It’s been a year since I got sucked into the realm of night wellness, and it’s been a blissful ride that I don’t plan on getting off ever.
A proper bedtime routine is key to glowing health – both mental and physical.
When you unwind properly at the end of the day, your worries take a backseat, your skin starts glowing, and your mind slips into a me-time mode that lasts till your waking hours.
The best thing is – you don’t need to do anything major to tap into your night resting mode.
Throw in some basic hygiene, beauty, and self-care activities, and you get yourself a simple bedtime checklist that will help you put your day to rest.
But if you’re content with a 30-minute bedtime routine, you’re already at the right place.
Before reading on, you might want to quickly pin this post for safekeeping.
In this post, we check out 9 things to do before bed that will add up to a perfect night routine.
This is a bedtime checklist you need to tick off each night to create more balance and stability in your life.
Let’s get started.
9 Things To Do Before Bed
1. Minimize The Use Of Electronic Gadgets
It might be unrealistic of me to ask you to completely cut off your use of electronic devices before bed, though you can certainly do that too.
But if you can bring down your usage to 10% of what you’re used to, that would be great.
You might need your phone to set the alarm clock, listen to music, and tune into a podcast while you’re going through your bedtime routine.
But there is no need to plug into Netflix even if justify it as your way of ‘chilling.’ There are so many other ways to relax before bed, as you’ll soon see when you move down this list.
So, save the late-night movie marathon and TV series binging for the weekend.
But for the remaining five days, favor mindfulness over the temporary satisfaction of being entertained; your mind will thank you for this.
And I’m sorry, social media lovers, but your beloved platforms cannot make the cut either.
It’s simply not healthy to be scrolling through your online feed, checking the notifications every few seconds, and replying to texts when you’re minutes away from dozing off.
Now, that might seem like a cruel punishment, but it’s for your greater good, as you’ll see.
2. Brush Your Teeth
So people argue that brushing your teeth in the morning is enough, but is enough good enough? Okay, I might have lost some of you on that one.
The point is, you need to brush your teeth twice a day. It’s what dentists recommend and you can’t wade your way out of it.
I usually wait half an hour or so after my dinner to brush my teeth. It’s one of the daily habits my mother ingrained in me since my childhood, and one I am very grateful for.
So, if you want to maintain good oral hygiene, brush your teeth before bedtime.
Also, after this routine task, you won’t be tempted to snack after dinner, which is all the more reason to add it to your nightly checklist.
3. Moisturize Your Face
I am in love with this part of my routine. All the skincare lovers are probably already doing this, but those of you who don’t need to get started ASAP.
Wash your face after brushing your teeth. Use a cleanser that’s gentle on your skin, and then pat your face dry with a soft and clean towel.
Then use rub a moisturizer on your face in gentle outward circles.
Take your sweet time doing this, and use the feeling of nourishment to tap into mindfulness.
It’s important to bring your attention to the present and give in to your own calming tendencies.
This might sound a bit dramatic, but that’s what self-love is about – Finding little ways to care for yourself and enjoying every moment of it, even if it’s something as simple as moisturizing your face at night.
4. Create A To-Do List
It’s normal to think about your next day’s plans before going to bed.
When I was an overthinking bee, I’d keep running my morning routine in my head and fall asleep to the thought of boarding the subway on time.
Well, we all know it’s not quite unproductive to live in the future, but doing so before going to sleep encourages your brain to continue this unhealthy cycle the next day.
That’s why you should create a to-do list during your bedtime. It’s a brilliant yet simple way to visualize your goals for the next day and stop obsessing over them.
Write down your checkpoints for the next day in your planner, notepad, or a piece of paper you can carry with you.
Your list can include your morning activities, workout routine, meal plan, and work-related goals that you tend to worry about.
This will also help you stay accountable and avoid procrastination.
5. Prepare For The Next Day
To avoid hustling in the morning, it’s best to sleep prepared. I’m not asking you to stay up late prepping for your next day’s schedule.
Just tidy up a few things so that you can lie down without any impending work stressing you out.
Select your outfit for the next day, including your accessories and shoes. Prepare your work bag by putting in any necessary items and files.
Set up your alarm clock to wake up on time.
If you’re a morning workout person, then lay out your exercise clothes on the table so that you feel active the moment you’re up.
Basically, prepare to wake up prepared. It’s one of the best habits of successful people that you can incorporate into your night routine.
