There is a lot of buzz surrounding healthy morning routines and starting your day the right way. This is super important to our productivity and health. But what about evening routines? Are they not just as important? Of course they are! The better-quality sleep you get will result in an easier, more productive start to your day. Creating an effective evening routine is simple once you understand what it means to stay in sync with your circadian rhythm. This means that we are all wired to tone down our days as the sun sets as less cortisol is available for us. If we constantly chip away at our cortisol reserves because we want to work on unfinished business or schoolwork, we will have less access to us when we need it. To learn more about our circadian rhythm see this blog https://blog.totalgymdirect.com/what-is-circadian-rhythm-and-why-is-it-important
Here are my top five tips to perfecting your evening routine so that you can benefit from the gift of good sleep that leads to longevity and health
1) Finish your last meal by 7:00, so that your body can focus on digesting the food from the day. Our digestive journey is quite complex and begins around 8:00 pm. If you eat late you interfere with this process, and it can affect your ability to fall asleep. Snacking or even drinking after dinner is also not recommended. Herbal tea or just water is fine
2) Aim to be in bed the same time every night. The hours between midnight and 4:00 am are when the body is detoxifying and repairing and releasing growth hormones. The liver is also very hard at work. Getting into bed by 10:00 pm will help us fall into that deep sleep allowing these processes to take place with ease
3) Keep all artificial lights like computers, phones, TV’s, out of the bedroom. They suppress melatonin levels in the blood and therefore interfere with our ability to fall into that deep sleep. Clients often tell me that they use their cell phone as an alarm clock. This is not necessary and does affect us in a negative way even if on airplane mode
4) Start your wind down at least 90 minutes before bed. This translates to shutting down your computers and stopping scrolling on social media. Exposure to these lights before bedtime shortens melatonin production and can be stressful! These evening hours are better spent going for a walk, listening to music, spending time with family or friends etc., a relaxing bath etc.
5) The bedroom should be dark, quiet, and cool. Plants can help to increase oxygen. Having a glass of water close by is a good idea as we lose water even in our sleep!
To conclude, there is a lot that goes on in our bodies to support our health while we sleep. If you are a night owl and dismiss the importance of sleep, here is what you may be missing out on if you only sleep a few hours each night
* Increased glucose metabolism in the brain supporting memory and learning
*Proper hormone production
*Improved blood supply to muscles
*Strengthening of the immune system, tissues, and bones
