Getting regular and sufficient sleep is a huge factor in you and your family’s wellbeing. It can be hard however to achieve, especially if you have kids of different ages. Here are some ways you can go about establishing a peaceful bedtime routine.
Regular Bedtimes
Regularity is pretty crucial in establishing healthy sleeping patterns as our minds and bodies are affected by Circadian rhythms, which can be upset by erratic bedtimes. Aiming to go to bed and wake up at a similar time each day (even on weekends!) can be a good way of ensuring regularity. If you want, you can even use sleep apps to track the quantity and quality of your sleep. If your kids are several years apart, it may be worth discussing with them what time they think is an acceptable bedtime for each of them.
Create a Relaxing Environment
As bedtime rolls around, you can start consciously creating a sleep-friendly environment. This might mean turning a radio on rather than a television or dimming the lights in your rooms. Some people find music very relaxing, whilst other people like to listen to podcasts. Try and keep your house cool as you head to bed as this is better for the body when trying to sleep than a warmer environment.
Engage in Winding Down Activities
You may want to incorporate an hour of reading to your kids before their bedtime. This can be very effective at creating a relaxing environment and ensures they won’t be using their screens. The blue light emitted by electronic screens is known to be bad for your sleep quality, so having a rule about not using screens before bed will help you and your family wind down.