Throughout February I set myself the goal of going to sleep before midnight.

Now, for some of you I’m sure that’s pretty normal and would sound like a very easy goal to set and achieve. I wish that were the same for me but unfortunately I’ve always been a night owl with a touch of insomnia. I’ve slipped in and out of good evening routines throughout the whole of my life.

Once I get into bed I spend my time editing Tiktok’s I’ve filmed throughout the day, reading the news, watching YouTube videos and basically, catching up on all the things I can through my phone. I try really hard to not be on my phone when I’m with my toddler but of course, that isn’t always possible. However, having this intention means I’m not replying to long text messages, reading the news or doing bits of work. Ultimately I think this is a good thing but I also need to carve out time to do all the things I need to do on my phone and laptop – this is a work in progress.

So throughout February I decided that I needed to be in in sleep mode before midnight hit.

Slowly but surely I managed this.

I think there were only a couple of days throughout the month that I didn’t manage to have my head resting on the pillow before midnight. Now, this doesn’t mean I had lots of sleep throughout the night but it does mean that I was setting the intention (intention is key) of relaxing, putting my phone down and letting my mind begin to rest.

For February, falling asleep before midnight is what was important to me. It wasn’t about how many hours of sleep I would clock but simply about having the light off and my phone down by midnight, even if that meant it was 23:59.

We’re now at the start of April and I’m pleased to say that falling asleep before midnight is now commonplace for me. I’m finding that most nights I’m asleep by 22:30, if not before which is working out really well for me.

8 Ways Falling Asleep Before Midnight Positively Impacted My Life

I got more sleep

Throughout February I slowly but surely started to clock more hours of sleep. Sometimes I’d track my sleep on my Apple Watch but not always, I didn’t want to get hooked on the stats.

So, even though February was full of a poorly toddler with ear infections and lots of colds for me it still resulted in more sleep than January and most of 2021. We’re now at the start of April and I can confidently say that I am getting so much more sleep than before. I’m falling asleep way before midnight, around 22:30 and getting up around 6AM. I’m still keen to do better this but so far this is a wildly wonderful improvement.

I learnt about the importance of sleep

It’s always important to keep learning, no matter the topic.

So, along with falling asleep earlier I began to listen to podcasts and audiobooks around the topics of health and sleep. I always throw a podcast on whenever I get the chance and February seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn more about sleep, health and wellness.

The more I learnt about the importance of sleep the more effort I began to put in to shutting down and resting earlier in the evening. I also really enjoy hearing about other peoples evening routines and the way they keep their bedroom to ensure maximum sleep opportunity. Once I started to get more sleep I realised just what everyone was talking about. I now know that the more sleep I get the more I feel like myself, look like myself and give those around me the best version of myself.

There are many factors that can disrupt sleep but I’m finding that by having my evening routine, a calm bedroom and all the right intentions in place it sets me up for a good start. If the night becomes all about a teething baby or a toddler with a nightmare then that’s fine. We figure it out. But what is important is having those initial intentions in place to begin with.

Throughout February and particularly March I’ve realised that more sleep results in less stress, more energy, more time and a better version of me.

Books: Why We Sleep

I had much more energy

To wake up feeling rested is a huge deal and has a positive impact on so many different areas of life.

On the mornings where I woke up naturally whilst also feeling rested I had much more energy throughout the day and in-turn I was more productive. I was able to find time in the day to workout, clean and tidy the house and play with my toddler. I wasn’t fighting for time and my head wasn’t as cloudy as it had been at the start of the year.

I woke up before my toddler

I love waking up before my toddler. It gives me an extra hour or so before the morning becomes a lot more fast paced. So far I’ve simply used that time to enjoy my morning cup of tea and catch up with news and emails. However, for April I want to use that extra time to get a workout in.

I cut down on screen time

Less screen time is always a good thing. I’m a big fan of tech but I know that the evening is not the best time for it.

I intentionally started to put my phone down earlier and earlier throughout the month. If I had things I needed to do via my phone I’d aim to get them done late morning and very early evening. It was a non negotiable for me, particularly in February and it’s a habit that seems to be sticking well.

I’m not perfect, I’ll still have my phone in my hand during the evening and even sometimes when I’m in bed. However, having the intention of putting my phone down and focusing on sleep and rest it means I’m more mindful of shutting down than I was previously.

I discovered The Calm App

Whilst learning more about sleep I discovered a bunch of apps to download and try out.

One of the apps I really got into was Calm. I downloaded the free trial of Calm and accidentally on purpose let it renew itself after the week was over. So, who knows if it’s the fact that I’ve paid for the year or the fact that I’ve consistently put a sleep story on each night and fallen asleep to it but it seems to be helping me drift off each evening.

I always used to listen to podcasts before bed which can be fine if it’s one I’ve heard before but if it’s new and interesting then I’ll just end up listening to it and not falling asleep.

Dipping my toes into meditation

By having access to Calm I’ve taken to trying out some meditations which I’ve found wonderful for falling asleep. One minute I’m awake and the next I’m waking up at 6AM feeling rested. What more could I ask for?

I’m keen to learn more about meditation later this year.

Forming an evening routine

I’ve always said how important a morning and evening routine is.

Over the years I’ve fallen in and out of good routines and the habits within those routines often change due to the circumstances of life. I finally have a good evening routine which works well with my life right now but I think that should be a post on its own.