Sleep is one of the 12 pillars to be healthy and radiant.
Except that sometimes, falling asleep or sleeping well turns out to be... an ordeal.
Or your evenings have lost their magic and are reduced to a mad dash from the office to your bed, including way too much time in front of screens.
A nice evening routine brings comfort to your daily life and allows you to attack in good shape the next day.
It's a safety valve!
Decompressing cannot be done in the blink of an eye, hence the idea of routines and rituals around bedtime to take the time in the evening to unwind from the day.
Make this precious evening time a time to find yourself and to ensure that you are aligned with your desires and your values.
A healthy habit so as not to lose your footing, or not to get lost at all.
A reservoir of time in which to fit in a favorite activity (and not a thousand).
To make these rituals really effective, there are a few tips:
- Slow down, do things calmly
- One thing at a time, don't succumb to multitasking
- Gradually dim the sounds and lights
- Put away or hide screens, cut out work
In addition to our 28 tips for sleeping better, discover in this post some lovely routines and comforting rituals to help you fall asleep easily and peacefully.
1. Transition from day to evening
The pivotal moment when you leave work before starting the last part of the day should not be neglected.
Quite the contrary.
Start already, if you can, to initiate the landing.
The idea is to take a break from work and prepare yourself mentally for a good evening.
A little while is enough!
For example, you can listen to music or a podcast on the way home.
Or take a slightly longer or more pleasant path (a detour in a park?) if you are on foot.
Call a friend, look through a magazine or drink water.
Or simply do nothing and leave room for emptiness, silence and calm to put life on pause.
In this way, you will approach your real evening routine with even more zen and tranquility.
2. Prepare for the next day and leave problems in the closet
First of all, get rid of your to do list, things to do, to put away, to resolve.
Prepare your outfit for the next day, write on a sticky note the things not to forget, the people to call, etc.
You will then be cleared.
Close your computer once and for all (no more emails!) and your phone.
Time for the evening routine, where the magic begins…
3. The evening meal, a comforting moment
Your evening diet is crucial for a good night's sleep.
We have also written a whole article on anti-insomnia diet, which you should like 😉
Take advantage of the end of the day to prepare a good balanced, satisfying and comforting dinner.
Avoid excess fat, alcohol, red meat, stimulants, etc. to aid digestion and stimulate melatonin production.
A good bowl of homemade soup in winter, fresh salads in summer, there's something to satisfy your appetite and get a good night's sleep.
4. The comforting evening drink
Herbal teas and infusions are welcome in the evening.
As long as you don't take them too close to bedtime, at the risk of running to the bathroom during the night.
Make this drink a special moment: select your favorite cup, choose an herbal tea that brings you certain benefits:
- Nettle herbal tea : perfect for stimulating the digestive system and the beauty of the skin, while providing iron to the body. Ideally consumed during your period.
- Dandelion herbal tea : ideal for its diuretic properties, it detoxifies the body.
- Lemon balm herbal tea : the ally to combat stress and its side effects such as palpitations, stomach cramps, migraines and even insomnia.
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Cinnamon herbal tea : it calms stomach aches, promotes good digestion and helps fight viruses.
- Hibiscus herbal tea : an exotic taste and calming properties, it is ideal for stressed people because it reduces high blood pressure.
- Chamomile herbal tea : this is the perfect good night herbal tea because it relaxes and relaxes. In addition, it helps digestion.
- Fennel herbal tea : it provides digestive well-being, especially if you suffer from heartburn. It can also help treat a bad cough.
- Raspberry leaf herbal tea : medicinal plant for women par excellence, raspberry leaves relieve pain linked to the menstrual cycle and help women give birth (be careful, only consume at the end of pregnancy).
- Ginger tea : comforting and warming, ginger tea helps calm nausea and digestive problems. Also perfect for stimulating the immune system in winter.
- Peppermint herbal tea : refreshing and purifying peppermint herbal tea helps fight bad breath and digestive disorders (notably irritable bowel syndrome).
- Thyme herbal tea : mixed with a little honey, thyme herbal tea is a cough drink and a remedy for respiratory infections due to its antiviral and antibacterial properties. To incorporate into your winter routine.
- Linden herbal tea : used since Antiquity, lime blossom is an aromatic plant to calm nervous disorders, relieve fatigue and reduce anxiety. Furthermore, a lime herbal tea works miracles on temperamental digestion.
- Verbena tea : it is well known, along with chamomile, to be the plant that helps fight against sleep problems. In addition, it also helps with digestion!
- Lavender herbal tea : romantic and captivating, lavender infusion is relaxing, diuretic and sedative. It will perhaps be your Proust madeleine and will remind you of the sun and the holidays.
Drink your infusion quietly on your armchair or sofa, in peace or alongside one of the following activities.
5. Roll out your mat for yoga or other gentle practices
Movement and fresh air are essential to feeling in great shape.
For your evening ritual, however, favor gentle physical activities, otherwise you risk producing too much dopamine and putting yourself in a state of excitement, which is not conducive to sleep.
