How do you wind down at night?

CassieR6

So I am looking to see how you all wind down and relax at night once dinner is done and the kids are in bed (if you have any). I currently have been having a couple of drinks and my hookah. But I know I need to cut back on both and I can't keep doing them every night. I am sure they are part of the reason why I can't get the energy to get up at 5am to workout for the past 3 months. I generally stay up to about 1030, so I only end up getting about 6 hours of sleep a night. I have thought about just relaxing with a show and a cup of Nighty Night or Chamomile tea. But every time it gets to that part of the night all I want is a margarita to help relax me. So what do you all do to unwind?? Thanks! :flowerforyou:

Veil5577

Since I work from 9 AM to 10:30 PM, I am usually so tired at night I fall right into a coma. On days off I was trying having a drink at night, but it gave me nightmares. So I started taking a hot shower right before bed.

MissKalhan

Lately it has been eat, watch TV or read a few chapters of the current book.

DebraYvonne

All it takes is getting horizontal for me, watch a few minutes of TV or a book and I am nodding off.

SrMaggalicious

If I took the time to wind down, I'd never make it to my bed. I'm out literally 30 seconds after my head hits the pillow...no winding down necessary. I go until bedtime and then drop 8 hrs like it's hot!

CyberEd312

I am up at 5 and head to bed around 10, Nothing to special here, I normally watch alittle something I have dvr'd and most nights wake up at 2 in the morning to see I fell asleep again with the TV on..... lol

Holly_Roman_Empire

I read. Generally something non-fiction so I don't get drawn into a story I can't put down.

emdeesea

I have basically the same routine. I work from 8-5 p.m. After 5, I go to the gym or take a walk, I have something to eat, I play computer games or watch something on Netflix, then read from about 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. and go to bed.

It's the reading mostly that's the wind down period. But all of it is relaxing, as my job is pretty stressful. And I don't have kids so I don't have that to worry about either.

waltcote

I don't read much but being an artist i always have a sketch book at my bedside. I doodle some abstract sketches.

farfromthetree

I hear you...a margarita sounds much better than tea! But tea does work. I love heating up those Kozy Collar neck pillows in the microwave and putting that on while I drink my tea and watch some trashy T.V!!

Oh! and you wake up feeling much better than if you had the drink and the hookah!

shutterbug282

Peppermint tea & Netflix.

shellma00

I read. Generally something non-fiction so I don't get drawn into a story I can't put down.

Reading makes me tired...

acorsaut89

Usually I read . . . I find reading helps me wind down. I don't read a lot of non-fiction like another poster said, but I usually read for about an hour, sometimes with a glass of wine.

Other nights, I am so freakin tired I can't even make it to reading I just fall asleep and sometimes it's around 9 lol. I wake up at 4:30 to go to the gym most mornings so I rarely ever have late nights . . . or even nights when I need help falling asleep.

Good luck to you!

CassieR6

Love all your suggestions so far! I should mention I have trouble falling asleep at night. My hubby will pass out with in 10min of going to bed, me it can take 30min to an hour. Also I wake up a lot in the night. Mostly when ever the hubby gets up to use the bathroom or something.

Alidecker

I watch a little TV, sometimes read, but I fall asleep very easily. If I have to workout later that my normal 5pm for some reason, I have a harder time falling asleep....then I get my journal out or watch a movie. It can turn into a bad cycle. I used to have my training sessions from 7-8PM and I never got a good nights sleep after that.

Spnneil06

Hot shower!

ljmorgi

I read or knit, but YMMV.

