Winding down for the night shouldn’t be stressful. However, life isn’t always that simple nor easy. I know for me, in order to relax for the night and fall asleep there are a few things I need to do to “close up shop” or shut down the house for the night.
Below, I created a checklist which I hope will help guide you into a better night’s rest. Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t always easy but having a checklist that’s already created may offer you some respite for the night. If you are also having trouble falling asleep, you can check out my blog here where I share my 8 tips to fall asleep easier.
This post offers a checklist to help better or create your night time routine.
Night Time Routine Checklist:
This night time routine checklist can definitely be edited to suit your lifestyle. The purpose of this checklist is more so to provide inspiration and hopefully, you can also benefit from an already curated list. This night time routine checklist was created based on what works for me as a single mom of three daughters and has worked for me for many years. Let’s get started:
1. Lock and key: Close and lock all necessary doors and windows.
First on my night time routine checklist is to lock our windows and doors. We like to leave a lot of windows and doors open. If you feel comfortable falling asleep with them open, that’s great! My family on the hand, feel more comfortable making sure all our external doors and windows are closed and locked. We don’t have much of a lock on our front door so I purchased a door stopper for added security. Click here for the one we use for our door.
We also use an extra lock on our windows when we leave them ajar. Below, are more options for door stoppers, as well as, locks which you can use for added security to keep your windows slightly open. In addition, to my extra security, I invested in a smart lock. There are times when I’m laying comfortably in bed and wondering if I locked the front door. Instead of having to get up and out of my comfortable bed, I can now check my phone. The other cool feature of having this particular smart lock is that it unlocks the door for me when I’m near. As long as I have my phone on me, it will connect to my home wifi and unlock my door. It’s the coolest thing.
2. Straighten Up: Pick up either the living room or kitchen.
I usually choose one because I don’t want to feel overwhelmed in cleaning before I go to bed. I’m trying to get better in this area and make it more routine in my daily night time habits. When I’m straightening out my kitchen, I usually clear my counters of dishes and food and turn on the dishwasher. It’s nice waking up to a clean sink and making myself a cup of coffee in the mornings.
If I decide to straighten my living room, I usually will toss my pillows, fold any throw blankets hanging out, and pick up pet toys off the floor. It’s also nice to wake up to a tidy living room, even if I’m just walking past it to get to the kitchen. It helps me feel organized when all my blankets are at least folded and my pillows tossed. Kinda feels like when my bed is made up. It just feels nice. Speaking of blankets, my step-dad gifted me a 100% pure wool throw blanket and I love it! Here are some similar throw blankets and throw pillow ideas that I think are cute!
3. Lights Out: Turn off all the lights.
It’s the worse feeling for me to lay in bed and notice a light on in the living room. Well, it used to be the worse feeling because now most of my main lights are connected to a smart device. This makes shutting off the lights as part of my night time routine checklist super easy. But it’s also out of habit now that I turn off every light before I walk into my bedroom. It’s just nice to know that on rare occasions if I do forget, I have my smart device to back me up when I’m all cozy and tucked into bed. The smart device I use is Google Nest Mini. I have one in every room and it makes checking off my night time routine checklist so much easier!
4. Brush and Wash: Sleep with a clean face and fresh mouth.
I can’t fall asleep if I haven’t washed my face or brushed my teeth. I created this habit decades ago and now it’s a permanent part of my night time routine checklist. Of course, there are very rare nights when I’m not able to wash my face and brush my teeth. But nights like those are very far and few between. I know if I don’t wash my face or brush my teeth, I usually lay there for hours just thinking about it. This is why now it’s a permanent part of night time routine checklist. I don’t want to waste energy on the thought of doing it when I can just do it and fall asleep.
My night time face wash routine can involve multiple steps. This can include my face cleanser, toner, essence, serum, eye cream, night cream, and retinoid. Yeah, I know, it’s a lot! You can read about it in more detail here.
I am turning 46 soon and feel like I have really nice skin. Most nights when I’m really tired, my 7-step skin care routine actually becomes 3: cleanser, serum, and night cream or sometimes just 2 steps, cleanser and oil serum. With this habit, instead of waiting until right before bed to complete it, I want to try to wash my face as soon as I get home for the evening or just earlier in the evening so I don’t have to dread it when I’m really tired.
Another thing I sometimes do when getting ready for bed is light a candle to really get me into a night time mood. Brushing my teeth is the easy part because I use an electric toothbrush so there’s really no thought in it. Ohhh, and before I forget, I really like this toothpaste because it’s gentle, does the job, and keeps my teeth white!
5. Pajamas: Last but not least, wear clean pajamas.
When I was younger, I never thought I would be the type to own pajamas. I used to think I could wear old sweats and tee shirts to sleep. However, as I got older and had kids myself, I realized creating routine was very important and this included a night time routine. Hence, the night time routine checklist was created. My daughters love pajamas which got me to love pajamas. Now, I have several I switch out through the week. I talk all about what kind of pajamas I like here so I can fall asleep easier. The act of putting on my pajamas before bed really helps my mind transition from day to night.
I get excited knowing that my day has ended, and I get to treat myself with a fresh pair of pajamas for bed. It’s such a nice feeling and a great way to train your mind subconsciously to get ready for bed. Here are some pajamas I like:
I hope you enjoyed this post and found my night time routine checklist helpful. What do you do to end your night? Perhaps you have a night time routine checklist already. If so, share what works for you! I’d love to hear about it. Also, if you need tips on how to fall asleep easier, here’s the blog for you. Happy sleeping!
Love, Sutivi