If you have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, know this is a common problem. Especially for busy moms! These evening routine ideas will help you fall asleep faster and wake up feeling rested.
Not only that, you will wake up ready for the day and feeling renewed.
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Your Busy Mind Just Won’t Rest
Ladies, let’s face it. You basically have the most amazing capacity for managing a LOT of responsibilities.
You manage your work, time with family and friends, social aspects of those relationships.
We can’t forget about the management of your home!
Do you have kids? If so, that’s a job all on its own.
But let’s be honest… You are managing it all at the same time now.
What you probably aren’t doing is getting quality sleep so you wake up feeling rested!
Your brain is literally on overdrive. Here’s what you know, without a doubt… you need rest.
Good…. Quality…. Rest!
Evening Routine Ideas To Fall Asleep
Let’s see if this sounds familiar…
You go to bed for the night and even though you are exhausted, you lay there unable to sleep. Your mind is going a mile a minute.
Some of the things going through your mind may be –
- All of things you still need to do
- Something you weren’t able to get done today
- You replay a conversation over and over in your mind
Sound familiar?
Your mind is working to prepare you for your busy day tomorrow. It’s how you make it through one crazy day after another!
Rest easy. Keep reading for 5 simple ideas for your evening routine that will finally allow you to sleep like you haven’t in years AND wake up feeling rested.
Plan To Get Better Rest – Idea #1
The first thing you should add to your evening routine is to plan tomorrow out before you go to bed.
This might not seem like a big deal but it’s HUGE.
Setting a very simple plan or to-do list for your day tomorrow will allow your mind to relax!
You can go to sleep knowing you have a game plan. No stress necessary!
If you know you have a bigger task to tackle try using a personal task map to make it WAY less daunting.
TIP: More difficult or potentially overwhelming tasks are easy to procrastinate on. DON’T DO IT! Procrastination will only make the task get bigger and more difficult in your mind.
Make Planning Simple With Our Personal Task Map!
Download my favorite task map for tackling those bigger, more difficult things you need to get done during the day FREE here.
Routine Tip:
Create a to-to list before you go to bed.
Try this each night for the next week. Just take a few minutes to plan your day out. Give your mind a break tonight and wake up feeling rested tomorrow!
8 Ways to Unwind – Idea #2
Relax and unwind before you lay down.
Right after you finish another busy day, take a few minutes to let your body and mind catch up to the clock.
There are several different options to help you round out your day.
Pick the ones that work for you and go with it!
- Take a bubble bath
- Use lavender or eucalyptus essential oils
- Treat yourself to a foot soak
- Set aside a few minutes for prayer or meditation
- Read a daily devotion or inspirational article
- Put a waterfall or oceanic screensaver on your tv
- Use a luxurious lotion after your bath or shower
- Treat yourself to plush night robe
The major take away here is you don’t have to go to an expensive spa to pamper yourself and unwind.
Another important thing to remember is your self care is worth spending time on every day.
Not only when it’s a special occasion.
Routine Tip:
Relax and unwind before you lay down.
Your quality of sleep and rest will significantly increase when you dedicate time to your self care before you go to sleep.
Fall Asleep Faster – Idea #3
Play white noise to fall asleep.
Having white noise playing in the background as you go to sleep will distract your mind and allow you to relax.
Basically, white noise is either natural or fabricated sounds that allow you to shift your focus.
The biggest benefit to listening to white noise as you fall asleep is, it helps you turn your mind off as you lay down to rest.
There are so many options available on every streaming option out there.
Here are some white noise options to consider.
- Babbling Creek
- Waterfall
- Waves
- Rainforest
- Wilderness Sounds
- Nature Sounds
- City Sounds
- Cars and the City
You may look at some of these and wonder how in the world will that help me sleep?
Well, if you grew up in the city you are probably used to hearing the sound of cars, sirens, horns and city sounds.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you grew up in a more rural area, those same sounds could cause you to have an even harder time falling asleep.
Not sure which white noises would work best for you?
Take a few minutes to listen to them and find the one that relaxes you.
Routine Tip:
Play white noise to fall asleep.
By having relaxing sounds going softly in the background as you fall asleep you will be better rested and wake up feeling more relaxed.
Reflection Time Before Rest – Idea #4
Set aside 5 minutes for intentional reflection before you go to sleep.
This is one of my favorite things to do before I lay down.
You can combine this with whatever you choose to do to unwind for the night too!
There’s no excuse not to dedicate just five minutes to this.
Reflect very specifically on things you are grateful for.
Some days this is harder than others.
On those rough days, dedicating time to intentional reflection with a focus on gratitude is more important than ever.
At the end of a crappy day claim control over the things that you can control.
The one thing you always have control over is your perspective and outlook.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Today I am grateful for (fill in the blank)
- Even though (fill in the blank) didn’t go like I planned, I’m thankful for (fill in the blank)
- I choose to be grateful for (fill in the blank)
Set a journal by your bed and jot your thoughts down. Not only will it help you rest, it’s therapeutic.
Use our self care journal to quickly write your thoughts down each night.
Routine Tip:
Set aside 5 minutes for intentional reflection.
You will come up with a bunch of your own, I’m sure.
These are some simple intentional reflection statements to get you started!
Disconnect For The Night – Idea #5
I know… your phone, tablet, laptop… they are your lifeline.
It’s a fact of life, BUT tip number five is disconnect for the night.
The major problem with all of your technology is your body and mind are conditioned to react every time they light up, vibrate or make a sound.
This is the opposite of relaxing and unwinding.
An important part of your evening routine is to silence your phone and move it away from you while you sleep.
Don’t worry, your alarm will still sound normally.
Yes, you will have to get out of bed to turn it off. But, the difference this makes while you sleep is life-changing.
Rather than putting your phone on your nightstand, try putting it on your dresser.
If that sounds like too much, try turning it away so you won’t see it light up and turning off any vibration.
Baby steps are fine. Just be sure you are taking steps.
Routine Tip:
Disconnect for the night.
Moving your technology away from you and removing those distractions will help your body and mind truly feel rested when you wake up.
Evening Routine To Wake Up Feeling Rested
These 5 simple steps will help you get the rest your body needs!
All five are easy and either inexpensive or completely free.
Start your evening routine tonight by doing these 5 things:
- Create a to-to list before you go to bed
- Relax and unwind before you lay down
- Play white noise to fall asleep
- Set aside 5 minutes for intentional reflection
- Disconnect for the night
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This post was all about 5 simple steps to add to your evening routine. Wake up feeling rested, relaxed and renewed!
You might like our post on Morning Routine for Success!
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