A healthy night routine is essential for good sleeping patterns and a smooth next morning. These are tips and tricks that allow you to be more mindful of your fitness and nutrition to optimize it!
We should all have a healthy night routine. Well, having any sort of night routine would be a good place to start.
By now, you’ve probably heard of all the things you should be doing before bed. Turn off your electronics, read a book, practice meditation, yada yada yada. We should do these, but none of us actually do them.
Well, here are some other things you can incorporate into your night routine. Some of them you’re already read, but I’m rather confident that it’ll be the first time for others.
My nighttime routine has been and still is part of my day that changes all the time. At times when I was doing really well in life, my nighttime routine would be on point.
But on the days when I don’t feel so good, be that self-consciousness or just life events, the first thing to go is my night routine. But I’m trying to get better at being consistent with it no matter what.
These tips and tricks are mostly focused on fitness and nutrition because, well, that should be obvious.
That’s it <3 Just some sisterly advice from me to you.
This blog post is all about the best way you can incorporate fitness and nutrition into your healthy night routine.
HEALTHY NIGHT ROUTINE - FITNESS
First off, the fitness section of a healthy night routine.
1. Have a Face Yoga routine
Ok, don’t laugh. Give me a second to explain.
I guess I should start by saying that face yoga is some form of fitness. If you do it properly, you’ll be working the muscles in your face to keep allowing your skin to be smooth and plump for years to come. And isn’t that basically what fitness is for- no matter the area of the body?
If you do not know where to start with this, do not fret. Youtube videos are a great place to start. My first month of doing face yoga was solely based on Youtube tutorials. Eventually, I got a hand on all the exercises that work best for me and now I’ve created my own little 20-minute routine.
I would suggest you start by following Danielle Collins’ Youtube page (@FaceYogaExpert). She uses techniques that don’t require you to buy any sort of Jade roller or whatever else there is out there. Just a good serum to allow your hands to glide over your face is enough.
I also find that Niki Terlich’s Instagram page (@niki.face.yoga.method) is also quite useful once you get the hang of it.
After the first month, I can confidently say that I’ve seen good progress in my face. Especially for me, correcting my uneven eyes and uneven smile was big deal. I’ve still got a long road ahead but I do notice the difference.
Even if you have no aesthetic goals, face yoga is a great way to unwind at the end of the day. It relaxes all that tension built throughout the day so you can go sleep soundly. And if you don’t want to include face yoga in a healthy night routine, you can also do it in your morning routine (or both)!
And it gives you quite a laugh as well due to all the funny faces you have to make while doing the facial exercises.
2. Go for after-dinner walks
It doesn’t have to be a 1-hour walk. It can just be 10 minutes.
The main benefit of walking after dinner / before sleeping is that it helps your body digest. I’ll get to this later, but you do not want your body to be doing that while you’re trying to sleep.
Aside from good digestion, a walk before sleep can help us wind down from the bright indoor lights which offset the release of melatonin (the hormone that helps you sleep).
Walking can also help control blood sugar levels. In fact, these levels tend to spike about 30 minutes after eating. If you’re trying to sleep at that time… well, good luck. Mostly because you’ll feel like you want to go the bathroom often. Walking before sleeping will help this process go by quicker, so you won’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
Finally, walking can slightly increase your body temperature, which is an indicator that it’s time for sleep at this time of the circadian cycle. Indeed, when you’re sleeping, you want your environment to be cool, but your body to be warm and toasty under the blankets. Walking outside at night can help put the body in that environment.
Obviously, there are many, many more benefits to walking. But I find that these are the most interesting and convincing.
3. Take a warm showers for muscle strain
Well, let’s set aside the zen-provoking effects of a hot shower before bed. I’m going to tell you the fitness-relevant ones.
Before someone comes at me, I will say that cold showers are also very effective for muscle recovery. However, in the context of getting ready for sleep, a cold shower which spiked your adrenaline is not going to help you fall asleep. Instead of including a cold shower in your healthy night routine, include it in your healthy morning routine.
Anyhow, here are some of the advantages of warm showers for muscle strain:
- Warm water increases blood flow to the muscles, which can help bring in nutrients and oxygen to promote healing and reduce muscle soreness. Insofar as sleep, an increase in “blood flow may help the brain move waste products out of the brain” – which is an essential part of your sleeping process and overall mental health.
- The warmth of the water can help relax tight muscles, reducing spasms and stiffness. That way, you won’t be jerked awake in case you move a muscle that was tight after a workout.
- The warmth of the water can help stimulate nerve endings and release endorphins, which are natural pain relievers. In case you hurt yourself badly, this might help ease the pain.
- The increased blood flow from a warm shower can help flush out waste products and reduce inflammation. Especially if you go to the gym often, some inflammation is to be expected. However, inflammation can decrease sleeping quality, which is why you want to avoid it with a hot shower.
4. To exercise or not to exercise? That is the question.
You’ll find countless articles and research on whether or not exercise before sleeping harms your sleeping patterns.
Well, I’m here to tell you… to not care about the research. Test it out for yourself and see what works or doesn’t work for you.
In my case, I work out at 6am every morning- but that’s because of the limitations created by my schedule. If it were up to me, I’d work out at 11pm. I used to do that and I can tell you that never has my sleep been impaired because of that.
However, I do know people who might as well take 4 shots of espresso. 😬
When I say workout before sleep, I generally mean within 2 hours of sleeping. And when I say workout, it can be any type of workout. I prefer the midnight runs, though pilates, HIIT, weightlifting or any other workouts work.