6. Stretch And Relax
On my wellness journey, I explored various home workout regimes. Some were wonderful, others I found not that good fit for my body.
The best one I’ve found to date is the Pure Joy Yoga workout. It’s one of the rare workouts that is loved by both my body and my mind.
I was so amazed by its effects on my mental health that I decided to dig deeper into this, and found out that stretching is something people actually do before their bedtime!
It improves the quality of your sleep, helps your body unknot after a tiring day, and is a blissful way to tune into mindfulness.
Once you add bedtime stretching to your routine, you won’t want to go to sleep without it.
7. Brain Dump Through Journaling
The good old classic journaling method is still valid, maybe more than ever considering how crazier life has gotten for us humans.
Call it venting, brain decluttering, or emotional release – your journal can take everything you have to dish.
And that’s because it is a representation of your inner self.
There are a million thoughts racing through your mind every day, and it can be hard to keep track of the important stuff.
When you journal at bedtime, you give yourself permission to acknowledge everything that went wrong during the day.
Your stress finds a healthy outlet, and you get to soothe your tender feelings the day they present themselves.
Also, bedtime journaling is your chance to express gratitude for life and get to know yourself a little better.
It is the best thing you can do to practice emotional self-care, put your thoughts to bed, and sleep with your worries chucked out of the window.
8. Read A Book
Even after doing activities like stretching and journaling, don’t be surprised if your brain has plenty to chatter about, because it’s stubborn like that.
That’s why bedtime reading is a must-do activity to add to your checklist.
When you immerse yourself in the pages of a book, your mind has no option but to slow down.
Plus, reading is such a delightful way to end your day. It’s one of the simplest habits of happy people that can be extremely rewarding.
Don’t agree with me? Give it a try tonight. Read just one page, and see if it makes a difference to your mood.
You can pick an old classic, or go with something that’s trending in the contemporary section.
Just, maybe stay away from thrillers and mystery? We don’t want you to burn the midnight oil telling yourself ‘Just one more page.’
If stories don’t appeal to you for night reading, then a valuable non-fiction book is also good to give yourself food for thought.
9. 10 Minutes Of Meditation
The last thing to do before bed is to guide your mind toward restful sleep. This is the closing chapter of your nighttime routine and should not be skipped.
Sit with your back against the wall, relax your whole body, and close your eyes.
For the next few minutes, do nothing but focus on your breaths.
Count to three in your head as you inhale, hold for three seconds more, and release the breath in three counts.
If you’d like to be free with your breaths, you can also bring your awareness to the sensations in your body.
Feel your body’s points of contact with the bed and visualize your anxiety seeping out through your toes.
Another great way to meditate at night is to listen to sleep meditations and let the narrator’s voice guide you toward mindfulness.
]]>You’re cleaning your windows with newspapers
You may have heard that cleaning your windows with newspapers gives you a better clean than using other methods because they won’t leave your windows looking streaky. But streakiness isn’t the only thing to consider when it comes to evaluating whether your windows are actually clean. “Newspapers have ink and contain other abrasive chemicals that cause more grime,” Merin Jay, a window cleaning expert at Top Window Cleaners, told INSIDER. “Great substitute is cleaning with a professional squeegee and microfiber towel.”
Starting with your floors instead of finishing up by cleaning your floors is another mistake that can result in your home being dirtier than you might think. “That’s working backward,” Jennifer Rodriguez, chief hygiene officer at Pro Housekeepers, told INSIDER. “Dust and dirt will get on the floor and you’ll have to clean them again! Start with surfaces!”
That way you won’t have to clean things twice.
You’re using one cloth or sponge for multiple rooms in your house
If you’re using the same cloth or sponge for every space in your house, you might be leaving things dirtier than you would have liked. Rodriguez said that using the same cloths can result in spreading germs, dust, dirt, and other grime all over the house.
“Clean one area and wash or use a new cloth,” Rodriguez advised.
You’re not washing your sink
Washing your sink is very important, but all too often, people don’t think about the necessity to clean a sink, focusing on their dirty dishes in the sink instead. “Once done washing dishes, you should wash your sink with liquid dishwashing soap,” Rodriguez said. “Pay special attention to the strainer which tends to build up a blackish/greyish mud-like material filled with the nastiest germs!”
