BEDTIME ROUTINE: 4 STEPS TO SUCCESS

Your bedtime routine will make or break your sleep - there are no two ways about it. It sets you up for success, or sabotages it. It lulls you into rejuvenating rest; or leads to light, unrefreshing, broken sleep. If you’ve read my newsletters before, you may recall my Signature Bedtime Routine from a few years back, which had 7 steps. Idealistic as ever, I’m now paring it back, prioritising 4 absolute essentials that have the greatest impact on your sleep. Because let’s be honest, life is complicated - your sleep routine shouldn’t be.

1. Reduce blue light 

Evidence indicates bright light in the hour before bed suppresses 99% of melatonin, and dim light suppresses 78% of melatonin - which is a problem. A huge problem. Melatonin is the signalling hormone to encourage sleepiness, so if it’s suppressed to this degree, you simply won’t feel tired. 

And what if falling asleep isn’t your problem, but waking up through the night is? Blue light is often the culprit here too - it enhances cortisol, our awakening hormone, which is a key reason you experience restless, broken sleep. 

Needless to say, to have quality sleep, you need to control blue light before bed, with the hour before bed being prime time: 

• Wear blue light blocking glasses
• Dim / turn off lights
• Avoid screens / turn down brightness

1. Have a shower 

Also supporting melatonin, having a shower reduces core body temperature.. But no, you don’t need to have a cool shower! Simply by moving from a warm shower to a cool bathroom, body temp drops, which supports melatonin production. Do this 1 hour before bed too. 

1. Take natural sleep supplements 

Especially if you’re waking through the night, sleep supplements are a must - they counterbalance high cortisol which leads to these nighttime wakings. First - magnesium: evidence indicates it can reduce anxiety by 31%, which is a symptom of high cortisol. Similarly, adaptogens such as reishi mushrooms - extremely beneficial. Research shows adaptogens lower stress and our cortisol response, reducing the likelihood of 3, 4 and 5am wakings. 

1. 30 minutes tech free time - read or listen to calming music instead. 

The last thing you do before bed needs to calm the brain, allowing you to fall and stay asleep easier. This means avoiding technology - research shows using a screen for 30 minutes in the evening increases your risk of less than 7 hours of sleep by 73% and poor sleep quality by 62%.

Instead, read or listen to calming music; they both support deeper, unbroken sleep - slowing brainwaves, reducing stress, lowering awakening hormone cortisol. Specifically, research shows reading can reduce stress by 68%, with the effects starting in just 6 minutes; and evidence also indicates calming white noise, - such as air-con - can help you fall asleep 38% faster, and increase our sleep depth too. 

There you have it - 4 steps to sleep success, based in your bedtime routine. While you can do much more, this is what I recommend at a minimum - so get the basics right first, and build from there.

This article is another instalment of Sleep Wellness Weekly - a LinkedIn series empowering you to your best nights sleep. With sleep imperative for optimal wellbeing and peak performance alike; it's a pleasure to leverage my 15 years of academic and professional experience to share expert tips, tricks and techniques to help you sleep longer, deeper and wake more refreshed. Supercharged by sleep, look forward to achieving more, in less time, with less effort. Please share with anyone you feel will benefit, and of course, sleep well - Olivia.