5 evening rituals to calm your nervous system
Having a regular bedtime ritual can help you unwind, sleep better, and prepare for the next day. Check out five evening rituals to calm your nervous system.
Having a solid morning and evening routine is key for regulating your nervous system. They create a container for your day that helps regulate your emotions, keeping you calm and grounded. Sleep is one of the most underrated but powerful tools for healing, yet so many of us struggle to fall and stay asleep. Your pre-bed activities have a big influence on what your subconscious thinks about while you sleep and how you feel the next morning. When you're upset or concerned, it can be difficult to turn your mind off. Having a regular bedtime ritual can help you unwind, sleep better, and prepare for the next day. (Also read: 5 weekend rituals to refresh your mind and boost happy hormones )
Mel Singh, Ayurveda Practitioner and Life Coach, suggested five simple evening rituals to help you calm your nervous system and have a great sleep in her recent Instagram post.
1. Turn off your phone and electronics 1-hour minimum before bed
Putting your phone and electronics away at night is a game changer. First, they are very mentally stimulating which can put you into a sympathetic state, but they also emit blue light which at night is even more dysregulating. This disrupts your circadian rhythm, tricking your body into thinking it's daytime, making it harder to fall asleep. You can also put your phone on airplane mode while you sleep if you use your alarm. That way when you wake up and turn off your alarm, you don't see the notifications.
2. Sip a warm, calming tea
Lavender and chamomile tea are great bedtime tea as both herbs have a specific action on stress and anxiety, calming the nervous system, but in general, the warmth of most herbal teas will have a soothing effect on your mind. This ritual will help signal your brain and body that it is night and time to go to sleep.
3. Do meditation
Meditation before bed even for 5 minutes is very grounding and calming. Not only does it calm the nervous system making it easier for us to fall asleep, but it also helps to cleanse the mind from the day's events, leaving it more clear and calm for a good night's sleep.
4. Gentle Asana
Gentle movement is another beautiful way to calm the nervous system before bed. Even 2-3 minutes in a supported forward fold, a couple of minutes of legs up the wall, and reclined or supported butterfly pose can help move any stagnant energy, and lymph, as well as bring us into a parasympathetic state, making it easier to fall asleep.
5. Journal/Read
Journaling is the most helpful way when there is something on your mind that needs to get it out. You can also read a nice book before bed and your nervous system will feel calmed and ready for bed after 10-15 minutes.
