My Complete Evening Routine for the Best Night of Sleep

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Why Should You Have An Evening Routine?

Having an evening routine is just as important as having a morning routine. You can see my morning routine here. While a morning routine wakes you up and preps you for the day, an evening routine is a chance to get closure from the day and prepare yourself for the next day. Your routine can range from a 2-step, brush teeth and wash face, routine to a 20-step routine. It’s all about what you’re comfortable with and what you can stick with, especially if you’re just starting out. I recommend picking out 2 or 3 things to start your nighttime routine and once you have that down, add additional tasks as needed.

My Routine

I like to start by putting on my pjs before I get into my routine so that I’m nice and comfortable. Then I do the following:

• Drink Tea. My evening routine starts with making a cup of chamomile tea before heading up to bed. Even on the extremely humid Southern Summer nights, I like to have a steaming cup. There is a strong calming effect that tea, especially chamomile has on me. I just love the way I can feel the warm liquid go right down my throat and setting in my stomach, the literal feeling of warm and fuzzy. My favorite is Tazo’s Calm Chamomile.
• Light an Aromatherapy Candle. I keep my bedside lamp on and light a lavender scented candle to create a relaxing environment in my bedroom. Sometimes I draw my blackout curtains for the night but I’ll also leave them open while it’s light enough to see outside. There’s really nothing to see but a bunch of trees but I love it, especially in the Spring and Summer when everything is so green. My favorite candles right now are Sand & Fog. I find them at TJ Maxx, Homegoods, and Marshall’s and they are a woman-owned brand.
• Read. Typically I toggle between 2 books at a time, one fiction and one self-help/educational. I don’t have a set time for how long I read; I like to check-in after finishing a chapter. If I’m having a hard time focusing, which tends to happen, I’ll stop and move on. I don’t like reading when I’m distracted because no matter how many times I read the same sentence or paragraph, I’m not really retaining it. My fiction books are usually quick reads, once I can get into them. My self-help/educational novels take a little longer because I like to annotate and mark the pages with post-its. Right now I am reading Woman Last Seen and Come As You Are.
• Journal and Gratitude. As a kid I used to journal all the time. I really got into it the Summer before 5th grade and I’ve been keeping one ever since. When I was a kid, or even in college, there was usually something exciting or juicy to write. Now it’s not so juicy; I’m happily married and a lot more mature. I use journaling as a way to be honest with my feelings and get them down on paper, so I can process. I think about my day and how it went, how I felt, how I used my time. Then I write the 3 most important things I need to accomplish the next day; this helps relieve my anxiety dreams. There are some days when I like to add more to my entry, something that would help me learn more about me. On those days, I choose a self-care journaling prompt and write. My favorite part of daily journaling is including my daily gratitude because there is something positive to find in each day and I like to remind myself of it, at the end of the day. End on a positive note. I’m really loving my gratitude journal from CGD London.
• Manifestation Journal and Affirmations. This is a new one for me. I recently started a manifestation journal to write down all the dreams, goals, and aspirations I want to manifest. Writing these goals down keeps them on my mind and I’m reminded everyday what I’m working towards. Included in this journal are my many affirmations. Affirmations for the start of the day, end of the day, money making, being a lady boss, loving yourself, etc. I’ll flip through these throughout the day, when I need them. I love the Leuchtturm1917 Softbound notebooks for journaling.
• Hygiene Routine. By this time, my tea should be finish, and I can floss and brush my teeth. My nighttime skincare routine includes washing my face, applying toner, spot treatments, eye cream, serum, and moisturizer. You can read about my whole skincare routine here.
• Yoga. I have found that yoga helps to prepare both my body and my mind for bed. Stretching my body also helps to alleviate any pain in my muscles from the day so that I don’t carry it into the next day. I recommend getting a good yoga mat that you can easily roll up and store away. I usually choose a playlist of meditation music and pop in my AirPods so I can focus on myself without distraction. The controlled breathing and focusing on my body helps prepare me for my final evening routine step.
• Meditate. As with my manifestation journal, this is still kind of new to me, but I find they intertwine a little. Sometimes, when mediating, I’m focusing on the goals and dreams I want to manifest. Transitioning from yoga into meditation is very natural and easy for me. I stay on my yoga mat, with my music going, and keep my focus on my breathing. In the evening I prefer to meditate for 5-10 versus the morning when I like more time. It’s not a must, but I recommend a meditation pillow.

Completing the Routine

After all this I’m usually ready to pass out and honestly, it doesn’t take long after my head hits the pillow. Why is it that when I have a routine and I follow that routine, I feel 10x more at peace and put together??? Am I seriously asking that question? I think I’ve read enough books and blog posts about the benefits of routine. Hell, I studied Child Development in college and right away, we benefit from having a routine. I am guilty of skipping everything but hygiene on nights that I go out and drink. And I don’t feel bad about that; as long as I got all the makeup off my face before getting into bed, that’s a win in my book.

Have you also noticed that having a nightly routine or any kind of routine changes your mood or mindset? What routines do you follow?