Do you still remember those times when your parents try to limit your waking hours? When we were younger, we tend to be very energetic especially during our school-age period.
We play with our friends in school and even after classes. The playground was our haven. When we get home, we're still active by then. We play endlessly with everyone in our household that by evening, our energy levels decline.
Then, we're off to bed and surprisingly, we get a great night's sleep.
Now, as adults, we barely have enough time to relax and enjoy our day. We work hard and even after hours. We don't get enough rest and we stay awake longer than expected.
This leads us to the question: what are the things that we should do to get better and quality sleep? PopSugar talks about these bedtime Habits to make sure that at the end of the day, you'll feel well-rested.
Get rid of distractions
I think that each generation has had some sort of exposure to the latest gadgets and devices. Phone, laptops, and tablets are just the common examples.
We can't totally eradicate these devices but there's something that we can do to limit distracting habits that are related to technology.
For example, set a definite time for sleeping. Make sure that one hour before you sleep, you should stop browsing the Internet or your social media feed on Facebook or Instagram. Please do not dare open your email account and check your work-related messages. These may be considered as something minor but they have the potential to spark interest or worry so you tend to stay up late.
Light exercises
Before bathing, do some stretching to relax your muscles. Healthy Living talks about how this simple activity increases your flexibility and eases muscle stiffness.
You can perform stretching exercises even on your bed so this one's quite convenient for you. If you want to take it to the next level, some yoga poses will do as well!
Enjoy your evening bath
I always find time to shower or bathe in the evening because I feel like one day's worth of stress gets lifted off of me. Huffington Post talks about how this can greatly improve your sleep. Having a warm shower or bath will definitely increase your chances of sleeping better.
To make it even more effective, try adding bath salts and essential oils. That's surely going to be relaxing!
Write in your journal
This is something personal and I do this daily. I tend to analyze what happened during the day, what was my achievement, and what goals were met.
This activity calms my mind and puts my heart at ease.
Read a book
I'd suggest something that's not too adventurous or exciting. Try to find a title that belongs in the mellow genre. If it doesn't work, find the dullest book in your set and it may do some wonders.