What are the best habits in the night?
Answers
1. Do a bit of prep work for tomorrow morning.
The first tip for making tomorrow happy is to use your bedtime routine to simplify your morning routine. Prepare tomorrow’s clothes, load your coffee maker so you’ll only have to press the start button in the morning, or write down your to-do list for tomorrow. According to Howes, “basically anything that will help you have a comfortable and good morning so you can kick the day off perfectly.”
2. Talk to someone.
If you’re busy and anxious, you may feel that all you want to do at night is burrow into yourself. This may be by watching television or drinking wine, or engaging in another activity that helps you switch off your brain for the night. After a bad day, it’s helpful to be alone. But you don’t always want to do that. If you want to connect with others, Howes suggests you should text or email someone you care about or talk to your partner or friend. He claims that it “helps to calm you and reassure you that you’re not alone.” “It’s like, “OK, I’m fine.” ‘I’m in this world with other people.’
3. Clean up a bit.
Chores are the worst. Not quite what you think when you imagine a peaceful night’s sleep. Regularly completing tasks (such as housework or yard work) will help you stay on top of the piles of unfinished business that pile up over time. Nothing is like waking up to a basin full of dishes that gaze at you as you pour your morning coffee. Worse, you’ll spend the rest of the day knowing that those dishes will be waiting for you when you return home.
4. Start reading before sleep.
Probably, you don’t need me to explain why it’s so awesome if you already read books before sleep. Even if you’re doubtful (or think it’s probably wonderful in concept but never have the time for it), I suggest reading a book before bed to set up a meaningful bedtime routine.
A bedtime routine aims to relax and allow your world to shrink until it’s just you, your pillow, and a great night’s sleep waiting for you. You wish to detach yourself from the day’s stresses and tensions. “That’s what reading a book is all about,” Howes explains. “Your attention is shifting from the day’s world events and tension to just this one tale you’re reading.” That helps everything shrink down till you can sleep.”
5. Use a guided meditation to help you sleep peacefully.
Many people who didn’t believe in meditation at first started to believe in it when they started to meditate before getting to bed. At the end of your day, if you have a hard time relaxing or getting to sleep, guided meditation might be just what you need to get out of your head.
Meditation can help you control your breathing and center yourself in the present moment, which can help you sleep better by cutting out the disturbing thoughts that keep you awake. Headspace and Calm are two applications that might help you get started. Both are free to download (optional in-app charges apply) and offer easy-to-follow tutorials for first-time users. Try them out. They may surprise you.