Whether tomorrow will be a better day depends on what you do right before bed. Do you watch Game of Thrones? Binge-watch Netflix? Or Think about the rude behavior of your ex whom you have met accidentally while stockpiling snacks before the lockdown?
People with direction and purpose in life not only have fixed morning rituals but nighttime rituals as well. It helps them function efficiently instead of behaving in a clumsy way and messing up with daily goals and work schedules.
Science confirms that having a bedtime routine besides enough sleep is healthy for both kids and adults. It comes with numerous mental and physical health benefits like high energy level, good mood, lower stress, anxiety, decrease in cardiovascular risks, and other health issues.
This is why a bedtime routine is common with the most successful people. Do you want to know their night time ritual and how they manage to stay motivated and passionate?
Here Are 10 Things Most Successful People Do Right Before Bed
1. Finish A Ritual
A ritual can be anything: a walk, calling your best friend, prayer, meditation, listening to music, exercise, and a bath that sends a psychological signal that you’re ready to sleep.
Actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, take an Epsom salt bath every night to wind down. When it comes to this ritual Oprah Winfrey is a bathing professional. She has different bubble baths, salts, oils, and beads. She also meditates before going to bed. Joel Gascoigne, the Buffer CEO walks every evening right before bed. Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence prays every night and feels strange if she doesn’t.
So simple and cost-effective bedtime rituals to quiet your mind. Isn’t it? Something everyone can do to rest, relax, sleep well, and energize themselves for the next day.
Related: 3 Easy Steps To Achieving Your Goals According To Science
2. Connect With Family
For married couples, sex is an exercise that has a strong influence on health and wealth. Surprised?
Well, Nick Drydakis studied the effect of sexual activity on wages and found that people who had sex four or more times a week earned a salary 5% higher than those who didn’t. People who weren’t having sex at all made 3.2% less than their counterparts who were having sex.
According to the World’s longest study report by Robert Waldinger, only good, healthy relationships keep us happier and healthier. Else you will be prone to loneliness, anxiety, depression, poor sleep, insecurity, fatigue, and unsuccessful life.
Related: What Makes You Happy? Harvard Study Finds #1 Way To A Good Life
Truly successful people are smart enough to balance work and life. As they are well aware of work burnout. So, they wrap up their work right before bed and spend quality time with their partners and read stories for kids or play with pets.
3. Disconnect From Technology
Yes, it seems crazy when you are addicted to checking out Instagram Stories snuggling inside the blanket. Although it’s painful, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, never forgets to turn off her phone right before bed. So that she is not woken up or disturbed.
Watch out this video to know how using smartphones before bed affects sleep:
If you are spending most part of the day working on a computer or laptop, it is wise to unplug from smartphones at least 30 minutes before bed. According to a U.S based study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, heavy use of technology before bed leads to sleep problems and depression. The reason is most of these smart devices emit blue or short-wavelength light that suppresses melatonin – an essential hormone with the ability to entrain the sleep-wake rhythm.
If you’re reading this don’t forget to unplug from the world completely tonight!
4. Plan For The Next Day
Do you know Kenneth Chenault, the CEO of American Express, writes down three things he wants to accomplish the next day? Such planning is essential to stay focused, keep your resources ready, be productive, and keep distractions at bay.
To-do list helps you evaluate what you have or haven’t achieved today and plan better for the following day. For me crossing off items on the checklist at the end of the day gives immense bliss. I feel lighter, satisfied, and happier! Just try it. You will see how this practice pumps up your confidence each day.
So, what are you going to add to your to-do list tonight?
5. Good Dinner
The philosophy of Steve Jobs is to eat the same exact food for many days in a row because the type of food you eat impacts your body odor. Most successful people engage in mindful eating, they avoid television and stuff that slows the digestion process and hampers sleep. They follow a healthy diet (a perfect balance of vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and so on). Some prefer to skip wine before bed. Though alcohol induces sleep it doesn’t offer a quality sleep according to The National Institute of Health.
Related: 10+ Immunity-Boosting Foods You Should Have More Often
Thinking about junk food cravings? Need not cut off as long as you exercise and stay fit. Actress Blake Lively finishes her dinner with dark chocolate squares. She says – its good for her morale.
6. Read Good Stuff
Do you know Bill Gates likes to read for an hour before bed even if he is late at home? This is his key to relax after a busy day and a part of falling asleep. So does Barack Obama who is known to read for at least 30 minutes at night.
Reading not only boosts your memory and brain power but can be a great benefit to your sleep. You can read anything you want from comics to motivational blogs or fiction novels. Be it any book, reading takes you to a whole new world, enhances imagination, fuels creativity, and relaxation, which in turn helps you sleep better.
7. Reflective Journal
“What good have I done today?” This is the question Benjamin Franklin asked himself every night.
Reflecting on yourself is a fantastic way to organize your thoughts, record new ideas, dump your frustrations, cherish positive moments of the day, realize the good and bad, and develop high self-awareness.
Self-reflection and journaling are scientifically proven methods to track your daily progress, stay motivated and accelerate self-improvement. And that’s what most successful people do right before bed.
Related: 50 Questions To Ask Yourself To Know Your Deepest Insecurities
If you don’t know how to start this practice, just pen down three things you are grateful and do it daily before bed. You will be amazed to see your negative thought pattern has ceased and it has created an abundance of consciousness.
Are you ready?
8. Envision Achieving What You Want
Successful people dream of the best life before they go to sleep. It’s like Law Of Attraction, you will eventually get what you think and do most of the time consciously or unconsciously. Visualize where you want to visit the following day, whom to meet, what to do, how to speak. And in this way, you will be more prepared and confident to find your way forward in everything in life.
Related: Law of Attraction 101: The Secret To Manifesting Your Dreams
Envision every night that you will be living your dream life and fulfill all your wishes with invincible spirit. When you sleep and rise up with positive thoughts, you will naturally get things done.
9. Lucid Dreaming
The concept of lucid dreaming is hitting the mainstream. Thanks to the movie Inception that a lot more people are aware of lucid dreaming today. It is an art of conscious dreaming, which means you are conscious while dreaming and enjoying ecstatic things happening inside your mind.
Some of the incredible benefits of lucid dreaming are — overcoming fears, phobias, developing new connections in the brain that speed up your problem-solving ability, prevent nightmares, connect with your subconscious part, find meaning to life, and many more.
Richard Feynman, the American Physicist had an aptitude for lucid dreaming as evident from his national bestseller, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!
You will be glad to know that sounds from the album Selected Ambient Works Volume II by the electronic musician Aphex Twin, Richard D James were also inspired by lucid dreams.
Why not hone this marvelous skill that has a direct impact on work and success?
10. Sleep At The Same Time
People juggling with a hectic schedule often suffer from chronic sleep deficits. So, successful people maintain consistency – the main demand of the human body. They follow fixed sleep and wake times. They ensure 7 to 9 hours of sleep so they don’t have to hit the snooze button every morning or wake up with irritation and lethargy. Of course, you can’t be tired and efficient at work at the same time!
Related: Why Less Sleep And Over Sleep Is Harmful To Your Health
Seems impossible? Well, if Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, managing $406 billion company, can sleep 8 hours each night, you too can.
If you want to be productive and successful, don’t mess with your circadian rhythm!
Wrap Up
Having a routine with a set of activities before going bed is a surefire way to sleep better and wake up refreshed, just like successful people. Plus there are plenty of benefits. You don’t want to miss them. Do you?
What other things do you know that most successful people do right before bed? Let us know in the comments.
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