Nighttime Tips and Tricks

Based on my friend Allie’s article about her morning routine, I thought I'd offer my nighttime routine.

Tips for nighttime routines

Here are some nightly tips and tricks that really help me.

• Music! Like Allie mentioned, music is key. I love lo-fi music. It helps my brain relax. I also using sleep sounds on Alexa or Youtube. My favorites are pink noise, brown noise, and ocean sounds!
• Don't rush. The culture of getting to sleep right away via melatonin gummies or these sleep products is an absolute epidemic, and I get it. But the truth is that we live in a culture that thrives on hustling and doing more: if you don't fall asleep within, let's say, an hour, it's a problem. Why do we rush with sleep and not just let our bodies lead the way? Our bodies know what's best, after all! It can be tough sometimes, but don't pressure yourself if you don't fall asleep right away - lean into slowing down at night.
• Journal. I try to journal about what I liked about my day like a good food I ate or music! It's been proven that journaling really helps your mental health and I really like remembering all the things that I did that day, big or small. Long term, it's really helped my mental health to remember everything I did that day! It helps me to focus on the good instead of obsessing and accidentally ruminating over the bad.
• Pain management. I turn a lot during the night because of hip pain, so I wake up often because of this. From what I've seen on SMA groups, this is common. If needed, I really like Tylenol or Advil (both liquid).
• Soothing scents. I also sometimes use a sleep spray at night that I like. It's lavender!

Getting comfortable

I would say to trust the process. It can be super frustrating, but you will find some position that works for your body. As annoying as it can be, I'm grateful for my body in this way because I can help my body be its best by figuring out the right position. When I was figuring out a comfortable position on the plane, I tried to breathe, listen to my music and have Mom and I work together. We always figure it out!

I'm chronically cold, so I love my heated blanket at night, it's the best way to help me sleep! It's like a warm hug! Mine was a Christmas gift a while ago by the brand Woomer but Amazon and Walmart has some great ones that aren't expensive.

Winding down

And in terms of what else I use to wind down, I sometimes read on my phone with night mode, where you go the light icon on your control center, hold it down and select the option ‘night shift’. This option helps your eyes. I also turn on dark mode as a setting.

And I love to play this game called Zen Match on my phone. It's my nightly game because it's so calming to match the icons and listen to the calming soundtrack.