Ayurveda lays out basic guideposts to build health. Align with our bodies basic needs is one. Getting enough sleep is another hack for health. Build a healthy evening routine that highlights enough sleep.
Exhaustion is rampant. We live in a world where getting good sleep is considered a luxury rather than the basic necessity it really is. Modern culture doesn’t teach you how to design your day to support your health.
One way to plug in is line up your life around larger rhythms, manifest health and joy. Align with the time of life you are in, the seasons, and the times of the day. A healthy evening routine means sleep in the dark wake in the light eat light in the evening and make things easy.
Where possible, choose to align for your own benefit, so you are strong and functioning at your best. Set up routines to make alignment easy. Evening habits to get to bed on time, sleep well, support a sharp mind and full function is one of the routines that can shift your life in the best ways.
No More Living Like A Rebellious Teenager
Falling asleep on the couch reading papers or watching TV or even in the tub just doesn’t cut it anymore. You wake up late with a cotton mouth, a sore neck and a foggy brain.Then you rush out the door harried, disheveled and late for work. Invariably there is an accident or you hit every red light. That makes you later and more stressed. When this happens you can count on a rough morning that will likely cascade into a rough week. This situation repeats week after week and you get exhausted cranky and depleted.
In Ayurveda we think of this scenario as stealing from tomorrow for today in a way that makes depletion and disease likely. Often we delude ourselves by thinking we are getting away with something. We don’t value the time and fritter it away. What is the way out of this trap? Change gears and set up an evening routine that prioritizes your needs and simplifies things.
Design Your Healthy Evening Routine For Quality Sleep
Skip the endless ads and reruns on the variety of screens in your life. Advertisers won’t miss you. Tevo your favorite shows if you must. But don’t numb out and loose power over your free time. Use free time to find joy. deepen family connections, learn and relax.
If you need to be asleep by 10 pm your want to walk back in time. Make a plan: give yourself the chance to enjoy your evening, wind down, and prepare your body for rest.
Check off Items That Will Add To Your Evening Routine
- 10:00 pm sleep
- Meditate, Affirm or Appreciate
- 9:45 pm in bed
- Urinate
- Brush Teeth
- Take Meds or Supplements
- Oil hands & feet to release the tension of the day
- PJ’s
- Laundry, Wash or Shower as necessary
- Do something you love with the people you love. Walk, Play, Hobby, Relax, Read or Snuggle
- Invest in tomorrow Lunch, drinks, clothes
- Clean up From Dinner
How many of these boxes can you check off as part of your evening routine? Take a conscious look at your evening routine, it may be that you will need to shift dinner to an earlier simpler meal to have time to care of yourself and your family. Try adding one or more and see if you find it helpful.
