Why Sleep Routines Matter for YOU

Did you create a sleep routine? If you just read this and said no, you might not be aware of the routine you created. Research suggested that our sleep routines and habits are created when we are children by the time, we are about seven years old. But have no fear you still have plenty of time to create a sleep routine. There are lots of benefits to create routines in our life, but research shows that a sleep routine matters to your over all health. The sleep routine you establish will help you with better rest and overall enjoyment of your day to day. In our household we started a sleep routine when we found that both of us were eating late, going to sleep even later and then having to get up and function. So, we implemented a 9:30 in bed with nighttime tea and reading time. Most nights we have been able to establish this routine, because we eat dinner on our way home from the gym and are ready for bed.

Why Sleep Routines:

• Sleep routines need to be a consistence balance for your brain to understand how to rest.
• For children a routine for sleep creates safety and comfort. You are able to create a soothing place for your children to have.
• Sleep routines can help you to increase to overall healthy mood and behavior, they can help reduce or decrease meltdowns and tantrums that occur with children.
• Sleep routines allow you to have an 80% of the time following your routine with 20% of the time being able to have with your exception to your sleep schedule.
• Your sleep routine should start with the same bedtime and wake up time every day. Yes, this includes your weekend. This helps your body create a better internal clock.
• Sleep routines help to create the time needed for rest as an adult about 8 hours in a 24-hour period is sufficient, but this is not true for newborns to teens. Newborns (0 – 3 months old) need 14 – 17 hours, infants ( 4 – 11 months old) need 12 – 15 hours, toddlers (1 – 2 year old) need 11 – 14 hours, preschoolers (3-5 years old) need 10-13 hours, school age (6-13 years old) need 9 – 11 hours, and teens (14-17 years old) need 8 – 10 hours of sleep. These hours can be put into naps, but having a solid night rest is very beneficial for children.

Ways to Create a Sleep Routine:

• As you approach the evening hours limit the caffeine intake and limit your alcohol consumption both these conceptions will interrupt your body’s natural patterns.
• If you are eating close to bedtime is should only be a light snack, you really want to limit heavy meals to at least 2 hours before bedtime.
• Empty your brain of any thoughts from the day by taking five minutes to write it all out in a journal and closing those spaces each night.
• Are you active? Exercising at least 30 minutes a couple of times each week will help create rest.
• Screentime limitations for everyone help! Create a family docking station for all devices to be plugged in and left outside of the bedrooms. This will help keep you off your phone at those odd hours of the night you might wake up and want to mindlessly scroll, but this blue light really hurts your sleeping patterns. About 1 to 2 hours before bedtime TVs, computers, and electronics should be turned off for creating a better sleeping routine.
• Soothing routines for ourselves and children are both important. You can do this through bath/shower time, brushing teeth, potty time, start your diffuser (I love to have lavender or stress away in our diffuser each night that is also a humidifier), pick your favorite pajamas, have a short soothing yoga routine, read – let your children pick their favorite books or you pick your favorite books, and boom you have created your perfect environment for your brain to tune into it is time to go to sleep!

Creating your sleep space:

• Start by removing TVs from your bedrooms or anything devices that create an extra light.
• Let pets sleep in a crate to give you all spaces to rest.
• Children in their rooms for their own independence and help them get long nights of sleep that isn’t interrupted by others.
• Keep your household cool between 68 to 73 degrees fahrenheit is the perfect temperature according to research.

• During the holidays you might need to take your environment with you such as a noise machine, favorite bedtime stories, eye mask, diffusers, pillow, or a specific blanket.

• Enjoy a calming activity before you go to bed!

As you can see bedtime routines can be simple or complex you pick, but what is important is to have the perfect bedtime routine for you!