Evening Rituals For Success and Better Sleep! Click To Tweet

Your Personal Night Routine – Evening Rituals For Success

There are so many great habits that need to be incorporated into your life to make one a successful person. That when incorporated, it will skyrocket your chances for success and do so a lot faster than you could ever imagine.

Our life is simply a cluster of habits that we cycle through everyday. Good or bad, we our slaves to our own habits. Why not be a slave to good habits then bad ones? Doing so will not only make you more successful, but it will also bring you more happiness and joy.

They happiness and joy that comes from self improvement and inner transformation. Below I offer you a list of nightly habits that you can incorporate into your life that will transform you once you utilize them! Enjoy my friends.

Evening Rituals For Transformation

Utilize Positive Self Talk

Since the brain is so susceptible to the stimuli it receives at night, using positive self talk can prime you for the results you want in life.

Tell yourself with conviction that you are going to sleep soundly. Wake up refreshed. Attract financial opportunities into your life. Attract more love into your life. Envision these things as you are utilizing positive self talk. See yourself in those states and feel how it would feel to be in those states.

Gratitude

It can improve your sleep cycle as well. According to a study done, simply stating some things that you are grateful for before hitting the sack will allow you to not only sleep better, but longer. This will allow you to wake up refreshed and ready to crush your day.

Jot Down What Needs To Be Done Tommorow

You want your mind to be as empty as possible before setting your alarm and drifting off into dreamland. Keep a notepad by your bed to do a mini-brain dump of what you need to get done the following day. That way you aren’t stressed out thinking about it or whether or not you are going to forget.

Mini Journaling 

Also take this time to do a little journaling. Write down anything that you feel has had a negative effect on you during that day. Journal those thoughts and feelings out, feel them completely and then do your best to let them go.

 

ALSO CHECK OUT!  — ULTIMATE MORNING ROUTINE CHECKLIST

 

Incorporating Something Nurturing

Indulge in a little self love before you crash. Incorporate things like, meditation by becoming the watcher of your breath. Stretch or do yoga, light a candle, reciting positive affirmations, take a nice bath or hot shower, feeling the water coursing down your body. Whatever will allow you to relax your mind and body.

This will prime you for better and more refreshing sleep.

Review Your Goals

There is a feeling of optimism and hope that comes from reviewing your goals before bed. It gives you a vision for the future and the energy you need to get out of bed in the morning instead of hitting the snooze.

Brian Tracy, world renowned author and motivational speaker, talks in his book “Goals: How To Get Everything You Want, Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible” expands on how reviewing your goals at night is such a great time because you are literally programming your subconscious mind to attract those goals.

He goes onto say that your subconscious mind has time to work on those goals all night while you are sleeping often times allowing you to arise in the morning with powerful insights on how you can reach your goal.

Now that is what I call productivity!

Give Your Self a Review!

Jack Canfield who just happened to be the co-founder of the Chicken Soup book series that’s now sold over 500 millions copies worldwide, has a great article that goes into talking about asking inquisitive questions about your day that will help you review your day. They are geared towards rewiring yourself for more positive behavior and punctuality. Some of those questions being:

1. “Show me where I could have been more effective today”
2. “Show me where I could have been better today” (This can be used in any area of your life)
3. “Show me where I could have been more loving today”

Offering up these type of questions to your mind will allow you to get answers back. Once the picture comes up into your conscious mind, Canfield suggests that you do not judge it.

Once you look at it from a non-judgemental point of view, you can then play it out in your head that way you wish you would have reacted, or would rather react.

This questions will help you with a great does honest introspection that you can utilize in your life to make a huge impact in how you react to life. You will start to more easily react better to situations and scenarios because now you have a mental image of the positive!

Unplup

According to recent studies show how blue light or light from electronic screens can disrupt our circadian rhythms. Otherwise known as our sleep cycles.

It has shown that it disrupts our melatonin production a well as shortened sleep quality and time.

If you don’t know what melatonin is or does, it is a hormone produced in the pineal gland that creates the feeling of sleepiness as well as helps one wake up.

Th article talked about a study done where students who used more blue light producing technology produced less melatonin then those who used more red light technology.

In order to limit the negative side effects that deal with blue light and sleep, the article suggests to disconnect from technology 2 hours before bed. If you cannot do this, then do so as early as you can before bed.

