Having some trouble sleeping? A huge percentage of the population is facing the same. India ranks as the second most sleep deprived country in the world, according to a study, and this has only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You might have had your routine irrevocably changed by the pandemic, and thus have more time to sleep amidst work-from-home, but sleep quality might still have taken a hit, thanks to issues like anxiety, stress, loneliness, health worries, financial concerns, or any other issues.
Having a good, cleansing and calming nighttime routine before you get into bed improves the quality of your sleep. It can help centre you regardless of what is happening in the world. What you do in the evening after work can impact your ability to fall into a relaxing and deep sleep at night.
As we mentioned in our other blog, poor sleep can have plenty of health consequences. If you have trouble getting sleep regularly, try building your evening and pre-bedtime routine to identify potential problem areas. Here are some tips to build this ideal routine:
Try journaling to relieve your stress before sleep
A journal gives you the space to express concerns weighing on your mind and preventing you from sleeping. This reduces the need for you to keep thinking about them in bed and keeping you up. While journaling is not a catch-all solution to relieve severe anxiety or chronic stress, it can help reduce anxious thoughts and give yourself soothing feelings. Writing down your thoughts that are troubling you can help you visualise them leaving your mind and reinforce the relief that you feel.
There might be some upcoming events that are causing you stress. Writing about them and working out some potential solutions can help you become more calm and prepared to face them as they come up. Keep journaling before bed to relax into a deep sleep.
Meditate or stay in silence
Regular meditation can help you relax mentally and physically. Spending a few moments in mindfulness before sleep may improve your ability to release the day’s stress and tension to prepare for a good night’s sleep.
Sit down and focus your awareness on your thoughts. This gives your body a chance to rest and relax. Take a few deep breaths to give your body the chance to slow down. The main benefit of meditation is that it slows down your thoughts, particularly anxious thoughts, that are keeping you awake.
If you are not able to meditate before sleep, put on some calming, soothing music as you prepare for bed. Music can release hormones that improve your mood. Don’t put on energetic music that makes you want to dance (save that for work!), but slow tunes.
Create a feel-good tradition with your loved ones before sleep
Connecting with your loved ones right before bed (whether it’s your partner, parents, children, roommates, or pet) can increase feelings of happiness and peace before bed. Generating these positive emotions can put you in a great mood.
Here are some things you can do with your loved ones before bed:
- Recap the day, both its highlights and low points
- Read aloud to each other
- Playing with your pet
- Singing softly to each other
Try visualisation
Use visualisation (guided imagery) to create peaceful and beautiful scene in your mind before bed, to distract you from anxious thoughts. You can imagine yourself in your “happy place”, whether that’s a beach, forest, or under the stars. Picture the place and put yourself into the image, imagining yourself in first-person to feel happy, peaceful and relaxed as you drop off.
Try out OZiva Mela.Mag+ for Even Better Sleep
Melanin is an essential hormone that tells your body to relax and that it is time to go to sleep. Melatonin is often used to treat sleep disorders like insomnia, and is useful when travelling and resting in a new timezone, helping your body’s circadian rhythm get back to normal.
If you are looking for a 100% plant-based and natural melatonin supplement, try OZiva Mela.Mag+. It is a specially designed formulation for better sleep that comes with the goodness of Melatonin and Magnesium.
It helps enhance deep, healthy and uninterrupted sleep with Melatonin, Magnesium, Vitamin B6 and Indian Valerian Root, and helps to keep the body stress-free and calm with standardized plant extracts like Chamomile, Jujube seed and Guduchi.
It also helps regulate Sleep-Wake cycle with the help of Phytomelatonin present in the plant extracts.
To know more about OZiva Mela.Mag+, check out these questions answered by OZIva’s nutritionists
Last modified: June 2, 2022
