Parents will religiously follow bedtime rituals to get their babies to sleep well.
It might take about half an hour, and it will look something like this. They start with a bath, a clean nappy, applying lotion, then popping them into comfy PJs, feeding them, dimming the lights, putting on some gentle background music to support their relaxation, or singing or reading a story, and snuggling until they start to get drowsy.
A nourishing pre-sleep routine is key to baby having a settled restorative sleep.
The benefits of a bedtime routine shouldn't just be reserved for little ones, adults need these beauty sleep benefits too!
We sleep best when our bodies and minds are relaxed; when our parasympathetic nervous system is activated—we’re in rest and digest mode—and that’s exactly what a bedtime routine aims to do.
We asked two members of the BePure team who are especially passionate about their nightly ritual to encourage quality, restorative sleep.
Sarah, BePure Holistic Health Consultant
The day after a night with either bad sleep, or not enough sleep is always a rough one! So I like to prioritise getting a good night’s sleep to support my mind, mood, and energy levels for the following day. My routine starts when I arrive home from work. It's about gradually settling my mind and body, so that when my head hits the pillow each night, I am ready to sleep!
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Dinner, chat and card games with my flatmates
At home, we take turns cooking dinner and eat together as often as we can. This time socialising is a really important part of my daily routine as it helps me let go of the busyness of the day. We often play a game after dinner, too. -
BePure Magnesium Restore
I take 2-3 BePure Magnesium Restore capsules an about an hour before going to bed. -
Warm shower
Having a warm shower or bath supports the process of regulating the ideal body temperature for sleep. The element of ‘washing off the day’ before bed also comes into play. So this part of the process supports the relaxation of both my body and mind. -
Prepare my room to support settling the nervous system
This includes shutting the curtains to block out the street lights, dimming the lights ideally only having the salt lamp and some candles on. I’ll burn some incense as that helps me relax too. -
Phone on airplane mode
I don’t have any transmitting devices in my room while I’m asleep. It also means I’m not being kept awake by notifications. -
Reading
I always have a book on the go, and I’ll read for fifteen minutes or so, before lights out by 10:00PM.
Lauren, BePure Marketing Manager
Since reading the book 'Why We Sleep' by Matthew Walker, my partner and I have started taking our sleep and pre-sleep routines very seriously. We even had four weeks of Sleep Bootcamp!
Our routine starts at about 6:00PM, which is when we aim to stop having any liquids. I'm the cook in our house, we typically have dinner around 6:30PM.
After eating dinner together, he's on cleanup. Then we'll usually settle onto the couch to watch a documentary or whatever series we're currently into. At 9:00PM we each have a quick hot shower, and then it's to bed with our books until lights out at half nine.
Very occasionally we might stay up slightly later, but we mostly aim to stick to this bedtime so that we get a good 8-9 hours sleep!
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Little to no liquids after 6:00PM
Aim to reduce liquids after 6:00PM to stop the bathroom trips in the middle of the night. This also supports digestion of dinner by not diluting our stomach acid. -
Eat dinner early
By having a relatively early dinner, it ensures sleep time is used for restorative and regenerative processes which can only happen while asleep, rather than that precious time being used for digestion. -
BePure Magnesium Restore
We each take two BePure Magnesium Restore capsules at around 8:00PM which supports the relaxation of our minds and bodies ready for sleep. -
Hot Shower
Taking a hot shower before bed which helps give us a rise in sleepy time hormone melatonin. -
Light off at 9:30PM
Lights off at 9:30PM to ensure we fit in our 8 - 9 hours shut eye before we wake feeling refreshed early the next morning.
When it comes to creating your own bedtime routine, start small and build. Aim to add in one sleep-supporting habit to get you into 'rest and digest' mode. Remember, done is better than perfect!