Gentle yogas such as hatha yoga, yin yoga, nidra yoga or even dervish yoga will allow you to stretch gently after a day of work most certainly spent mostly seated and to relax.
For a home yoga session, you can take inspiration from these 10 yoga postures which bring almost immediate relaxation, to be performed in the order and duration you wish.
You can also adapt your yoga practice to the cycle of the Moon.
6. A walk at sunset
Easier to do in the summer, walking meditation is a magical and calming practice.
To avoid going in circles in your head, go for a straight walk in a place that recharges your batteries: a park, a forest, a path along a river, by the sea...
This exercise allows you to pace your breathing and coordinate your steps.
Try to clear your thoughts, focusing only on what is around you, 100%.
Experience this walk as a gift that allows you to breathe in the present moment, without any constraints, without waiting, without appointments.
7. Meditation and Breathing to calm down
Meditation and breathing exercises are the ideal way to find inner calm.
Find a comfortable place, where you will not be disturbed, to sit cross-legged and begin your meditation session.
If meditation still seems too inaccessible to you, you can start with cardiac coherence exercises with an app to guide you.
8. The best time to learn something
The period just before bed is particularly conducive to learning.
Your brain will work on it overnight, and you will remember it more easily.
Be careful, however, that the chosen discipline is not too stimulating, which would have the opposite effect of calming you down and relaxing you.
It's up to you to choose: music, drawing, painting, foreign languages, calligraphy, sewing, embroidery, knitting, etc...
The activity you have chosen should not be felt as a constraint or pressure, on the contrary, it should help you cultivate your joy of living.
9. Write a few lines in a journal
To end your day, there's nothing like picking up your pen to write a few lines.
The goals can vary of course, between exercising introspection and personal development, or preserving precious memories.
Set aside a small notebook for this exercise, preferably in a place known only to you because these things are so personal.
You can begin this writing exercise by combining it with one of the other rituals mentioned in this list such as drinking herbal tea or listening to soft music.
10. Listen to music in peace
Music has the gift of being able to change our mood and make us explore the complex world of emotions.
For a relaxing routine, opt for classical music, ballads, and soft songs rather than hard rock or metal (unless this style of music allows you to relax).
Sit back with your evening drink and close your eyes.
11. A sound or olfactory bath
Bedtime is ideal for awakening the senses, particularly hearing and smell.
Sight has been overstimulated throughout the day, now it's time to close your eyelids to immerse yourself in the world of sounds or smells, or why not both!
Sound baths are on the border between relaxing music and meditation, the sound of Tibetan bowls, koshi or maracas literally vibrate your different energetic bodies.
There are many playlists on YouTube, unless you have these instruments at home to play your own sound bath?
The same goes for relaxing scents, you can light your favorite scented candle, an incense stick or use your essential oil diffuser.
And let it infuse!
12. A break in the bathroom
Evening body treatments can become a beautiful sensory experience, if you wish.
It's all a question of staging.
Take the bathroom just for yourself, light a candle and start your evening beauty ritual.
You can start by showering then massaging your body with a dry oil, then washing your face and moisturizing it while taking your time.
To prevent signs of aging, you can start doing facial yoga, doing it in front of your mirror for even just 5 minutes.
All you need are clean hands and a special facial oil (sweet almond, argan or borage for example), which will give more fluidity to movements.
13. Take care of your extremities: feet and hands
The cold and dryness of winter tends to put a strain on our extremities.
Take advantage of your evening routine to take care of your hands and feet!
A rich, moisturizing and organic cream will do the trick!
Start with the feet, massaging them with warming gestures and pressing well along the entire length to release tension.
Then put on a pair of socks to let the skin absorb the cream.
Finish with your hands, also massaging the palms, fingers and nails.
No more cracking and chapping!
To create a ritual focused on Ayurveda, consult our little Ayurvedic winter routine for more advice!
14. Feed yourself with positive affirmations
The nocturnal break is ideal for nourishing your soul and cultivating your vital energy.
Choosing a positive affirmation to read and imbibe is a most powerful exercise.
You can take inspiration from our positive affirmations card game to adapt the affirmations to the energy of the month in question.
Here we explain how to use them wisely.
15. Prepare your bedroom, the sanctuary of your nights
Sleep will come to you more easily in a calm and tidy environment.
Even if it's not the most exciting activity - but you can definitely use your imagination to make it that way - tidying up and putting a little order every day helps keep the house in a certain standard. cleanliness.
If this subject interests you, we have written an entire article on how to arrange your bedroom to let energies flow freely according to the Feng Shui philosophy.
16. Put on your favorite pajamas
Point that interests us the most, and you can imagine why!
Loungewear, particularly pajamas, are our passion.
Getting dressed for the evening is a powerful ritual that clearly marks the boundary between your daytime life and your evening.
A comfortable and cheerful outfit that suits you and in which your body automatically goes into relaxation mode.
Choosing the right pajamas is an art that should not be neglected!
Which one will you choose?
Rituals help us structure our day and bring a little more well-being into our lives.
If you like this subject, discover our ideas for rituals according to the lunar cycles in the same theme.
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