Why bother with a bedtime routine?
Today I want to talk to you about
why you should bother with a bedtime routine.
A lot of people who have sleep issues are over it. Every blog, every book, everyone says, you should have a bedtime routine but why on earth should you even bother?!?
You might say, I have these sleep issues, and they are much more than a bedtime routine! But here is the reason why I insist that people try it out.
A lot of us need some time to wind down. Sleep is not an on and off switch. It takes some time for it to get ready, and for some of us, it is really quick, and for others, it takes just a bit longer.
A bedtime routine helps you create that automatism that helps sleep to transition over, so from being awake to sleeping. Imagine it like when you take a certain route every day; either on foot, by car or by public transportation.
Your brain gets so used to it that it goes on autopilot. Sometimes you're half asleep while you're doing it, and then you wonder, how did I get here? I don't even remember the last five minutes. That is because your brain is on autopilot. It knows what it has to do and your conscious is just going along, shadowing a little because you've made it most of the time. You are absent-minded and your body still knows what to do.
Now, we want the same thing with sleep. We want sleep to know what it has to do, without you needing to be desperately controlling it. Bedtime routine is exactly that!
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Imagine the routine like a domino effect. It's like leaving the house and your brain goes “Oh! I know where to go! Let's go!” It just takes this automatic autopilot attitude and brings you to your destination: namely Sleep.
For this to work, you need a routine. It should be max. 4 to 5 steps that are in the same order every night. It is a bit annoying, but it really helps!
Check out this blog post on my website, where I give you different tips on Bedtime routines. I also have a PDF document with bedtime routine ideas. If you’d like to get it, just email me and I will be happy to send it to you.
I hope you found "Why bother with a bedtime routine" helpful. Don’t complain if you haven't tried out these first basic steps and just give it a try!
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