Read

Incorporating 20-30 minutes of reading something positive right before you go to bed is literally life changing. Bill Gates reads an hour before bedtime every night. He says for himself “It’s part of falling asleep”.

Lets take it one step further. What do successful people read for bed? Well a great article by Business Insider delves into that talking about how topics range from John Carney reading ancient philosophy, Obama reading briefing books and studies, Vera Wang reads what her staff sends her and Tim Armstrong reads his children kids books.

This study shows that it isn’t what your reading before bed that matters it is that simply reading before bed is what matters.

Reflect on The Postive

Look back at your day and see where you really crushed it and did well. Personal or professional. Once you hone in on a couple wins, then you can strategize on how you can build on the positive. This way you will gain momentum on the great things happening in your life. This is how you can go from good to great!

Take a Walk

Taking an evening stroll can allow you to unwind as well as connect in a spiritual way with the universe. Doing so at night will allow you to have little to no distractions around you. Allowing you to get centered as well as reflect on your thoughts, goals and ambitions.

If you have a loved one that is up with you, this can also be an awesome time take a walk with them. It can be a great time to connect

There is an excellent article written on the topic by The Gaurdian. They refer to nightly walks as a tonic for urban life. It expands on various peoples experiences of late night walks.

The individuals talk about how they are able to appreciate their city more. There are more distinct smells and sounds. They feel like the city is theirs and that they are immersed in a feeling of calm.

Another study shows that it can also improve creativity! Even another reason to take a brisk walk through your town!

So if you are a bit of a night owl or looking for a way to wind down, a walk though the city could be that tonic you need!

Give Gratitude!

The best way to counteract fear and anxiety is to give gratitude. Luckly you have an endless ability to do so. If negative events from the day come up, give them gratitude. By doing so you eliminate the negative feeling associated with this event. You will be able to cut down on negative and lingering thoughts which can get in the way of nourishing rest.

Detach From Work

A couple hours from when you go to bed, do your best to detach yourself from work. Don’t check your email. Be present when you get home. Worrying about work related issues will not change them. Wake up refreshed the next day and dedicate your energy to solving them then.

Instead, playing a game with family or some cards. Laugh and cherish family time. Dedicated your time off work to being off work completely.

How To Sleep Better

There is nothing more important to having a productive day then getting quality sleep. Not doing so, as you know, can be absolutely detrimental to your day. Now whether you are sleeping 2 hours or 10, getting restful and nourishing sleep will allow you to be so much more productive. Here is a list of tips on how to sleep better! Allowing you to get way sleep like a baby and wake up productive!

10 Tips For Better, More Restful Sleep

Refrain From Stimulants Early In The Day

This is going to set you up for a successful night sleep and a more productive day for the next day! Elon Musk talks about how he refrains from drinking any coffee 6 hours before he hits the sack.

WebMD has an article talking sleeping better and says that one should stop drinking coffee after lunchtime. This is because caffeine can stay in ones system for up to 12 hours. So coffee up in the morning and at lunch then ride that buzz all they way to bed.

If you are having trouble keeping your energy up when you stop mid-day coffee consumption, try incorporating a 10-20 minute power nap!

A little hack for sleeping at an earlier time is to set an alarm for 15-30 minutes before bed. This way you won’t find yourself blowing past your bedtime and staying up too late.

Go To Bed At The Same Time Each Night

I know this one is tough, but with some discipline, we can get to near perfection. There is a great article that talks about how you can start going to bed at the same time each night.

Doing so will allow you to set your body’s internal clock. So once you start going to bed and getting up at or around the same times, you will start to feel more tired and awake around those same times. Making it easier to start incorporating this great habit.

It also talks about making gradual steps towards your preferred bedtime. If you are going to bed around 12:00 AM when you prefer going to bed at 10 PM, start with 15 minute chunks. Go to bed at 11:45 for the first few nights then cut it to 11:45 and so on until you are able to settle down at your preferred bedtime!

Watch What You Eat

From personal experience, I know how hard it can be to not eat before bed! I love those bedtime snacks! A great article I came across talks about avoiding food for 2-3 before sleeping to allow the food you ate in the day to work it’s way to the small intestine. By adhering to this rule, it will minimize heartburn as well as even problems with insomnia.

