5 Healthy Bedtime Habits to Practice

Believe it or not, your mood in the morning depends heavily on your quality of sleep the night before.

Yes, we do get to choose our attitude, but the urge to sleep and the bags under our eyes don’t help achieve a bubbly spirit nor a positive mind-set for the day’s challenges. Check out these five healthy bedtime habits to practice that will guarantee you wake up refreshed and recharged:

Give Kisses
Few things bring more comfort than the precious kisses of your children and spouse. Go to your children’s room, kiss and hug them, and be hugged and kissed by them. Then go to your room, kiss your husband or wife, and cuddle up in his/her arms. Even when all is going wrong, all will feel right in those moments. Enjoying the affection of love ones before bed is a form of sleeping pill that’s very affordable.

Guzzle Water
Instead of having a glass of wine as a nightcap to knock you out. Reach for a glass of water instead. Alcohol might make you fall asleep quickly, but it actually disrupts your ability to sleep soundly throughout the night. On the other hand, water will keep you hydrated, and while you’re sleeping it’ll be busy giving you beautiful skin, nails and hair. Water will also flush the toxins out of your body when you urinate in the morning.

Get on Your Knees
Before shutting your eyes for the night, get on your knees and pray. Give God thanks for a day well spent—even if there were rough patches. Casting all your cares on God in prayer does wonders in experiencing a peaceful sleep. You can be confident in knowing that He’ll take care of everything. So ensure that you pray to clear your head before hitting the pillow.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you … ” (Psalm 55:22)

Go Off the Grid
Power down the phone and computers, and unplug the television before lying down. The blue light from TV and other gadgets has the power to disrupt sleep cycles. In addition, getting on Facebook, Twitter or even checking text messages can crowd your head-space and make it harder for your mind to shut off. You’ll end up falling asleep thinking about your friend’s post about relationship issues or your mom’s angry text  about you skipping a lunch date with her. If you need help falling asleep, read a good book.

Get Enough Zzzzs
If you make all the other healthy bedtime preparations, and then sleep for only three or four hours, all your efforts will be pointless. Nothing will get you rested and prepared for a brand new day, except a good seven to nine hours of restful sleep.

Our bodies need to reboot. Adrenaline can keep us going for so long, but eventually our bodies will crash and burn if we don’t refuel them with enough sleep. When the needle in your car is pointing on “E” you go to the gas station for refueling. Your body needs the same attention for maximum performance.

What healthy habits do you practice before going to bed?