Ensuring that your dishes and countertops are clean is important, of course, but you shouldn’t overlook or underestimate the importance of getting your sink clean as well.
You’re dusting everything with a dry rag or dust cloth
Dusting and wiping everything down with a dry rag or dust cloth might not actually have as much of an impact as you’d think. “Wiping surfaces with a dry rag will only transfer dust and dirt from one surface to another,” Lily Cameron, a cleaning expert at Fantastic Services, told INSIDER. “Using a dry rag on delicate surfaces may even cause scratches. To avoid all of this, consider using a microfiber cloth or a soft duster. They will both catch and hold dust and dirt particles instead of just moving them around.”
You’re scrubbing the carpet to get any stains or spills out
Stains or spills on your carpeting can be anxiety-producing, but scrubbing too much isn’t actually doing you any favors, contrary to what you might have thought.
“Scrubbing the carpet will untwist the fibers and damage the pile, thus set the stain even deeper into the fibers,” Cameron said. “Instead of scrubbing, blot the stain by pressing down with the heel of your hand. Blot the surface using dry towels until as much of the liquid as possible is absorbed. For heavier spills, consider using a wet-dry vacuum (not a normal vacuum cleaner!) cleaner before blotting the carpet.”
You’re spraying cleaners directly onto surfaces that you’re cleaning
You may not think that it matters if you spray cleaners on the surfaces that you’re cleaning or the materials you’re using to do the actual cleaning, it actually might have more of an impact on how clean your home’s surfaces end up being. “Spraying furniture and surfaces directly can create an oily build-up that will attract even more dust,” Cameron said. “Once dust builds up, it may be harder for you to remove it. Evade this by spraying the solution on a cloth and then wipe the surface.”
You’re using dish towels to clean your hands, dishes, and counter tops.
If you’re using the same dish towels to clean your hands, dry dishes, and wipe down counter tops, you’re likely just spreading germs and messes around instead of truly cleaning things up.”The dish towel picks up crumbs, grease, food, and whatever else (germs, anyone?) is on the counter, and it stays there just waiting for you to wipe your hands or dry dishes or cookware,” Mary Gagliardi, a cleaning expert at Clorox, told INSIDER. “Think your cookware is clean? Not if you wipe it dry with a towel that’s not really clean!”
Keep your towels separate for each use so that you can be sure that they’re actually clean. And don’t forget to swap them out and wash them regularly. “Let the used towels air dry before adding them to your laundry basket where they can wait for laundry day,” Gagliardi said.
You’re using a mop to clean your floors
Using mops to clean your floors might sound like a good idea, but in some cases, they can just make your floors dirtier than if you hadn’t mopped them. “In addition to leaving it behind, the mop simply moves the dirt around the floor, relocating it but not picking it up,” Robert Moeller, the vice president of Anvid Products, told INSIDER.
Make sure you’re doing your research about what you need to clean your particular floors and make sure that you also know the right process to follow in order to be most effective
source: insider.com
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1. You’re Taking Long Naps
The European Society of Cardiology recently analyzed over 20 prior relevant studies encompassing more than 300,000 people and found that naps lasting over an hour are linked to a 30% higher risk of all-cause death and a 34% higher chance of cardiovascular disease in comparison to people who don’t nap at all.
However, that same study also reported a short 30-45 minute nap can be beneficial to heart health, especially if one isn’t getting enough sleep at night (who is these days?). So, if you’re a daily napper do your best to limit those daytime respites to less than a full hour.
2. You’re Using Dirty Earbuds
Our favorite tunes make exercise easier, long commutes faster, and any chore just a little more bearable. The same goes for podcasts. An audio addiction is about as healthy a habit as they come, but don’t forget to clean your earbuds. According to the Whittier Hospital Medical Center, an unkempt pair of earbuds is almost guaranteed to be hosting a smorgasbord of dirt and bacteria. When all of those entities make contact with the ears it can lead to rashes, infections, and allergic reactions.
We’ve all become more familiar with keeping various surfaces and objects clean in the wake of COVID-19. Taking a few seconds to wipe down your earbuds with a cleaning solution or a damp cloth can go a long way toward sparing yourself with ear problems.
3. You’re Taking Long Showers
Hopping into a nice warm shower can be very relaxing, but spending too much time under the water every day is going to end up doing more harm than good for your skin. Nobody wants to smell, but, at the same time, it isn’t healthy to totally strip your skin of its essential oils. If you’re finding yourself in the shower every day for 20 plus minutes, chances are you can cut that time down a bit to a healthier 5-15 minutes.