The article also talks about other things to avoid, like soda, chocolate and energy drinks. This is because it blocks the a chemical known as adenosine which creates the feeling of sleepiness.

Also, as far as fluid intake goes, make sure that you drink enough to cut the feeling of thurst, but not too much to where you have to get up and hit the head!

Quiet Rest Is A Must

Reducing noise exposure while sleeping can be a key to sleeping better and even avoiding cardiovascular disease! Even decibels as low as bird calls or the noise of the refrigerator can affect your sleep patters.

A great article talks about how to minimize noise while sleeping. A couple tips include:

1. Ear Plugs
2. Sound proof windows with curtains or double pane windows
3. White Noise
4. Moving your bed away from the source of night noise
5. More carpeting in your room to soak up noise

This can unfortunately include kicking our pets out of the room and bed! These furry loved ones are ancy and move around at night and can affect your sleep patterns without you even noticing.

Separate Blankets 

If you sleep with a loved one, try using different comforters. Again you can wake up from a shift in bed covers, or if they are taken off of you at night. This can be a great solution to you and your spouse fighting over the comforter!

Crash When You Are Truly Tired

There is nothing worse than tossing and turning when you can’t go to sleep. You feel like a failure because you can’t crash when you know you need to wake up early for work. Even worse, you dwell on the fact that you NEED to go go sleep even when you can’t!

If you are unable to go to sleep within the first 10-20 minutes you are in bed, try reading or taking a hot shower to relax yourself!

Exercise

Not only will exercising allow you to feel a sense of daily vitality, but it will also help you sleep better. An article by Psychology Today talked about the interrelationship between exercising and sleep. It talks about they actually benefit one another.

But the thing is is that exercise only truly has an effect on sleep patterns after long term a long term exercise routine has been adhered to. Around 16 weeks is when the study in the article showed to create better sleep in individuals.

The positive aspect is that you only need a moderate amount of exercise to benefit over the long term with better sleep patterns. This will also allow you to adopt a lifestyle habit that will allow you to avoid things like bone and muscle loss that comes from aging.

This will allow you to maintain optimal posture as you age, avoiding the pitfalls that come from a stooping posture.

Sorry to be the barer of bad news my friend, but I am here to bring you the facts to help you 🙂

Envision Yourself Sleeping Soundly

What we think about, we bring about! This has been a great tactic for my sleep life! Vividly envision yourself in a deep sleep state and sleeping through the night. Feel how it would feel to get a night of nourishing rest and wake up well rested!

I think this will really help you get more quality zzz’s!

Belly Breathing

You can put yourself in a nice state of relaxation but doing some belly/diaphragm breathing. It is a great way to draw in more oxygen and takes the pressure off of your chest, which is a breathing form that requires more work and energy.

Make Sure Your Pillow Is Sleep Conducive

Did you know your pillow may be affecting you from getting awesome sleep at night?? Well it’s true my friends. Depending on what type of sleeper you are: side, stomach or back. There is a pillow for you! So what are the pillow types for different types of sleepers. A great article I read goes into that saying the following:

• Side Sleepers – Lofty enough for the sleeper to fill up the gap created between the mattress and the sleepers neck and gives you firm to medium firm support.
• Back Sleepers – Lofty enough to hold the sleepers head inline with their spinal cord without creating any forward head craning or letting your head drop backwards. A pillow that has a medium to firm density will suffice nicely.
• Stomach Sleepers – A pillow with a small about of loftiness is the one for this type of sleeper. A down pillow would be a great option is this is your sleep style.

Turn Your Clock The Other Way

Isn’t it the worst when we are anticipating the next day and we keep waking up checking the clock? Well the best thing you can do is simply turn your clock the other direction. Even better, put it on the other side of the room so you aren’t tempted to turn it towards you when you wake up in the middle of the night.

This will also force you to walk over and turn your alarm off in the morning. Which results in less chance of you hitting the snooze button and drifting back to sleep because you’ll already be out of bed!

Conclusion

There you have it my friends. A couple lists for you that when used can really help you skyrocket your success as well as get a good nights rest in the process. It will allow you to rise and shine in a more positive and effective manner ready to conquer any day of the week.

I hope you enjoyed the article. Let me know what your favorite tip is as well as if you have anything to add that can help us all create a better night routine for success! Be well my friends.

Chris