DawnieB1977

After the kids are in bed...shower, cup of decaf tea and my kindle! My husband works shifts so one week in two he's not home until 10pm so I have a couple of hours of total peace! Well, if our 4 month old settles.

mercurysfire

alcohol can make it difficult to stay asleep at night due to blood sugar spikes and dehydration. (took me a long time to learn that.) hot showers are incredibly relaxing as is reading. the lights of computer screens and phone screens can have an effect on falling asleep so unplug if you can and get your room as dark as possible. lowering the temp in your room also can help you fall asleep.

pay attention to how you feel after working out too- usually between 1-3 hours afterward your body will wind down on it's own. (i get about an hour or two these days after a hard workout.)
so have a workout, a shower a cuppa tea and go read a book.

kwiatrtdy

If I'm trying to rest and go to sleep but my brain is still buzzing I play meditation videos from Youtube. There's a really good one I use here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFYcAAK_LEw&index=2&list=FL5VOZkMfMeTHN5ZpC6zIVTQ

I've been using it for years and I think I've only ever made it all the way through once, I just fall fast asleep about 5 minutes in.

mswoodsy

i also take a VERY long time to fall asleep. and you're exactly right, smoking is a stimulant and alcohol may make you pass out but youre not getting proper REM sleep. get into a routine. find something (besides alcohol and shisha (or w/e else is in the hookah lol)) that you enjoy thats easy to do and doesnt involve a lot of alertness. tv, reading, drawing; all great suggestions but only if they work for you. what will make it relaxing is once it becomes a routine your body knows...

"ok, she's sitting down, we're watching tv, i must be going to bed soon..."

block out windows, sunlight produces serotonin which makes you feel awake
if possible, don't consume caffiene after lunch, it stays in your system WAY after you stop feeling it
make sure you use the bathroom right before you lay down to sleep
and as soon as you wake up seek sunlight, noise and wake your mind up with housechores or cooking breakfast

i personally cant sleep without a sound machine of some sort either because im a super super light sleeper. and i take a lavendar bath if i've had a particularly stressful day...

thats what works for me

PRMinx

Love all your suggestions so far! I should mention I have trouble falling asleep at night. My hubby will pass out with in 10min of going to bed, me it can take 30min to an hour. Also I wake up a lot in the night. Mostly when ever the hubby gets up to use the bathroom or something.

Alcohol will do this to you - and it gets worse the older you get.

I love to have a few drinks, but I definitely don't sleep well when I do. I think you will sleep better if you cut it out a few nights a week.

I get up at 5am to work out, so I'm usually in bed watching TV by 8:30, lights out by 10. Being horizontal definitely relaxes me.

kshadows

Ugh I have no winding down...kids in bed by 7:30, 3 nights a week I head out for a run. Nights I don't run, I throw in laundry, wash dishes, clean up the house, sweep/mop/vacuum, and study. Nights I DO run, I usually do something more low key because I'm tired, like fold laundry (but still pick up and study).

Then I go ahead and hop in bed! I'm usually so beat I fall asleep right away.

RonnieLodge

Warm bath and go to bed with a book.

When I drink before bed I will wake up dehydrated and sluggish.

When I drink too much before bed I wake up at 3am with the dries and 'the fear'.

Wookinpanub

After putting the kids to bed, I get my 30 minutes of me time per day and watch TV in bed. Usually something pretty relaxing like a nature show or something. However, sometimes the wife comes in and wants to exercise :smokin:

ThinLizzie0802

I read and take a benydryl (straight up diphenhydramine-cheapest sleep aid you can get!)
Alcohol does the complete opposite for me and sleep so I don't drink if sleep is what I want
I used to listen to music through headphones but I'm way too paranoid now that I live by myself
There's another habit that's legal in a few states that generally helps calm me down for bedtime
I need to give myself at least thirty minutes without tv, computer, or phone in order to wind down

carrieliz81

I would also recommend reading, but some other options that make me drowsy:

Scrolling through my facebook news feed.

Playing Solitaire on my phone. Quickly becomes a literal snoozefest!

shireeniebeanie

Tonight show and popcorn. Sometimes while folding laundry.

shireeniebeanie

I would also recommend reading, but some other options that make me drowsy:

Scrolling through my facebook news feed.

Playing Solitaire on my phone. Quickly becomes a literal snoozefest!

And this--any kind of reading, whether a book or cell/laptop, can make me sleepy!

zyxst

1. *kitten*
2. Play a round of Jewel Quest on my DS.

wertgirlfor

I usually drink some chamomile tea and either watch TV or skim my social networks.