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Bedtime Rituals for The Successful (and Free Spirited)

This story and sweepstakes were developed in partnership with our friends at Negative Underwear and Ritual.

 

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Successful people love to tell you their daily routines—throw a rock at an entrepreneur and you’ll hear all the ways they’ve hacked their mornings, lunches, etc., to be fully optimized. But how do they tuck in? What’s the right way to wind down from a full day of being a winner? Here are the “rules” to tucking yourself in like a grown-up, go-getter.

 

Dress appropriately: If you’re still sleeping in your college basketball shorts we should talk. First of all, you didn’t even play basketball. Second of all, what if there’s a fire? You’re going to run downstairs and end up on the news wearing those things. Third of all, everyone knows successful people love a uniform. And a sleep uniform is the best uniform of all. Good pajamas mean it’s like you work in bed!

 

Give yourself some time to unwind: Just allow yourself to veg and be present for that episode of Stranger Things. Don’t be ashamed to dive in and make the experience as pleasurable as possible, your bed is your sleep, eat chips, drink margaritas sanctuary, as long as you focus on the enjoyment of the task at hand. Be present when it finishes and you realize you were supposed to be working on that presentation at the same time and then be super present when you panic about how you are going to finish it up for tomorrow.

 

Eat a balanced dinner: Some people believe visualizing what you want to dream about before you go to bed leads to more pleasant dreams. But why go to bed dreaming of what you want to eat when you could actually eat it? Send yourself into dreamland by dining on a meal in which all the food groups are represented—fruits and veggies (red vines), dairy (ice cream) sprinkles, and maybe vitamins. Who said you had to take vitamins in the morning?

 

Wake up early: Successful people wake up early. They also sleep in when it’s called for. They burn the midnight oil when the task deserves it. In general, they sleep. If you’re sleeping in some fashion, you’re already acing this one. Way to go!

 

Don’t bring your phone into bed: That blue light can ruin your circadian rhythms. Perfectly acceptable—a notebook for brilliant ideas you dream up, wine, ice cream, cereal, newspapers, analog work you printed out, dogs, cats, non-crumbly snacks.

 

Keep a journal: It helps to unspool your thoughts from the day to put pen to paper. It’s also just really cool to use paper. Narrow your topic so it doesn’t feel so seventh grade. Maybe write down something that you’re grateful for, poetic odes to sleep, goals for the next day, people who wronged you.

 

Use bed for bed purposes: Doctors often tell people with insomnia issues to avoid using the bed for anything but sleeping or...However, yoga is fine because it’s a great precursor to the aforementioned activities. Limber up before bed and your body will feel more relaxed and at peace, perfect for settling in to snooze.


Drink up: No not that way...Tart cherry juice before bed has been shown to aid with melatonin production. It’s kind of like a Shirley Temple except you don’t have to be the annoying person who orders a Shirley Temple.

 

Meditate: The best way to fully relax your mind before bed is to fully relax your mind with meditation. The key is to just get completely out of your head and lean into the process. Completely relax your mind and body and make sure you set an alarm because falling asleep can definitely……..Zzzzzzzzzz.


Tune Out: Lullabies aren’t just for babies. The right tunes could have you feeling very, very sleepy. Put your favorite soothing record (jazz, ambient indie, Motörhead) on and relax. While it might seem like the right answer, do not put your least favorite record on—that will only make you too irritated to even think about having a snooze.

 

Make it Easy: Why go to all the trouble chasing down the things you need to tuck in?

• A Slate Blue Percale Sheet Set from Snowe

• A Supreme Sleep Set from Negative

• A Six-month subscription to Ritual


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