Easy steps to take in order to prepare yourself for the week ahead. Daily habits to start a nighttime routine that will engage your body in relaxation techniques.
This might be an odd start to a "How To" article, but regarding this certain topic I have no ability to relate to people who have trouble sleeping. I can only attest to the fact that I have never had trouble sleeping. If my night time routine is a testimony to this then we will find out by trial and error. With that being said here are the steps that I take to prepare myself for bed in order to fall asleep immediately when I want to.
I think the best place to start is with the timeframe leading up to the minute I close my eyes. The last 30 minutes of the day is extremely important. I will also include some adjustments you can take throughout the course of your day which might benefit your ability to relax at bed time.
ALARM, BED TIME, WIND DOWN
1. Open the "Clock" Application on your iPhone.
2. Once the Clock application is opened click on the emoticon of a clock labeled "Alarm" located at the bottom of the screen.
3. At the top of the screen you will see the "bedtime" feature marked by the emoticon of a bed frame followed by the words
"Sleep | Wake Up". In order to open up the features of this application you will need to click on the button labeled "CHANGE"
4.) Set a bed time & wake up time. There is a feature that will tell you how many hours of sleep you will get depending on the times that are set.
5.) On this screen there will be an option to edit your sleep Schedule in the Health App, enable a wind down period of 30 minutes.
6.) Go Back to the Clock App and enable the Wake Up Alarm
7.) Once the Wake Up Alarm is enabled under the option "Sounds and Haptics" select the "Early Riser" sound.
WIND DOWN: Enabling a wind down period means that your phone will automatically put your phone on do not disturb 30 minutes before your set bed time. There are ways to edit this feature in order to allow important friends or family to bypass the system in order to call or text you. When you are called during do not disturb the call will be brought immediately to voicemail. If a person calls 2 more times the phone will allow the notification to go through. When receiving a text during this time, other iPhone users are able to see when notifications are on silent, there is an option to bypass this feature. Setting a wind down period helps to silence notifications from applications such as Instagram, Facebook, or other social media platforms. This creates intentionality which causes individuals to purposefully seek out entertainment from these applications instead of just reacting to notifications which can spiral users into hours of scrolling. There is a feature to lock certain apps during the wind down period. This lock will prompt a warning screen before opening the app and it will hide any red notification bubbles from view in order to help curb temptations.
THOUGHTS: My thoughts on the wind down feature is that it creates a less stimulating environment for your mind before bed. Often I found myself distracted by friends in different time zones and after deep reflection I noticed how habitual it was for me to lay down in bed and scroll for hours. I started to create a habit which trained my brain to do the exact opposite of what a bed is for. The act of laying down in bed meant I would relax by checking social media apps. I was addicted to seeing the red notifications and clearing them before I would allow myself to sleep. I always still managed to get to bed at a reasonable hour, but I have noticed from the testimonies of others this is not always an easy task to achieve. After 10:45pm I have decided nothing is worth my attention. Most people are asleep and in bed by that hour anyways, even if I get a notification it will not benefit anyone because I do not have the ability to solve any problem that could come up, nor am I willing to.
EARLY RISER: By using the early riser sound people are able to wake up slowly instead of suddenly. This is very important for your overall health because being jolted awake during the REM cycle of sleep can absolutely determine your energy levels for the day. The early riser sound starts off light and soft with the keys of a piano with some additional white noise. Gradually the sound of the piano increases and the sound of bells start to ring louder in the background. The alarm has a feature to change the type of vibration that is associated with the sound which can be helpful if you are a heavy sleeper.
THOUGHTS: I used to hate the feeling I would get when I woke up in the morning to the sudden blaring of my alarm. Immediately my mood was decided for the day. I realized I would never be truly happy if I had to start the majority of my days on this earth with a sense of annoyance. Most people say they try putting their favorite song as their wake up alarm and soon enough that song is no longer a source of joy. If the right song was chosen I believe people could wake up and continue to be happy. I choose the early riser sound because I do not want to get sick of my favorite song. Eventually my brain got so used to this sound that it started to wake me up before the alarm got to its louder increment. I no longer get jolted awake by the sound of my alarm. I wake up with a sense of peace and happiness to start the day. It helps me sleep knowing that I do not have to dread my morning alarm.
