Key elements to a positive nighttime routine
Hello! Happy Wednesday!
I hope your week is going well. It feels like Monday here in Melbourne as we had a public holiday yesterday. I am always a bit thrown by a mid week public holiday!
I have said this many times but it is so true that I need to say again - the secret to stress free mornings starts the night before. I have had a very similar night time routine for a very long time. The night time routine not only allows me to fit into my days the activities and tasks that I need to do for family and work but also the activities and tasks I want to do for myself.
You can see a detailed breakdown of my nightly routine here but in brief they are:
Prepare For Breakfast
Prepare Lunch Boxes
Complete Notices
Ensure Clean and Available Uniforms/Clothes for Kids and Me
Un-stack Dishwasher
General Tidy
Empty The Bin/s
Check The Calendar
Make To Do List
Wind Down
Some other elements that are super important to consider in your night time routine to help you get a good night sleep so you can function well and be truly present for your family the next day are:
Screen-free time before bed - the blue light from screen time seriously disrupts our sleep cycles. Blue light suppresses the body’s release of melatonin, a hormone that makes us feel drowsy. While this may be helpful during the day, it becomes unhelpful at night when we’re trying to sleep. Being exposed to blue light in the evening can trick our brain into thinking it’s still daytime, disrupting circadian rhythms and leaving us feeling alert instead of tired. {Source} It is recommended to have 60 minutes of screen-free time before going to bed.
Consistent bedtime - keeping a regular sleep schedule—even on weekends—maintains the timing of the body's internal clock and can help you fall asleep and wake up more easily.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other chemicals that interfere with sleep - this is not the fun one to mention but they can have such a negative impact on your sleep and therefore how you feel the next day.
Special mention - have an Adapt Drinks Relax! Not only is it a great alternative to alcohol in the evening when you want to unwind but it can actually help improve your sleep! A key ingredient in Relax is L-theanine. It is an amino acid that is not common in the diet which promotes relaxation without drowsiness. L-theanine works to help you with sleep as it:
Boosts levels of GABA and other calming brain chemicals. L-theanine elevates levels of GABA, as well as serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals are known as neurotransmitters, and they work in the brain to regulate emotions, mood, concentration, alertness, and sleep, as well as appetite, energy, and other cognitive skills. Increasing levels of these calming brain chemicals promotes relaxation and can help with sleep. {source}
And as L-theanine increases relaxation and therefore reduces anxiety and stress it can help you fall asleep quicker and with greater ease.
One bottle of Adapt Relax contains 132mg of L-theanine, a much higher dose than that is typically found in a cup of black tea (approximately 20mg), and in the recommended range for supplemental use to help improve sleep and relaxation.
So if you are looking for a natural and delicious way to help you sleep better, head to the shop to order your Adapt Drinks!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Nic