How much thought do you put in to how you end your day?

The final minutes of your day before you go to sleep can directly determine your quality of sleep and even to some extent your mood the next morning. Consciously creating an end of day routine is almost as important as a morning routine.

Here a few suggestions for creating an end of day routine.

Turn off screens about 30 minutes before you go bed. Research has shown that the blue light emitted by phones, TV’s and computers can affect the production of the sleep hormone. They also stimulate your brain in to being alert and not rest ready.

Take a minute to practice gratitude. Thinking about the little things that you are grateful for creates a sense of comfort and satisfaction that leads to lowering of stress.

Relax your body. Take few deep breaths and consciously contract and relax a few muscles in your body.

Keep a notebook. If you do have some last minute thoughts swirling around then write them down. Getting them out of head and on to paper will help your brain relax.

Creating an end of day routine has been shown to increase quality of sleep and overall well-being. So take 5 minutes or so tonight to improve your life.