In the recent article about traditions helping with better health, “Researchers propose that engagement in ritual (whether that’s doing stretches in the morning, preparing food mindfully and by hand, or performing simple breathing exercise before bed) has the ability to reduce both anxiety and stress.”
Which made me wonder if anyone has any good tips for creating rituals for going to sleep. I’m pretty inconsistent myself I must admit. The two things I do at times are 1. I will make a cup of nighttime or camomile tea to help create a calm state. or 2. I will do a nighttime meditation through Headspace or Calm.
Aside from that my ritual really consists of simply brushing my teeth and heading up to bed, which could probably do with a bit of an upgrade as a ‘ritual’ So suggestions are welcome!
Thanks for letting me know! Lately I’m listening to a porch story from Headspace.
I initially thought listening to something would keep me awake as it would stimulate me but the soundscape and the voice are soothing enough it does help me get to sleep at times
If you can stop yourself from checking them I don’t see any harm in having them close. I don’t really go on my phone just before going to bed on purpose. I know a lot of people find that the hard part though. Personally I can put on a meditation or similar and leave it to run out. And when I wake up I am very conscious to not look at the time. Knowing what time it is makes me anxious around the hours of sleep I’ve had so I really avoid it. But I use my phone as my alarm as well (not that I ever sleep long enough for it to go off but still) so that’s my main reason to have it near my bed.
interesting and totally relatable… however there are quite a number of research article that state something along the following lines:
“”… what is unknown to a lot of people is that sleeping with your phone close to you can be hazardous to your health.
Smartphones have been proven to emit dangerous radiation which causes an alteration in the system of certain self –regulating the process, such as our biological clock or cardiac rhythm.
Owing to this, having our cell phone near us while we sleep can lead to nightmares, inability to sleep, waking up several times at night, etc.
Furthermore, sleeping with your phone near you can be harmful to your body functions and tend to limit the production of many significant hormones that are essential for your regular routine…"""
Again: I am no expert in this - just sharing what I have read and what works for me. And given so many on this forum have issues with sleep, every little improvement might have a positive impact on the quality of their sleep.
I have found that for myself, If I have physically exerted myself to where I feel tired, I do sleep better. My ritual other than washing my face, and brushing my teeth, I open the bedroom window just a crack to bring in fresh air. I wear an eye mask, and one earplug to bed (my husband is a chronic snorer and has mild sleep apnea), and I set my radio clock to play for 60 minutes. I actually will listen to Christian talk radio, which often does sermons. I feel that if I’m listening to something positive every night, then somehow, my subconscious keeps it.
I read fiction (from a physical book) in bed for at least 20 minutes. The time depends on when either my left arm starts tingling or I notice I’m dozing. So something on my body is going to sleep first.
It’s a good read. I have always used the blue light filter from 8pm to 6am as that is supposed to make a difference but I am unsure. I find the only way to fall asleep sometimes is by playing a simple game on my phone, that doesn’t require much brain power, and I doze off by playing.
So suggestions are welcome!