“The purpose of showering is to hydrate and cleanse the skin, but warm or hot showering for prolonged periods strips away natural oils of the skin and opens up our pores, and allows moisture to escape,” board-certified dermatologist Edidiong Kaminska, MD, told Healthline.
4. You’re Following the “Five-Second” Rule
It happens to everyone, and most people do it without even thinking about it. The meal or snack you had been dreaming of all day slips out of your hands or off the table and lands on the floor. But, you’re still starving. The food is okay to eat as long as you pick it up within about five seconds right? Wrong, according to research published in Applied and Environmental Biology.
Despite the prevalence and popularity of the “five-second rule,” researchers from Rutgers University say bacteria can transfer from the floor to food instantly. “The five-second rule is a significant oversimplification of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food,” Donald Schaffner, a food scientist at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, told Rutgers Today. “Bacteria can contaminate instantaneously.”
To be clear, the longer food stays on the ground the more likely it is that it acquired some “guests,” so while the five-second rule isn’t completely inaccurate, it also isn’t guaranteed to protect you from a potential foodborne illness.
5. You’re Slouching
Slouching isn’t really all that big of a deal, especially if you exercise and get up from your desk every now and then, right? Well, wrong. “Slouching increases abdominal pressure, which puts pressure on the bladder. The position also decreases the ability of the pelvic floor muscles to hold against that pressure,” comments Meghan Markowski, a physical therapist at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
]]>1. Night owl
Even for the young, skipping sleep isn’t healthy. Skipping sleep will add to the dark circles and bags under your eyes, making you look even older.
2. Bitterness
Holding onto old hurts never damages the person who wronged you, but it will harm you. According to experts, the bitterness that grows from not forgiving past wrongs increases your cortisol output, which decreases your sleep – resulting in bags and circles.
3. Stressing Out
Stress takes its toll on the body, increasing your blood pressure and reducing your brain function. Prevention recommends finding ways to manage your stress so you don’t feel old before your time.
4. Eating Sugar Over
Dessert used to be a luxury, but today, people want to eat it all the time. Some researches show that too much sugar creates problems as you get older. It can cause diabetes, acne, and wrinkles. You may want to consider passing on the dessert on occasion.
5. No fat Diet
The no-fat/low-fat fad is another premature ager. The issue is that you may be forgetting your body needs good omega-3 fats and monosaturated fats. Prevention says to be sure to take in the healthy fats even as you cut the unhealthy ones.
6. Drinking Too Much Alcohol
Although a glass of red wine is supposed to be good for your heart, too much alcohol can be bad for your overall health. If you don’t want to prematurely age yourself, men should limit themselves to one to two drinks a day, and ladies to one drink a day.
7. Smoking
With all the warnings that are put out today, people are aware of the dangers of smoking. It makes your skin look older; affects your voice, teeth, and nails; and causes premature death. If you are a smoker, the sooner you quit, the longer your life expectancy will be.
8. Avoiding Exercise
If you’re skipping the gym on a regular basis, you’re doing yourself a serious disservice on the aging front. Exercising on a regular basis not only boosts circulation, making your skin look more healthy and youthful, increasing your muscle tone also helps prevent skin from sagging.
9. Drinking Coffee On A Regular
A little coffee may help you start your day with some extra energy, but overdoing it can easily age you. The combination of coffee’s dehydrating effect plus its tendency to stain teeth can both take a serious toll on your looks, making you look years older than you actually are.
10. Not Smiling
That permanent scowl you’ve been wearing is doing more than just making other people avoid you: it’s making you look older, too. In fact, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin found that study participants judged individuals shown smiling to be younger than their actual age,
11. Use iPods With Loud Volume
Loud noises will eventually cause hearing loss. In this technological age, people love to wear headphones with their iPods and MP3s. To keep from being the old granny that says, “Eh? What’s that, Sonny?” Prevention recommends keeping the volume as low as possible on your devices and saving your hearing.
12. Not Standing Up Straight
That minor slouch now could be a major giveaway about your age. Poor posture can make you look significantly older—as well as heavier than you actually are—so if you want to shave a few years off your appearance, it’s time to straighten up.