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HEALTHY NIGHT ROUTINE - NUTRITION
Now onto the nutrition section of a healthy night routine.
5. Stop eating 2-3 hours before sleeping
So I said that I would be getting back to the digestion bit. This is that.
There are two opposing phenomena when it comes to digestion.
On the one hand, digestion requires a lot of energy from the body. In fact, as shown in my blog post about ways to make sustainable weight loss easier, it is shown that digestion and other metabolic functions account for the vast majority of your energy expenditure throughout the day. So basically, you wouldn’t want something that needs a lot of blood and energy to be going on when you’re trying to sleep as it can lead to increased wakefulness.
Furthermore, due to something as mundane as gravity, digestion at night can cause heartburn and/or acid reflux. In brief terms, gravity isn’t helping acid clearance in your esophagus. Adding to the fact that salvation isn’t as frequent, you might feel very uneasy.
However, on the other hand, digestion releases hormones such as melatonin, which encourages sleep. This is part of the reason why you want to go to bed after a large meal.
Considering these two contradicting facts about digestion, the solution is to eat 2-3 hours before you go to bed. By doing so, you will give your body enough time to digest what is needed, though you will not lose the melatonin effect of digestion as it is also amplified by your circadian rhythm.
6. Avoid drinking water within 1 hour of sleeping
Listen, listen, listen.
One day, I’m not saying today, but one day.
One day, you will wake up in the middle of the night needing to go to the bathroom.
One day that will happen every single night. And you will thank me for getting in the habit of not drinking within 1 hour of going to sleep.
Beyond the inconvenience (to use PG-13 words) of getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, there are other reasons why your 50-year-old self (or post-baby self) will want to get into the habit of going to the bathroom regularly. And by regularly, I mean as soon as you feel the need to.
I don’t want to go into the gory details of this specific topic, but there are a few side effects of holding it in for too long. Keep in mind that when you’re sleeping – if you’re lucky enough to not wake up during the night – you’ll be holding it in for 7-10 hours.
- Weakened bladder muscles, which can lead to incontinence
- UTIs
- Kidney stones
- Bladder stretching, which can lead to having to use catheters
7. Stay away from caffein and alcohol
We all know this one.
Actually, I shouldn’t even need to tell you to do this in your healthy night routine. You should know this.
Caffeine makes you stay awake. Alcohol dehydrates you, interferes with your REM sleep and increases nighttime awakenings in general.
Do not drink caffeine or alcohol before sleeping.
8. Express version of meal-prep
Your tomorrow self will thank you for including this one in your healthy night routine.
I feel like if you wanted to meal prep or if meal prep were really convenient in your life, you’d already be doing it.
But for those who don’t… well try this express version.
Before going to sleep, decide what you’re going to have for breakfast. You don’t have to prepare it, just know what you’ll be making tomorrow morning.
It doesn’t feel like a lot, I know. However, you will be thanking yourself for having this decision made for you (by you) the next morning. Especially if you wake up really early, or you just aren’t a morning person, it’ll make things that much easier.
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9. Avoid high-sugar or highly-processed foods
If you do crave a snack, avoid having it be something high in sugar or highly processed.
Indeed, both of these types of foods can lead to the following:
- Spike in blood sugar levels: High-sugar foods cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels, followed by a rapid decrease. This sugar high and low can make it difficult to fall asleep and lead to disrupted sleep.
- Release of insulin: High sugar intake triggers the release of insulin, which helps the body use sugar for energy. This release of insulin can cause drowsiness, but it can also interfere with the balance of hormones that regulate sleep.
- Stimulation of the brain: High-sugar foods can stimulate the brain and cause feelings of alertness and wakefulness, making it difficult to fall asleep.
- Interruptions in metabolism: High-sugar foods can interfere with normal metabolic processes and disrupt sleep patterns.
10. Avoid spicy meals
Okay before you come at me for this, just hear me out.
I know that we all love our spicy food. The curries, the hot sauce, the whole shebang.
I’m just putting this out there in case someone really has trouble sleeping and hasn’t given this one a try.
- Spicy foods can cause heartburn and indigestion, making it difficult to fall asleep and leading to uncomfortable wakefulness during the night.
- Spicy foods can trigger acid reflux, which can cause a burning sensation in the chest and throat and make it difficult to sleep.
- Spicy foods can stimulate the digestive system and increase metabolism, making it harder for the body to wind down and prepare for sleep.
- Eating spicy food can cause a temporary increase in body temperature, which can interfere with the natural cooling process that occurs during sleep and make it harder to fall asleep.
11. Kiwis, cherries and almonds
I bet you haven’t heard of this one before.
If ever it’s getting closer to your bedtime and you are a little peckish, try snacking on kiwis, cherries or almonds.
In fact, all three of them contain compounds that have sleep-promoting properties.
- Cherries contain high levels of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Eating cherries, especially Montmorency cherries, can help increase melatonin levels and promote better sleep.
- Kiwis are a rich source of antioxidants and nutrients that have been shown to improve sleep quality. The serotonin in kiwis can also promote feelings of calm and relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep
- Almonds contain magnesium, a mineral that has a relaxing effect on the muscles and can help improve sleep quality. Additionally, almonds are a good source of healthy fats and protein, which can help regulate blood sugar levels and promote feelings of fullness.
I hope this blog post will allow you to get a better night’s rest. Or at the very least, give you ideas you might incorporate in the distant future and feel guilty that you don’t do them now.
This blog post was all about the best ways of incorporating fitness and nutrition into your healthy night routine.
xx LS
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