When you create a nighttime routine, you can help soothe anxiety. There are millions of people today who are dealing with real, serious cases of anxiety. If you have ever dealt with anxiety, you know that it can completely take over your life and make even the smallest of things become extremely overwhelming—especially sleep. In fact, research shows that anxiety is one of the biggest reasons that people aren’t able to fall asleep and stay asleep at night.

While unfortunately common, it doesn’t mean that you have to just live with the anxiety that plagues your life. While there are doctor-prescribed solutions to handling anxiety, there are also some natural and safe nighttime routines that you can start incorporating into your regimen in order to help calm your anxiety and keep the stress at bay.

Do the Same Routine Every Night 

You should always go to bed at the same time every night and you should complete the same pre-bed routine. This includes your hygiene, skincare routine or anything other activities that you tend to do before bed. 

Doing the same routine at the same time every night can actually trigger a response in your body that will let it know it is time to wind down and get to sleep at night. Plus, schedules and regularity are a key to combating anxiety. Control, schedule and regimen is literally the opposite state of anxiety so this small step can go a long way in changing your mindset before bed.

Use Scent to Your Advantage 

Scent is one of our most powerful senses and scent can do a lot when it comes to everything from our mood to jogging our memory. Think about some of the times you feel most calm and some of the places you’ve been when you can really relax. Perhaps it is a spa, or a relaxing bubble bath, and chances are, there was some calming scents involved.

With this in mind, consider starting to incorporate scent into your nighttime routine, there are so many different ways you can do this depending on your preference, including:

• Using incense 
• Lighting a candle 
• Using essential oils in a diffuser 
• Applying essential oils to your skin 
• Putting essential oils on your pillow before bed
• Utilizing a pillow spray on your sheets and linens 
• Applying a scented lotion before bed
• Taking a bubble bath with a powerful scent

What scents should you choose for nighttime relaxation? Geranium, Chamomile, Bergamot and Lavender are all natural scents that are known for their calming and relaxing properties and are great for anyone looking to calm their mind when they are trying to get to sleep.

Read Something Positive 

There are a lot of people who read before bed as a way to wind down after a stressful long day. However, there is more to this evening practice than just reading something. It is important that you are reading the right thing.

If you want to calm your anxiety and nerves before bed, then reading something positive is always the right way to go. This can help readjust your way of thinking and put you in a more positive state before you are trying to get to sleep. 

The more positive thoughts you can put into your head, the better so choose something like positive affirmations, a self-help book or a book with positive quotes in it. You will be surprised by how all of the positivity sneaks into your subconscious. 

Incorporate Some Evening Meditation

Meditation is one of the simplest and most powerful tools you can utilize to help clear your mind and help with your evening-time anxiety. Meditation can help you release your feelings, anxieties and experiences that you are holding on to from the day and calm and relax your mind.

 

Meditation is a powerful tool that many people use in the morning to get in the right mindset for the day, but it is just as effective in the evening. There are many different guided meditations that you can use in order to help you through the process, particularly at first and get in the proper mindset to let your anxiety go.

All you need is 15 minutes every night and you will see a major change in your anxiety and in your ability to fall asleep at night as well.

Remove or Cover Up Your Electronics 

There are so many people who have a bedtime routine that includes looking at their phones or television for the house before they go to bed. While some people think that this helps them “unwind” after a long day—it can actually have the opposite effect. The blue light in these devices can suppress melatonin and keep you awake at night while seriously impacting your sleep cycle.

If you have an anxious mind, then you know that there is nothing worse than staying up in bed wide awake with nothing but your thoughts to keep you company. Swap out that TV and social media time for something without a screen and you will start to notice a difference. 

Replace evening technology time with reading, yoga, meditation, bubble baths, puzzles or any activity you like that doesn’t have a screen on it. In fact, spend the entire hour before bed completely screen-free.

The best thing you can do is to remove the television from your bedroom and keep your phone in another room entirely. However, if you need certain devices nearby for other reasons (particularly if your phone is your alarm) then just cover them up so you won’t be tempted to get back in the habit of using them before bed.

If you are struggling with your anxiety and are finding it is making it difficult for you to relax and unwind at night, consider these new additions to your nighttime routine. Sometimes the smallest changes to your current evening regimen can go the longest way in changing your life for the better. 

It can be so hard to declutter your mind, especially at night and to remind yourself that your anxiety doesn’t have to control you. Start trying these nighttime routines this evening and start seeing the positive results for yourself.