13. Sitting
Sitting is the silent killer. According to ABC NEWS, unless you want to add 10 to 13 years to your life, make a point to get up and move around regularly. Don’t be satisfied with sitting all day at work and all night when you get home.
14. Tanning
Another no-no is sitting out to tan. Everyone knows that tanning is bad for the skin and makes you look old prematurely. You faithfully put on your makeup or face lotion with sunscreen in it. The question is how well you take care of the rest of your body. Don’t forget that your arms and hands see just as much, or more, sun than your face.
15. Spending Too Much Time Staring At Screens
Those hours spent staring at your phone or computer are making you look more than a little worse for wear. In addition to the squinting and neck-craning that often accompanies our screen habits—both of which can promote wrinkles. Scientists have found that the blue light emitted from screens can actually cause skin pigmentation that makes us look older, too.
You don’t have to just give up and accept that wrinkles are a part of life. Check over what you’re doing and see what changes need to be made. A few little adjustments may add years to your life.
]]>1. Take Your Phone To The Toilet
In your bathroom, there are pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella, C. difficile, norovirus… These could get deposited onto your phone. Even if you wash your hands before leaving the bathroom, that bacteria is still stuck on your screen.
So that, leave your phone behind the next time you make a trip to the restroom.
2. Using bar soap
Sure, soap cleans hands, but bars are actually breeding grounds for germs when they’re used by multiple people. Opt for liquid soap formulas instead.
3. Sharing Hand Towels
Sharing is caring-except when it comes to germs. Do your family a favor and give every member of the household his or her very own hand towel for the bathroom. Launder the towels at least once a week—or more, if you have small kids-to prevent bacteria buildup in the fabric.
4. Not Washing Hands Long Enough
The optimal amount of time you should spend washing your hands (with warm water and soap) to get them squeaky-clean is 20 to 30 seconds. That’s about how long it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. Yes, really.
5. Drying Hands With The Air Dryer
Using a public restroom? You may want to skip the air dryer to dry your hands. Here’s why: A study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that they can disperse bacteria throughout the room, including onto just-washed hands.
Your best bet when in public? Use paper towels (and use them to open many doors to avoid picking up germs on your way out). If there are no paper towels, just shake your hands dry.
6. Not Shutting The Toilet Lit While Flushing
According to the American Journal of Infection Control, when you flush, the contents of the toilet (water and germs) get tossed around in the air. Not closing the toilet lid, can contaminate your hands, bathroom surfaces, and objects kept nearby like toothbrushes and shampoo bottles with bacteria.
7. Chewing On Pens
Though it might sound like a common habit among kids, it is not the case with kids alone. Many of us, even as adults chew on pens, sometimes even when the pen doesn’t belong to us. Eww, gross. Stop this habit right away.
8. Using Your Mouth To Open Things
How many of you open the everyday milk pack with your teeth? It may seem convenient but it’s absolutely unhygienic. If we take the example of a milk pack, imagine the number of people who touch it, the surfaces it is kept on before it reaches you. Keep a scissor in your kitchen and use it for opening things.
9. Blowing Out Birthday Candles
When you blow out candles, you release bacteria that’s been inside your mouth. And guess where it goes? Toward the target of that air: the surface of the cake. While there’s a slim chance of actually getting sick from these germs, it’s still a little icky.
A study showed that blowing out candles causes the number of bacteria on the surface of a cake to increase by 1,400 percent.
10. Eating At Your Desk
Your computer keyboard is most likely home to some serious germs unless you clean it regularly. If you eat your food on the same surface as your keyboard, you run the risk of ingesting those germs, which are definitely not on the menu!
Not paying much attention to it, we all put our bags and purses on the floor many times. Doing this takes a lot of bacteria home along with your bag’s exterior. Do not keep your bag on the floor and disinfect it.
11. Using A Kitchen Sponge For Too Long
If you use your kitchen sponge for not just cleaning utensils but cleaning the microwave spills and more, you need to change your kitchen sponge once a week. The frequency can be increased or decreased depending on the usage.
12. Putting Your Purse On The Floor
Not paying much attention to it, we all put our bags and purses on the floor many times. Doing this takes a lot of bacteria home along with your bag’s exterior. Do not keep your bag on the floor and disinfect it. Not paying much attention to it, we all put our bags and purses on the floor many times. Doing this takes a lot of bacteria home along with your bag’s exterior. Do not keep your bag on the floor and disinfect it.
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