10 Ways to End Your Day Right To Have a Great Morning
Just as critical as it is to start your day off right, it’s equally important to end it right as well.
An effective evening routine can help you have a good night’s rest and wake up refreshed for a new day.
As most of us already know, sleep benefits us in many ways. According to WebMD, some of the top benefits include:
- Boosting your mood
- Sharpening your brain
- Controlling your weight
- Fighting off illness
- Improving your athletic ability
Ending your day well is arguably necessary to having a happy and productive life. Here are a few tips you can try to close your evening in the best way possible.
1. Less blue lights at night
Whether it’s your smartphone, iPad, laptop, TV, or any other gadget you have, cut down on using it at night.
Harvard Health Publishing recommends blocking out blue light at least two to three hours before bedtime.
Obviously with how technological our world is, for many of us, that might be inconvenient. Despite that, there are solutions that can help you follow this recommendation.
One option is to put your devices on dark mode. If you choose to use night mode, be sure to adjust the yellow tint, as that can make sleep worse for some people.
Another option you could try is tinted glasses, which can block out the blue-light while you’re using your device.
2. Avoid caffeine
While caffeine can help you in other ways, it definitely doesn’t help with sleep. Drinking it late in the day will stimulate you and make it harder for your body to relax.
One study found that even drinking caffeine six hours before bed can significantly worsen the quality of your sleep.
It can stay in our blood anywhere from six to eight hours. So, if you don’t want to have trouble going to sleep at 11, you should probably avoid drinking caffeinated drinks after 3 p.m.
Instead, consider this next alternative.
3. Drink a non-caffeinated tea
Tea can be an effective way to relax your mind and body before you go to bed. According to a Healthline article, some of the best bedtime teas include:
- Chamomile
- Lavender
- Lemon Balm
- Passionflower
You can look into each of these teas and see which seems right for you to try. If you’re not a fan of tea, you could also try drinking cherry juice, hot chocolate, or warm milk.
4. Try yoga
According to the National Sleep Foundation, yoga can be helpful for better sleep. The important thing to keep in mind is to do the right poses.
Certain ones are meant more for energizing your body than relaxing it. Poses that can be good for relaxing your body include:
- Legs up the wall
- Lying Butterfly
- Corpse pose
You can look up how each of these poses are done. Always make sure it’s safe for you to do any type of yoga poses.
5. Meditate
A safer bet if you’re unsure about doing yoga is practicing meditation. According to research from Harvard Medical School, mindful meditating helps to activate our relaxation response.
It’s recommended that mindfulness should be practiced 20 minutes a day. You can sit down, focus on your breath, and just relax.
6. Plan for tomorrow
Having a plan for tomorrow might help make you less stressed completing all of your tasks. Take time to put together a schedule for when you’re going to do certain things.
You can also have your clothes laid out, your meals prepped, and any other regular tasks organized ahead of time.
You’ll be able to transition through your day more smoothly and save yourself more time.
7. Journal
Most of us probably have a lot of thoughts running through our minds after a long day. We may still be thinking about something negative that happened.
We might be dreading something that we’re going to have to do tomorrow. You can journal about something positive and potentially feel less worried and stressed at night.
One study had a group of college students take 15 minutes each night to write about some recent positive experiences.
They were told to write what happened and how they felt about it.
The results of the study were that the college students reduced their bedtime worry and stress, increased their sleep, and improved their overall sleep quality.
Related: 10 Self Care Journaling Ideas to Nurture Yourself
8. Manage your bedroom environment
Heat, noise, and a number of other factors can negatively impact your quality of sleep.
A study on the bedroom environment of new mothers found that when noise and light are reduced, half of the participants had better sleep.
The ideal temperature is another thing to consider. Continuous heat exposure has been found to be potentially disruptive to the sleep cycle.
While 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit is said to be the ideal bedroom temperature, obviously everyone has to determine what temperature feels most comfortable to them.
9. Take a bath or shower
Baths or showers are one of the most popular ways for people to relax and unwind. It’s been confirmed in many studies that it can help you fall asleep faster and improve overall sleep quality.
In fact, you don’t even have to soak your entire body if you don’t feel like it. One study found that just soaking your feet in warm water can relax you enough for better sleep.
10. Keep your entertainment options light
It’s good to avoid watching the news in general, but perhaps especially in the evening. There could be a lot of events you learn that might upset you before you sleep.
The last thing you need is to add to unnecessary stress or worries on your mind. If you’re going to watch something before bed, keep it light.
Watch a comedy or a documentary that’s not too serious. That way you can maintain a peaceful mindset and make it easier to fall asleep.
From the beginning to the end, every part of your day matters. Taking a measured approach in how you end your evening can set you up for the best morning possible.