This month we bring light to the important of an evening routine. We’ve focused lots of morning routines and how they impact the rest of our day, and without a good evening routine, or at least awareness around winding down, we can’t have a great morning routine.
Many of us aren’t aware of how important a wind down / nightly routine is for our mental state, emotional bodies (hello anxiety, restless nights & grumpy moods), our energy.
“Routinely sleeping less than six hours a night weakens your immune system, substantially increasing your risk of certain forms of cancer. Insufficient sleep appears to be a key lifestyle factor linked to your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Inadequate sleep – even moderate reductions for just one week – disrupts blood sugar levels so profoundly that you would be classified as pre-diabetic”. – (why we sleep book)
When you sleep, your brain goes through natural cycles of activity. There are four total stages of sleep, divided into two phases known as NREM (non-rapid eye movement) & REM (rapid eye movement).
Usually, a sleep cycle starts with Stage 1, then passes through the other stages with a short period of REM, then the cycle begins again at Stage 1. A full cycle lasts approximately 90-110 minutes and as you move through these stages your brain wave activity also changes.
Non-REM sleep happens first and includes three stages.
The last two stages of non-REM is when you sleep deeply.
During non-REM stages, your body builds bone and muscle, repairs and regenerates tissues, and strengthens the immune system.
REM sleep happens about an hour to an hour and a half after falling asleep.
REM sleep is when you tend to have vivid dreams. The first period lasts about 10 minutes and increases each stage after this. What is interesting is that the amount of REM sleep you experience changes as you age.
So now that you understand the sleep stages and what happens during them, the next step is to consider which habits, routines, or rituals you can put into place before bed to enhance your evening routine.
1. What’s your sleep environment like?
A comfortable and relaxing environment will help you not only fall asleep but remain asleep throughout the night. Be sure to make yourself as comfortable as you can. Give the below options a try:
2. Get your brain out of work mode – AKA slow down your mind
Tim Ferris, the author of “4-hour Work Week”, references using a closing ritual each day to transition from work to evening. This brings a cleanse to your mind from the leftover responsibilities of the day and a mental wind down into your evening routine.
He explains: “You can call it a ‘Closing Ritual’ or an ‘End of Day Routine’ or simply crafting a great habit for how you wrap up the work day. Whatever you call it, it is a powerful practice to have in place, especially in uncertain times where a sense of being in control and on track can be so important. A closing ritual should celebrate what you have accomplished today, take note of what was not completed or things you can learn from, use these pieces of insight to inform your next steps and tidy your workspace”.
3. Be prepared for the next day!
Congratulate yourself for what you got done today and make note of the things you didn’t get done plus the things you can learn from. This is getting out any anxiousness before our head meets the pillow. This can also be called a brain dump, just putting your pen to paper and letting everything out. Always noting gratitude in there if you can. We touch on this lots in our morning routine
To take it a step further, have your coffee, outfit and anything you need for the next day ready to rock so as soon as you wake you start off on the right foot.
4. You may need to break-up with Netflix (sometimes)
Instead of winding down everyday with tv or your phone (this is one of my biggest guilty pleasures.. especially in the chillier seasons!) instead, grab a book and a cup of tea and take time away from the screens. Put your phone away in a different room to resist temptation.
5. Last but not least, movement. Always.
Try light stretching, yin yoga, yoga nidra, or meditation before bed to help release the tension from the day or to prepare for a tough day ahead.
There are many options of things listed above from journaling, breath-work, meditation to yoga for sleep & relaxing that you can refer to on the Soul Practice Membershi[, and this month’s practices will be centered around evening routines and great sleep.
A bath or warm shower before bed is also a great way to unwind from the day and soak your tension away.. I’ll be headed that way shortly!
Check out our monthly calendar below for new class releases & suggested existing classes for a great month.
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