It’s one thing to make a schedule and go to bed at a set bedtime, but that doesn’t mean sleep will actually come at bedtime. Sometimes the body and mind are wide awake at bedtime. Perhaps surprisingly, lying in bed awake, trying to fall asleep, is about the worst thing to encourage sleep because it trains the brain that the bed is the place to go to think and be alert. Fortunately there is a much better pre-bed process to relax the body and mind and encourage sleep.
The following 7-step process is designed to take place right before bed, after everything else (brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, etc.) is done. This may seem like a lot, but stick with us, we have the perfect solution at the end. It may help the very first night, and it may take a few weeks for the body and mind to get used to the process. Either way, it’s a valuable tool to encourage deep, quality sleep.
How to relax before bed:
- Location, location, location
Choose a comfortable place close to the bed. It could be in the bedroom in a chair next to the bed, or another nearby room, as long as there are no stairs between the relaxation place and the bed. - Create the environment
Make sure the relaxation place is dark by drawing curtains and turning off lights. It should also be quiet, so if noises cannot be avoided, headphones may be helpful. - Loosen up
Light, calming stretching exercises are great to loosen tight muscles, increase comfort, and begin to release excess tension in the body. - Close the eye
Just like during sleep, the eyes should be closed for the next phase of the relaxation process. - Breathe
Take some deep, relaxing breaths. Focus on the act of breathing, both during deep breathing and natural breathing. - Relax muscles
Focus on all the muscles of the body, one at a time, from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet. Focus on relaxing each muscle. - Visualize
Visualize a deeply relaxed version of yourself, both physically and mentally.
This process is completed when the body and mind are so drowsy that sitting becomes difficult. That is when it is time to move to the bed and drift to sleep. If the mind and body become alert again once in bed, this is a sign that they are trained to be alert in bed. Simply get out of bed and repeat the relaxation process until sleep comes.
Need a little extra help getting deeply relaxed? We’ll send you a guided relaxation exercise FREE!
This will walk you through each step and encourage deep relaxation, especially for those who struggle to get relaxed.