, updating your gratitude journal, listening to relaxing music while reading a book, coloring or sketching, or even doing a multi-step skincare routine you wouldn’t otherwise carve out time for — and the best part is, you can do all of these while wearing your Hapbee. Choose a soothing Sleep Blend or the Deep Sleep or Bedtime Signals and enjoy the comforting sensation as it washes over your body and calms your thoughts. By the time your session is complete, it’ll almost be time to call it a day.
Indulge in any other self-care acts you desire. We so rarely get a moment to ourselves these days, which makes a bedtime dose of TLC that much more rewarding. If you like to soak in a warm bubble bath by candlelight, now’s the time. Or perhaps you want to spritz some lavender essential oil on your pillowcase for a little bit of aromatherapy, or wrap your hands around a warm teacup filled with chamomile. You can even use this time to massage lotion into your feet for a little acupressure therapy, do some lazy stretches, or foam roll any achy muscles to reduce tension. The possibilities are endless, so do whatever feels comforting.
Prep your Hapbee for bedtime. While you may be used to wearing your Hapbee around your neck for most sessions, you can actually do things a bit differently at bedtime. First, select from any of the Signals or Blends that appeal to you (such as Deep Sleep, Bedtime or Wind Down) and then use the app to choose how long you’d like it to play for (anywhere from three minutes to eight hours). Then, just slip it under your pillow and you’re all set.
Make any last-minute adjustments. Once you’ve climbed into bed, it’s time to assess how you feel and make sure every detail is to your liking. Fluff your pillows, adjust your blankets, turn on your white noise machine to block out unwanted disturbances, make sure your curtains aren’t allowing any light to peek through, find a cozy position, and close your eyes. Soon, you’ll drift off to dreamland.
As with any healthy habits you’re trying to implement, consistency is the key to long-term success. Your new ritual may work perfectly on night one, or you may find that some tweaks are needed to find your sweet spot for sleep. Feel free to experiment by changing up the activities or the order in which you do them. But once you dial in those details and discover how wonderful it is to be able to count on a good night’s sleep because of your efforts, the more likely you are to stick to and rely on your new perfect bedtime routine whether you’re at home or on the road.
Make Hapbee part of your perfect bedtime routine today – and sleep easy knowing you’ll receive a risk-free 365 nights to test it out, plus a 90-day All-Access Membership trial so that you can find your perfect sleep-inducing Blend or Signal.
