Hello, Monday! After a weekend back in Madison catching up with my family, I woke up wishing I could pull the covers over my eyes and catch a few more minutes of sleep. I wish this was a rare occurrence, but I often find myself forcing my eyes open when my alarm sounds. Wanting to have more energy in the morning, I decided to change my nighttime routine to encourage a good night’s rest.

Here are five things you can add to your evening routine to facilitate better sleep:

1. Turn off all screens: Thirty minutes before you go to bed stay off all of your devices. It’s tempting to scroll through Instagram one last time or watch TV before bed, but it’s beneficial to take some time to calm your mind before sleep.
2. Drink tea: A warm drink, especially tea, is a nice way to unwind and relax before going to sleep.
3. Calm Stories: Some nights a silent room is an enabler to my racing mind. In these cases, I like to open my Calm app and turn on a nighttime story. These are soothing audio stories that help calm your mind and allow you to drift to sleep.
4. Sleep Masks: I was never one to wear a sleep mask, but when we traveled to Scotland I bought a mask for the plane journey. Suddenly, I was wearing my sleep mask all the time. Obviously, it helps keep light from interrupting my sleep – but I also found it was a nice signal to my mind that it was time to unwind and fall asleep.
5. Pillow Spray:  Is it necessary? No. But sometimes it’s nice to feel spoiled! After spraying your pillows, you will get into bed feeling pampered and ready to drift off to sleep.

What tips do you have to get a better night’s sleep? I would love to hear them in the comments!