Who else thinks bedtime with kids is the most stressful part of the day?! It definitely is for me, and since my husband doesn’t get home before the kid’s bedtime most evenings, all of the routines are up to me!
My kids go to bed super early, like 6pm at the latest every night! I love the early bedtime (despite the early wake time) because I need those alone hours at night to decompress and relax from the stresses of the day. Since I also work from home, after bedtime is the only time I can sit down and focus long enough to get anything done, so there’s a lot happening in the evening time around our house.
A lot of times I’m so wound up from parenting, working, and exercising at night that when it’s time to go to bed I can’t turn my brain off, and I lay in bed unable to relax and fall asleep. My husband has an even harder time with this, since he spends most of his days studying he has a hard time shifting into “non-thinking” mode. I’m sure a lot of you find yourselves in similar situations, so I thought I’d share what has worked for us in helping to unwind and fall asleep faster!
- No Screen Time – one thing that really helps is turning off our phones at least 30 minutes before bedtime! There are lots of proven studies that the blue light emitted from screens is harmful and keeps you from being able to relax, so we committed to putting our phones away before bed and have really noticed a difference.
- Lavender, Lavender, Lavender – You guys know how much I love essential oils, and this is one of my most used because of it’s calming properties! Before bed I roll it on my feet and have it diffusing on my nightstand. I even made a room spray with Lavender and Cedarwood and I’ll spray that on our sheets and pillows! I do the same routine with my kids and it really works wonders.
- Audiobook – I like to listen to an audiobook as I’m winding down. Sometime I listen as I wash my face and change into pajamas, and sometimes I wait until I’m actually laying down for the night. I really like listening to past LDS General Conference talks because I love going to bed with positive and inspiring messages being the last thing I hear and think about from the day.
- Natural Vitality – I am absolutely obsessed with this magnesium supplement! I typically take half in the morning and the other half about an hour before bed. My husband agrees that this is a super effective way at turning our brains off and getting to that relaxation mode before going to sleep.
- Melatonin – I looooove melatonin! I didn’t take it when I was breastfeeding because I was worried I’d be in too deep of a sleep to hear when Elliott woke up and was crying, but now I’m back on board! I only take this when I’m super wired and afraid I won’t be able to fall asleep on my own, but it works so quickly and helps me drift heavily into sleep. My husband uses it pretty frequently, and once said he has the most vivid dreams under the influence of melatonin hahaha.
Hope these ideas help you! Sweet Dreams!