How to Wind Down After a Busy Day
This post is sponsored by Kohl’s. I was paid for this post and received the included pajamas as compensation.
Sleep is not something I get a lot of. It’s just a fact of life with 6 kids and a full time work at home job. Sleep should definitely be a priority though. Having a good night’s sleep can do so much good. We have some great tips to help you wind down after a busy day and make sure you get the sleep that you need.
Everything from weight gain to stress can be improved by improving your sleep habits. That said, I know how hard that is to do, especially if you still have young kids like I do.
My kids are mostly sleeping through the night now, but, I’m not. I can’t seem to get my mind to slow down most nights. The stress of mentally running through my to-do list or worrying about something that may have happened during the day often keeps me up.
I’ve learned that one of the best ways to help make sure I’m going to get a good night’s sleep is to put in the effort to wind down at the end of the day.
As tempting as it is to stay up after your kids have gone to bed, it isn’t worth waking up exhausted the next morning. Winding down early in the night helps make it easier to fall asleep at night, even if you are going to bed earlier than your usual bedtime.
How to Wind Down Before Bed
Put your kids to bed early. This is a bit of a no-brainer but again, it’s one of those things that sometimes slides as the evening gets away from us. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve been late to cook dinner, had everything take longer than I thought it would, and found myself with cranky kids who are up way past their bedtimes. Set an early bedtime for your kids and make sure that you are on track with everything else to actually get them in bed when you’d like to. They need their sleep too and having kids in bed early will make it easier for you to have an earlier night.
Limit electronics. I’m guilty of crashing in front of the TV once my kids are in bed, but I’ve found that not only does that make it harder to fall asleep at night, but it doesn’t actually relax me as much as some of my other options. If you do watch TV, be sure and do it earlier in the night and follow up with some time to wind down before bed.
Take a warm bath. This is kind of a nice luxury any time but it’s one that most moms don’t take advantage of nearly enough. A warm bath (preferably with bath salts or your favorite scented oils) relaxes your whole body and is a great option just before bed. As you get out of the tub and your body cools down, it helps trigger feelings of sleepiness. I’ve always found this helps me fall asleep faster and get a better night’s sleep.
Get dressed for bed early. There have been far too many nights that I’ve found myself staying up later just because I don’t have the energy to get ready for bed. I’ve been terrible about this lately so I ran over to my local Kohl’s to find some comfy new pajamas to motivate me to get ready for bed earlier in the night. New pajamas always feel like pampering myself. I’ve put off buying new ones because I’ve put on some weight since my twins were born and I didn’t want to buy a bigger size, but I decided it was time to get over that and pamper myself a bit. Kohl’s has a great selection of stylish plus-size sleepwear and I was pleasantly surprised at all the options. My top priorities when shopping are finding something fairly lightweight, since I like to sleep on the cool side, and super soft.
I found the perfect lightweight pajama set from Sonoma, with a pair of super comfy slippers at great prices. I love the patterns on these. The pair I chose was simple, stylish (and so soft because, #priorities).
Sonoma has some great, everyday essentials and the fabrics on these are so soft that my daughter actually tried to steal the slippers from me as soon as I got home. I loved the modern, southwest style of the pajama bottoms. It’s amazing what a difference just putting on your pajamas can do to help you relax at night. These were so comfy that I was more than happy to put them on early in the night and I was so much more relaxed by the time I went to bed.
Drink hot chocolate or tea. A hot drink really helps me wind down at night. Avoid coffee or any caffeinated teas, as those will tend to keep you up at night. My favorites are a dark hot chocolate when I want something sweet or a chamomile tea with honey. I sit and slowly sip as I wind down and it warms me up from the inside out.
Read a book. TV may discourage sleep but a great book can actually help you wind down and get ready for bed. I like to get completely ready for bed before I start reading, because I have a tendency to fall asleep mid-page. With 6 kids, it’s so hard to find the time to read a book during the day, but that time at night after all the kids have gone to bed is perfect for catching up on some pleasure reading and helping me relax and forget all the stress of the day.
Listen to relaxing music. Music can definitely impact your mood. Listening to something relaxing at night, as you get ready for bed or read, can do wonders for slowing your brain down, calming you down after a stressful day, and getting your body ready for sleep. Keep the volume down low and either set a timer or turn it off before you actually fall asleep so it doesn’t wake you up at night. You may find it useful to listen to the same music each night to cue your body in to the fact that it is time for bed.
Winding down before bed can do so much for improving the quality of sleep you get at night. If you find that you are overly stressed, feeling tired by mid-afternoon, or craving too many sugary foods, you may be surprised at what getting in the habit of winding down at night and getting a good night’s sleep can do for you.
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