How to sleep train yourself.

Ever lay in bed and count on your fingers the number of hours you’ll get if you fell asleep RIGHT then? While it’s unlikely you’ll actually clonk out the second your head hits the pillow, I’ve been able to perfect a little nighttime routine for myself that eases me into sleep quicker and quicker.

I lovingly refer to this as sleep training myself. For those unfamiliar with the term, sleep training “is the process of your baby learning to fall asleep by themselves” typically through an intentional and consistent routine that helps them self-soothe and fall asleep quicker.

In grownup terms, maybe you’d refer to it as your nighttime ritual or self-care routine.

I undoubtedly love efficiency in all areas of my life and making the most of my sleeping hours is no exception.

Here’s how I sleep trained myself:

1. I shower at night

   I know not everyone’s a fan of this, but I love it. I think it logically makes much more sense in terms of the cleanliness of your bedsheets than showering in the morning. You sweat and kick up dust with your little feet all day long and without a shower, you’re bringing that into your sheets. I’m not okay with that and neither should you be.

   Aside from the cleanliness aspect, a warm shower at night prepares me internally for bed. It’s an all-encompassing signal to my body that we’re getting ready for sleep. It’s so powerful that if I shower in the morning or in the middle of the day, my brain has been so conditioned to associate this activity with rest that I’ll feel intoxicatingly sleepy afterwards.

2. I bring down the lights

   I’ll avoid harsh lighting as much as possible. This isn’t hard in the cave of a duplex I live in currently, but I’ll switch off bright overhead lights and opt for a single lamp or plugging in the messy string of lights I have beside my bed. Keeping it dim helps my eyes begin to relax.

3. I drink water

   I’ll drink about a half a glass of water before bed. This helps me feel settled, and of course, hydrated as I prepare for sleep.

4. I write down 5 things I’m thankful for from the day

   Now that distractions like my phone and work are put away, laying down to sleep is prime time for stress and anxiety to have a party.

   To combat the likelihood of trying to tackle the state of the world when I close my eyes, I keep a small notebook beside my bed. Here, I record 5 great things about the day. I’ve been doing this for years to intentionally end the day on what good I could find. Last month, I crossed the 10,000 mark of things I’ve recorded.

5. I do the same things in the same order every night

   This is key and is the crux of the whole “sleep training” thing. This routine has done wonders for me, and only with consistency, have I been able to fully partake of its benefits. Our brains love completing habit loops and this nighttime ritual ushers my mind and body into rest more and more seamlessly when I keep the elements and their timing consistent.

In sleep training, I do myself this little favor each night: I create rest in my environment and my internal world with this ritualistic collection of actions. Before asking my body to bring me into sleep, I set the stage for a good night’s rest.