What really is a wind-down routine? We can understand it using a simple analogy: just as we remove our belt, coat and jewellery before sleeping, we also need to remove the inner chatter and the buzzing thoughts from our mind before bedtime. In other words, we need to quieten the mind before we sleep. This process of quieting the mind is what we are referring to as “a wind-down routine”.
In order to do this, the first thing we need to do is disconnect from technology at least one hour before going to sleep. We need to set a designated cut-off time – whether it’s 8 pm or 9 pm – after which we put away our gadgets, and don’t look at any more screens.
How do we practically implement this? Do we just get off our laptop, phone and television and then just sit there looking at the wall? Well, that’s a surefire way to get internet jitters and find yourself on your device a few minutes later. If we really want to be off technology before bed, it has to be replaced with something we enjoy equally or even more than being on our devices. Simultaneously, this should be an activity that brings us peace, pacifying the mind rather than stimulating it.
Here are three examples of low-stimulation activities that you can replace scrolling/watching/working with (you may experiment and find what works best for you):
Reading a book
You could pick up a physical book on a subject you wish to learn more about. Reading allows you to enjoy a great story, inspiration or education without overwhelming your brain. Alternatively, you could even journal. This involves putting pen to paper and expressing your thoughts, feelings and experiences from the day. It’s a mindful activity that allows you to unload the day’s mental baggage before heading into a restful night’s sleep.
Engaging in a recreational hobby
This could involve anything that you have a natural interest in, whether it’s knitting, crocheting, painting or playing an instrument. You could choose a hobby that you’ve been wanting to start but haven’t found the time to.
Hot foot baths
To take a hot foot bath, fill a bucket with comfortably warm water and soak your feet for twenty minutes. As you allow yourself those uninterrupted twenty minutes, you experience the absence of stimulation, signalling to your brain that it’s time to wind down. Additionally, this practice improves blood circulation and immediately helps you feel more relaxed.
To summarise, in order to sleep like a baby, set a designated cut-off time for yourself – whether it’s 8 pm or 9 pm – after which you put away all digital devices. Replace them with one of the calming low-stimulation activities during that final hour before sleep. This may seem too small of a switch to make any difference, but within a few days of implementing it, you will notice your sleep become deeper and your mornings much more energised.
To help make this habit practical, you can use the golden rule of habit formation The rule is simple: If you want to build a habit, make it more visible in your environment. If you want to break a habit, make it invisible. Here are a few examples of how you too could actually do this.
Make your gadgets invisible
Place your phone out of reach: If your phone is within arm’s reach in that last one hour before sleep, the temptation to check it will easily overpower your willpower and motivation to not use it. If you find yourself spending too much time on your smartphone before going to sleep, you could try placing it in another room, or at a distance where it’s not within arm’s reach.
Turn off notifications: Adjust the settings on your cell phone and on your laptop, desktop or tablet so that you don’t receive any automatic notifications. Automatic notifications are said to be a wonderful feature for any app, but they keep you feeling compelled to constantly check your phone, creating a cycle of distraction that’s hard to break.
Remove the TV from your bedroom: If you have a habit of watching TV before bed, the sure-fire solution is to remove the TV from your bedroom entirely. If it’s not within reach, the temptation to switch it on will automatically go.
Make your low-stimulation activity more visible
Suppose you’ve opted for reading as your low-stimulation activity. Instead of keeping your book on a distant shelf, keep it right on your bedside table. By doing so, when you settle into bed at night, you’ll be naturally drawn to pick it up and read. Similarly, if playing a musical instrument is your chosen activity, make sure it’s easily visible and accessible in your room, instead of being hidden inside your cupboard. Having it there in sight will act as a subtle reminder so that you incorporate it into your pre-sleep routine.
Behind all these suggestions, the essential concept to grasp is this: Many of us in today’s world believe that we can just jump into bed, turn off the light and quickly fall into a deep sleep, similar to a light switch which we can instantly turn on or off. Unfortunately, deep sleep isn’t quite like that. It’s more like an aeroplane landing. Your brain requires time to descend through a good wind-down routine, in order to transition into good, deep sleep. It doesn’t happen suddenly.
Excerpted with permission from The Satvic Revolution: 7 Life-changing Habits to Discover Peak Health and Joy, Subah Saraf and Harshvardhan Saraf, Penguin India.