DARK MODE: The dark mode features automatically turn on during do not disturb and this helps reduce the amount of blue light that your eyes are exposed to before bed. If we thin about it a cell phone, or any form of artificial light is not natural for our bodies to be exposed to. Before any of these devices were created people relied on the sun, the moon, and occasionally the rooster. Do you know why the rooster crows in the morning? A roosters eye has the ability to see light rays differently than humans. The sun is always bright, but humans can only see those rays of light when they are more exposed. A roosters eyes allows for a head start of about an hour or two. To put into simple terms they see the sun rising before we do. Our brains start producing a certain chemical in our brains to keep us awake when our eyes see light. When we interfere with our bodies natural ability to regulate itself we start to see the negative effects by not being able to sleep. Enabling dark mode on your cellular device for all your apps (instagram, facebook, snapchat, etc.) will help your body to produce the necessary chemicals (melatonin) to put you to sleep.
THOUGHTS: Dark Mode is beneficial throughout the day not just the 30 minutes before you decide to sleep. People nowadays are taking melatonin supplements because they have trained their brains to stop producing the chemical themselves. Dark mode is used on all of my devices in order to ensure that I do not mess with my sleep schedule.
An ultrasonic diffuser will purify the air in your bedroom and make the environment feel fresh. It is important to find the right diffuser that will suit your needs. Try to purchase one that does not have additional lighting capabilities unless you want to use this diffuser for your wake up routine as well. The right diffuser needs to be ultrasonic in order to properly disperse the lavender oil. The ultrasonic technology uses vibrations to create ultrasonic waves which transfer microscopic oil particles into the air. The lavender oil is very important in creating the desired environment for increased relaxation. Lavender oil has medicinal and therapeutic benefits and can help your body to produce melatonin or increase estrogen levels. Lavender is also a natural anti-histamine, antibacterial, and contains anti-inflammatory properties.
THOUGHTS: Personally I have experienced that some companies do not manufacture essential oils in an ethically responsibly manner or they use different chemicals that have caused allergic reactions when put inside diffusers. I have found that NOWfoods essential oils has the best results with the most potent scents and longer lasting abilities.
If you would like to purchase an ultrasonic diffuser use this discount code link: RWELLADAY
If you would like to purchase USDA Organic Essential Oils we recommend: NOWfoods
WEIGHTED BLANKET
Human beings are hardwired for physical touch. In order for the proper release of dopamine to occur in the body an individual needs contact for about 10-15 seconds to trigger the proper chemical response. Many people have trouble sleeping because they are not used to being alone or they have not participated in any form of physical touch throughout the day to encourage this release of chemicals in their body. With this being in mind my suggestion to ease anxiety before bed and activate the body to begin natural relaxation is to purchase a weighted blanket. The best blankets are those that come in a standard size to enable the product to be covered by a washable duvet cover. I have found blankets which are engineered with glass beads tend to fight the issue of overheating during the night. A good nights rest becomes more achievable after the purchase of a weighted blanket.
CALMNESS BREATHING
Calmness breathing has been known to help people release anxiety throughout their body. This practice can be done in a couple easy steps. First make sure you are ready to lay down and fall asleep. It's important that you do not have any other tasks to complete. If you are following the other guidelines in this article this should be the last step you take in order to finally fall asleep. I use this breathing method to immediately fall asleep within minutes of my head resting on the pillow.
The first step is to release the tension in your jaw, then release the tension in your neck, shoulders and fingers. Once the tension is released from your upper body focus on inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Feel your stomach fill with each breath and then collapse while you breathe out. Feel the tension release from your hips and lower back. Focus again on your breathing inhale and exhale until all tension is released from your legs down to your toes. Repeat this exercise until all tension is released.
BEET JUICE AND ORANGE JUICE
The combination of beets and oranges makes for a great natural relaxation supplement to sip on at dinner before going to bed. The oranges provide for a high amount of antioxidants and adds to the flavor to make the juice enjoyable. Antioxidants protect the cells in our body from damaged caused by free radicals. As for the beets they are known to be full of organic nitrates which raise nitric oxide levels which leads to a lower blood pressure. The iron found in beets help with the formation of red blood cells which encourages the natural circulation of blood within our bodies. The best way to make a Beet-Orange Juice combination is by following this recipe:
Ingredients:
3 organic beets
4 organic naval oranges
Ice Cubes as needed.
Drink this all natural juice before bed if you want to lower your blood pressure naturally, relieve headaches and promote healthy muscle repair after working out.
These are the tips that I can offer to you, they have been successful in allowing me to fall asleep when I want to. These daily habits have changed how much sleep I get and how energized I am when I wake up in the morning. Enabling certain features on your phone or starting off with small habits can help build momentum to reach the ultimate goal of better sleep. The trick is to make sure you are consistently self-aware of your own actions before you decide to fall asleep.
I hope this method helps you....
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