10-minute routine for a great night's sleep

Do you get enough sleep? Do you feel rested when you wake up in the morning?

When I was dealing with burnout, I was exhausted ALL THE TIME. I would lie down in bed at night and two things would happen. Either I would:

1. Fall right asleep but wake up at 2:30 am anxious and unable to get back to sleep

   OR

2. Couldn’t fall asleep due to the racing thoughts in my mind about my patients, the workload I was dealing with, the stuff the kids needed, and on and on.

I learned that I needed to prep my mind and body for sleep, even though I was exhausted - the stress response needed to be turned off.

Here is my 10-minute routine that gets me consistent, deep, restful sleep:

After I shower, change into pjs, and brush my teeth, right before I am ready to get into bed, I:

1. Turn on a sound bath or calming music. My favorite app for this is Insight Timer and I love Sonic Yogi’s music. You could also use YouTube or Spotify, etc.

2. Sit on the floor and stretch my body. Whatever feels good, close your eyes and do some cat/cow, hamstring stretch, butterfly, etc.

3. Sit still, with eyes closed, and take some deep breaths. You could also do this in bed, at this point. My favorite deep breathing is the 4-7-8 breath or box breathing.

And then, go to sleep. If you aren’t ready to sleep, don’t get back on your phone or electronics. Read a non-stressful book, or listen to music, etc. Avoid returning to stimulating activities.

Happy sleeping!