This past summer I could not sleep and tried many things to fall asleep. I simply became restless that then made me stay up all night scrolling Instagram and Facebook feeds for the latest updates. I know why would I pick up my phone if I couldn’t sleep. Well it was really out of boredom and the lack of a bed time routine.

Now that I am more aware of my needs and how to really care for myself. I know that a bed routine is essential to a well-balanced sleep and day. As we put a child to bed every night you should put yourself to be as well. Typically, a child gets a bath and maybe a night time cup of milk or snack. Then you might read a story or talk about the day’s activities.

You get my point there is a routine and things that occur that trigger to the child that its bedtime. This same concept applies to everyone young and old. Here is a list of 10 things that  can help you with developing a bedtime routine.

10 Things to Do When You Can’t Sleep At Night

1. Take a warm shower and put on some soft clothing. Like nice fuzzy pajamas or sleep shirt.
2. Remake make your bed and lightly spray room with aromatherapy sleep spray. I know this sounds crazy, but it actually makes the bed cooler.
3. Adjust the thermostat to be cooler. I was told once that you need a cool head and warm feet to sleep.
4. Write whatever frees your mind from stress and anxiety. For me, I don’t journal about my personal feelings, but write about ideas and dreams.
5. I listen to the sound of rain or other gentle white noise. I downloaded one from the app store on my phone.
6. Turn off all the TV and all electronics make it dark as possible.
7. Wear a sleep mask to block light.
8. Adjust your sleep time by using a sleep calculator. II use this app on my Android.
9. Drink some hot tea or cool water.
10. Create a bed time routine.