Parents! Here’s How To Stop Going To Bed Late

You know that feeling when you wake up tired, you’re exhausted ALL day and you promise yourself that you’re going to have an early night (and actually, you wonder how you’re even going to make it to bedtime!) but then… you find yourself still awake at 11.30pm binge-watching Netflix? Yes, we’ve all been there — when the fight for ‘you time’ wins over the prospect of a decent night’s sleep — but if you’re stretching yourself to the limit regularly, it’s not good! Want to break the cycle? Here’s some ideas that may help…

Get yourself into a routine. That’s right, you need a routine too! Stick to a set time for switching off from work or chores and focusing on you. So you could choose to have between 9-10pm as your time to do whatever you want (and make sure you don’t let yourself feel guilty, you deserve time for you!) and then at 10pm you go and get ready for bed with the aim of being tucked up and on the way to sleep by 10.30pm. That’s just an example and with some trial and error you should be able to find an evening routine that works well.

Remind yourself that it’s time for bed. The easiest way to do this is simply to set yourself an alarm for bedtime and actually, some phones have a specific bedtime setting via the clock app so you can set a time to go to sleep and a time to wake up the next day to ensure you’re getting the rest you need.

No stimulants! Just like you do with the kids, make sure your environment is conducive to sleep. This means avoiding bright lights, TV, online games/social media, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate — anything that’s going to keep you up for longer! Swap that next episode for the chance to allow your body to wind down properly and consider reading before bed instead to see if it can help you feel sleepier and switch off quicker.

Convince yourself that it’s worth doing. Try going to bed earlier for a week and see if you can prove to yourself that it’s worth keeping up with. Make a list detailing the ways in which it’s benefitted you and how you feel in yourself together with any noticeable differences.

Resolve your children’s sleep issues. If your little ones are sleeping well and settling down at night without too much of a fuss, you’ve got more time for yourself in the evenings and supposedly, you’ll be able to get yourself off to bed earlier. If you’re currently experiencing some stumbling blocks with your child’s sleeping patterns, come and join me at Slumber Academy for instant access to my bundles and workshops to allow you to try some new techniques and/or get started with my gentle, no-cry sleep training method.