My evening routine for relaxation and improved sleep
A few weeks ago I shared my morning routine for increased energy and clarity. This week I’d love to share with you how to create an intentional evening routine for relaxation and improved sleep!
Do you struggle with winding down in the evening?
Do you find yourself carrying stress from your work day? Or still holding onto your to-do list?
Do your thoughts keep you from relaxing or getting to sleep?
I want you to think about what your evening looks like from the moment you arrive home, or from the moment you eat dinner onwards. What are you doing? How are you feeling? First get clear on what your typical evening looks like.
Now get clear about how you WANT to feel…
Do you want to feel relaxed, at peace, calm? Do you want to get to sleep more easily? Do you want to have a few moments for yourself?
Once you get clear on these pieces, you can move forward with creating an evening routine that will help you achieve this.
My personal evening routine for increased relaxation and improved sleep.
Ever since I started working as a RN 8 years ago, I discovered the importance of implementing a “transition” routine to move into my evening. This was born out of the necessity to let go and put aside some of the intense things I saw and experienced at work that I was carrying with me into my evening.
For me this looked like taking a shower with really nice smelling soap and burning some incense/sage while honoring what I did that day and moving on. It’s not like it erased the day but it allowed me to get into a different headspace where I was able to be present and enjoy the rest of my day before bed without replaying everything I had just done and living in the past.
As someone who works from home, I still value and utilize this transition routine as a really important way to signal that I’m done with “work” time and I am moving into my evening.
This transition from work is a simple practice that I now encourage all of my health coaching clients to implement. Most of us are busy, stressed and overworked and find it really hard to turn off. We may look forward to getting home after work all day (is it 5:00 yet?) but then proceed to check emails and carry the stress of the work day around with us consciously or unconsciously. (I say unconsciously because sometimes I would think I was just fine and would weep at a touching soft drink commercial because I hadn’t really processed my emotional stress from the previous work days. Please tell me I’m not the only one that does this?).
This stress can seep into all areas of life outside of work and affect relationships, mood, sleep quality, health and how you show up as a human in your everyday life.
This “transition from work” routine will look really different for each person. The only thing required is that you do it mindfully and with intention.
Some routine ideas to transition from work:
Change into comfortable clothing
Take a relaxing shower or bath
Burn sage or incense to clear space
Breathe in some relaxing essential oils
Deep belly breathing (watch my 4-7-8 breathing video here) for 5 minutes
Guided meditation (these are easier if you find it really hard to sit in silence after the work day.
Write down some of the most stressful things you experienced in a journal so they aren’t swirling in your head all night.
Light some candles and relax for 10 minutes
Make a cup of tea
Do some hamstring stretches to release stuck energy
Lay on your back with your legs up the wall for a few minutes
It doesn’t have to be anything long or fancy, it just has to work for you. These small shifts make the biggest difference.
Once I transition into my evening I take stock of how I’m feeling that day and what I need. If a yoga class is something I need, I do that. If resting on the couch and staring at the ceiling is something I need, I do that. If taking time to cook a nice meal is what my body is asking me for, that’s what I prioritize.
Like I spoke about with my morning routine, I have a strict technology boundary (I have to be strict or else I don’t do this one!) and put my phone away by 8-9pm. This allows me time to fully disconnect from work, social media and anything that might keep my brain going into the evening.
I also try to minimize blue light that can decrease melatonin production in the evening by reducing screen use after a certain time. I find this helps me a lot, to get a deeper sleep! I definitely love a good Netflix binge, but realize that for me TV is usually a “numbing” agent and can sometimes stop me from getting actual, real, relaxation and restoration that my body is craving. If I’m feeling really depleted and tempted to just zone out with TV all night I make sure I get some quiet time to breath and feel where my body is really at.
I love to have a relaxing herbal tea or a magnesium drink to help me wind down as well.
I’ve never been someone whose had a particularly hard time sleeping (except when on higher doses of Prednisone in the past, oof!) but I still work to make sure I set myself up for success. If I don’t get good amounts of sleep my body really, really, really feels it.
A few things I do to support sleep:
Make sure my room is really dark. Any lights on can decrease melatonin production and disrupt sleep.
Sleep with my phone outside of my room (game changer)
Spray lavender mist on my pillow for some serious relaxation
Do some 4-7-8 breathing before bed
Avoid caffeine after noon
Manage stress using journaling, breathing and meditation throughout the day
I do find with my clients that one of the most common reasons for trouble falling asleep is unmanaged stress throughout the day. So notice where you are with that, and if your circling thoughts from the day are contributing to your inability to fall asleep.
You can try journaling before bed to get the thoughts “out,” listen to a guided meditation or simply do some breathing.
Just like the morning routine, there are many different things you can bring in and it all depends on what works for you and how you want to feel in your evenings. They don’t have to be long or complex, just simple, intentional ways to help you feel how you want in your day!
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If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, breathwork, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
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