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For many of us, winding down at the end of the day involves more than just being physically exhausted.
Being able to fall into a deep, restful sleep is reliant on a number of factors. While it certainly helps to be physically tired, for the vast majority of us, it also comes down to our brains being able to successfully “unplug” from the day’s events and its many stressors.
Our minds are active little machines, and being able to shut them down for the night is easier said than done.
However, there are a few things you can do to more easily transition your mind from day to night mode, and it all comes down to effectively refocusing your mind on less stressful, more peaceful thoughts.
The next time you’re having difficulties calming and clearing your mind before sleep, try these 10 tips.
10 Ways to Calm and Clear Your Mind Before Bed
1. Make your bedroom a space of peace and tranquility. When you’re winding down for the night, what kind of vibes do you get from your bedroom? Is it cluttered and chaotic? Or clean and calm? Your bedroom should resemble more of a sanctuary for sleep rather than a space of stress and disarray. Clear away the clutter in your room, and maintain it as a place for just sleep and relaxation. When you begin to associate your bedroom with peace and tranquility, rather than disorder and untidiness, you’ll find that it’s easier for your mind to relax and disconnect from the demands of your day.
2. Make a to-do list. Still having a hard time shutting things down upstairs? Make a to-do list! Research has shown that writing out a list of future tasks can help to not only clear your mind before bed, but also help you to fall asleep faster. The act of merely writing down what you intend to accomplish, rather than stewing over it in your mind, will help to both calm and clear your mind.
3. Spend less time in the bedroom before bed. As tempting as it is to wind down completely in the bedroom before sleep, doing so can make it even harder to fall asleep. Rather than using it as a place to catch up on work, check your emails, or to watch TV, practice associating your bedroom with just sleep. Training your brain to think of the bedroom as only a place of rest and sleep will make it easier for you to wind down for the night.
4. Do the more menial tasks in the last hour or two before bed. Avoid more focused, thought provoking activities in the last hour or two leading up to bed. Why? Activities that require more thinking heighten your attention levels and suppress any sleepiness you would otherwise feel. More menial tasks, like washing the dishes, listening to music, or even picking out your clothes for the next day will help to relax your mind.
5. Do some light reading. While you won’t be able to turn off your brain completely before going to bed, you can distract it in a more neutral way that will still lead to a calmer mind. Whether it’s a magazine or book, a bit of light reading is sometimes all you need to stop focusing on your worries and distractions.
6. Try a guided meditation on YouTube. Another way to both refocus and calm your mind is through guided meditation. Much like reading, guided meditations are a great way to shift your worries and anxiety to thoughts that are more calming and soothing. There are a ton of apps and YouTube videos that will help to get you started.
7. Or listen to nature’s soothing sounds. Unplug from your day by listening to the sounds of nature. Whether you had a stressful commute home and heard more horns blasting than not, or you sat in a ton of meetings all day, taking the time to unwind with nature’s sounds can have a calming effect on your brain.
8. Eat a few carbs. While you should avoid eating a huge snack or meal right before bed, a light carb snack is just the trick to help promote the production of serotonin in your brain, which is the chemical that regulates sleep. Whole wheat crackers with cheese, a piece of toast, or even some popcorn are all great options.
9. Own your night routine. Adapting a pre-sleep ritual is key in training your brain to become calm and clear before bedtime. Maybe you like to follow up dinner with an hour of Netflix, then shower, and then read. Or maybe you like to pamper yourself after you shower while listening to music. Adapt a consistent, calming night routine that you can stick to, and you’ll effectively train your brain to ready itself for sleep.
10. Journal your thoughts (including those pesky worries). Journaling presents a number of psychological benefits, particularly for easing any worries and anxiety. If you’re having a difficult time clearing your head before bed, committing your thoughts to paper will have a far greater impact than fretting over them in your mind. Whether you’re stressed about work, your relationship, your upcoming move, or just feeling distracted by the hustle and bustle of everyday, journaling for just a few minutes will help to quiet your mind.
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