A good night of sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. We’ve already tackled the morning routine, so here’s your night routine that will propel you to greater success and better health.

A lot of people wear lack of sleep like a badge of honour – like it’s the only way you’re able to get ahead in life and that they deserve some sort of award for getting by on 4 hours of sleep. There aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done that you need to, right?

Wrong.

Sleep Life: Sleep More, Be More Successful 

Mimi and Alex Ikonn are living proof that you can be highly successful and can get the 7-9 hours of sleep you need each night. These are some of the highlights from their night routine and why you should adopt this routine as your own.

1. Take a walk after dinner

It’s refreshing just to go outside and get out in the fresh air. But taking a walk after a meal can do a lot more for you than just giving you some light exercise. A small study found that taking a walk after eating a high fat meal can prevent your triglyceride levels from elevating. High triglyceride levels can cause heart disease.

Not only that, walking after dinner can help speed digestion. Plus, you’re likely to meet your neighbours and develop new friendships.

2. Dim the lights and turn on relaxing music

This step is incredibly important, so don’t skip it. Feel free to modify it to suit your own tastes, however.

If you do anything, you absolutely must dim the lights. This signals your pineal gland to start producing melatonin. Light a few candles if you want some additional light, but do not turn on the TV. If you light candles, make sure they’re made with soy wax or beeswax. They’re better for the environment and you.

Turn on some relaxing music to really get you set for bed. Put on some light instrumental music. Stay away from music with lyrics. You may want to start singing along which would defeat the entire purpose of the music.

3. Relax on the couch

This is part of the winding down process. By relaxing after a walk outside consistently, you’re signaling to your brain to start producing melatonin – the sleep hormone. It’s also your chance to get on social media and comment, post, and like to your heart’s content.

People these days are too attached to social media and technology, in general. This is your chance to still communicate with everyone and enjoy the digital company of your peers. Watch funny videos, catch up on the latest gossip, etc. This time is yours to do with as you wish. Just limit it so that during the rest of the day you can experience life outside of the digital world.

Make sure you’ve got an alarm set on your phone so that you know when it’s time to really start getting ready for bed.

4. Make chamomile tea

First things first – do not drink a lot of liquids before bed. When we were originally testing out Advanced Night-Time Nutrients, the physicians we were working with thought the Tour de France bikers would do better if they were well hydrated. The only problem was that the excess water kept them up all night because they had to go to the bathroom! So if you’re going to drink tea, just drink a small cup.

Chamomile tea provides glycine which helps calm your nervous system and muscles.

5. Late night snack

If you’re not having trouble sleeping through the night, you can skip this step.

The late night snack you choose should be high in protein and fat. Fat and protein are slow digesting, so you’re less likely to be woken up due to hunger in the middle of the night.

Reminder: this is just a snack. So we’re talking about 2 tablespoons of almond butter or hazelnut butter. You can put it on celery sticks if you want, but stay away from foods full of sugar and carbs like toast and raisins.

6. Use black out drapes or double blinds

By now you should have brushed your teeth, taken off your makeup, and done the rest of your regular bedtime routine. This last part is incredibly important.

I’ve mentioned it a few times already, but your pineal gland is sensitive to light. If it senses light, especially blue light like electronics use, it’ll stop producing melatonin. Our bodies were designed to go to sleep when it gets dark and wake up when the sun rises. The advent of artificial light has largely contributed to people who have trouble sleeping.

All you need to know is: the darker your room is, the better. 

Magnesium for sleep

Magnesium is one of those amazing nutrients that is crucial to your heart and bone health, but the majority of the human population is deficient in it. 

In addition to helping with your heart and bone health, magnesium also reduces your cortisol levels. Cortisol is responsible for waking you up in the morning, so it’s not something you want when you’re laying in bed at night. It also helps your muscles relax. So taking magnesium right before bed can prepare you for a blissful night of uninterrupted sleep.

One last thing: don’t forget to blow out the candles! Pull up your covers, lay your head on your pillow and enjoy the sleep you’ve been missing out on.

We would like to thank Mimi and Alex Ikonn for being an inspiration and their permission to use this video. They exude their true passion in everything they do -- helping people lead fulfilled, happy lives.

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