Foolproof Your Sleep RoutineUpdated 3 months ago

Intake can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep, but your body gets the best rest when it knows it can relax into a regular routine. Routines are our secret for just about everything. Once something becomes a habit, you no longer need to rely on discipline or planning to get it done—and that’s especially true when it comes to winding down for the day.

Benefits: Deeper sleep, Better Mornings

How to get results: build Intake into a simple 3-step wind-down routine and stick to it for at least 15 days. Like any new practice, Intake works best when used consistently.

Create a short, relaxed bedtime routine that signals to your body that it’s time to wind down. Here’s ours—

1. Start with the usual:
   1. brush your teeth
   2. wash your face
   3. put on your Intake Band
2. 10-15 minutes of slow, relaxed stretching
   1. We start with standing stretches, move to inversions, and then finish with sitting stretches.
   2. Be sure to breathe both in and out through your nose to keep your parasympathetic nervous system engaged.
3. 10-15 minutes of reading—right now we’re loving James Nestor’s Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art 
4. Studies have shown that reading before sleep helps your brain better store the information you’re taking in.
   1. It’s important not to read on a screen right before bed—you don’t activate the same memory receptors when reading on a digital tablet. And, if you’re reading on a phone or iPad, the blue light can trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime.

Lights out! We’ll be back next week with tips on how Intake can help you  upgrade your morning routine.