Everyone in the family needs to get some quiet, peaceful time before bed and take some deliberate actions to transition from being awake to being asleep, but busy lives make it difficult. Children often take their cues from their parents, so they don’t sleep well because their parents don’t. Here are four tips on unwinding that can help the whole family sleep better.
Try a Bath
Most adults find baths and showers relaxing. You can choose to take a bath as soon as you get home from work to help shed stress or you can wait until dinner’s over and use your time alone in the bathroom to calm down. Some children dislike bathing because they perceive it as a chore, but you can train them to find a warm, bubbly wash calming.
Turn off Screens
Phones, tablets, gaming devices, and even televisions can disrupt sleep if we interact with these things late in the evening. Two or three hours before bedtime, try to get every member of the family to turn off their screens. In addition to the possible sleep-disturbing impact of blue light emitted by devices, game sounds and TV theme songs can echo in your head as you try to go to sleep, preventing you from drifting off peacefully.
Look Into Sleep Aids
Many adults get good results using CBD and melatonin softgels for improving sleep. The CBD in these softgels can also help restore overall body balance and support joint and muscle health. In addition to CBD and melatonin softgels, some people take a magnesium supplement at bedtime to relax muscles and help them feel calm. Certain companies, like Anisoptera Mercantile, know that herbal sleep aids are available too. It may require experimenting to determine the best choice for you and your family.
Incorporate Relaxing Sounds
It’s easy to overlook sound as a relaxation inducer. Some people find classical music relaxing while others prefer to listen to nature sounds. You may want to listen alone or with the whole family. You can sway to the music to stretch your muscles, practice yoga or other relaxation techniques while listening or enjoy a soothing caffeine-free tea designed for bedtime use.
The path to relaxation and improved sleep probably won’t be the same for everyone in the family. Still, if you soothe and relax your mind and body before bed, your calming presence can have a positive impact on everyone else. The key to sleep success may be intentionally unwinding instead of just hoping it will happen before bedtime arrives.
