The evening routine for super sleep

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Will Durant.

Proper sleep, regular exercise and good nutrition are key components of a healthy lifestyle.

But what is proper sleep? Although I’m not qualified for any medical advice, multiple books and some successful experiments on myself resulted in a significant improvement of my sleep quality. An easy step towards reaching super sleep is implementing a solid evening routine. Here’s mine.

What is sleep quality?

Good sleep is an absolute condition for excellent performance, even more important than nutrition and exercise together. Without proper sleep you’ll take bad decisions, have less willpower and energy. We all know how important sleep is but somehow, few of us actively focus on improving sleep quality.

Now what is sleep quality? According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep quality is determined by how long it takes to fall asleep (good is less than 30’), how often you wake up (not more than once is good) and, the amount of time you spend awake (less than 20’ is good).

The amount of deep sleep you get is also important. Deep sleep occurs mainly in the first half of your night and it should take between 15% - 25% of your total sleep, decreasing when you get older.

The highest number of white blood cells is produced during deep sleep so insufficient deep sleep can cause a shortage of white blood cells, affecting your immune system.

How to reach Super Sleep?

“People do not decide their future, they decide their habits and their habits decide their future.” - Frederick Alexander

A combination of the strategies mentioned below will drastically improve the quality of your sleep.

Create your sleep sanctuary

1. Reserve the bed for sleep and intimacy. Don't use it as an office or recreation room. Let your body "know" that the bed is associated with sleeping.

2. Make sure the bedroom is pitch dark with good curtains to stop early morning sunlight. Hide your alarm clock under the bed and eliminate any other light sources.

3. Use comfortable bedding, it’s really worth the investment. Uncomfortable bedding can prevent good sleep or interrupt deep sleep.

4. Block out all distracting noise or use earplugs in the worst case.

5. Find a comfortable temperature setting for sleeping and keep the room well ventilated. If your bedroom is too cold or too hot, it can keep you awake. 18°C is an ideal temperature for sleeping.

Timing is everything

Fix a bedtime and a wake-up time. Do not be one of those people who allow bedtime and awakening time to drift. The body "gets used" to falling asleep at a certain time, but only if this is relatively fixed. Even if you are retired or not working, this is an essential component of good sleeping habits.

Sleep position

1. Most experts agree that sleeping on your side is the best position. After a recent sleep study at home, my doctor also recommended this position to avoid sleep apnea. This occurs when your throat relaxes, obstructing the air passage and causing snoring or blocking the air passage and causing you to wake up. Many side sleepers place a pillow or soft roll between the knees, creating better alignment between hips, pelvis and spine.

2. Sleeping on your stomach is generally considered to be the worst position, causing neck and back pain while also putting too much strain on muscles and joints.

Healthy mind and body

1. Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4-6 hours before bedtime. These can affect your ability to stay asleep. I always try to have a light dinner at 6pm.

2. Avoid caffeine after noon. This includes caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and many sodas, as well as chocolate, so be careful.

3. Exercise regularly, but not right before bed. Regular exercise, particularly in the afternoon, can help deepen sleep. Strenuous exercise within the 2 hours before bedtime, however, can decrease your ability to fall asleep. My favourite afternoon exercise is a long walk with the dogs.

4. Don't take your worries to bed. Leave your worries about job, school, daily life, etc., behind when you go to bed. Some people find it useful to assign a "worry period" during the

5. evening or late afternoon to deal with these issues. Writing down 3 gratefulness expressions in my journal works best for me.

6. Try a light snack before bed. Foods high in the amino acid tryptophan, such as a banana, may help you to sleep.

7. Practice relaxation techniques before bed. Deep breathing, yoga, affirmations, mindfulness, a warm bath, … are excellent tools to relieve anxiety and reduce muscle tension. Using a breathing timer on my watch 2 to 3 times a day to bring down the heart rate and stress works great for me.

8. Magnesium is a key element for your deep sleep. To avoid toilet issues and wasting lots of magnesium in your intestines, I use a magnesium spray on the skin, 15’ before sleeping.

Evening Routine

The purpose of a good evening routine is to prepare your mind and body for sleep. Too often we are likely to allow our sleep time to be infringed upon when our daytime obligations take longer than we expect. Additionally, opportunities to engage in pleasurable activities—visiting friends, watching television, playing on the internet, eating out, and any number of others—quickly cut into our sleep time if we allow them to. It is important to schedule your sleep time and keep to that schedule, no matter what might come up during the day.

My evening routine starts late afternoon. Every day when I come home from work, my wife and I take the dogs for a long walk, relaxing, talking, blowing off any stress from the day and enjoying the sunset. After the walk we take a light dinner, often including soup. Dinner is followed by some study time, writing blogs, attending a webinar or video calling family.

One hour before bedtime, we shut down all electronics and spend some time reading. I intentionally avoid consuming a lot of news and media, trying to keep the things I put in my mind as ‘clean’ and positive as possible. As the Buddha said: “Don’t give your attention to what others do or fail to do. Give it to what you do or fail to do.”

Screen-free time is ideal for reading inspiring books (OK, I don’t count the Kindle as a screen because it doesn’t produce the blue light which is harmful for sleep hormones). A daily reading habit of 30’ – 60’ will allow you to finish 25 – 30 books per year, resulting in a priceless amount of knowledge and inspiration.

The next part of the evening routine is reserved for journaling which is the ideal way to close the day. There are many ways for journaling to support good sleep, such as a gratitude practice, writing down your main goal for tomorrow or daily reflections about your purpose, goals, values.

The final part includes hygiene, cuddling and …

Conclusion

Spending your evenings in front of the TV with sugary or salty snacks will not make you feel energized and inspired the next morning. Building an evening routine including some moderate exercise, a light dinner, fixed technology cut-off time and activities to wind-down from a busy day will prepare you for a good night sleep followed by an inspired day.

Sweet dreams …

Take care & stay safe,

Jürgen

www.jurgendevyt.com

Inspired by:

Jay Shetty’s Genius model:

The Bullet Journal Method: Track Your Past, Order Your Present, Plan Your Future – Ryder Carroll

Superslapen – Floris Wouterson

Sleep Smarter, 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success - Shawn Stevenson