I’m a mum of two under 10 – I swear by these 5 sleep rules to get my own rest

Sleep – and a lack thereof – can be one of the biggest challenges of parenting. Just when you think you’ve got the routine nailed and the kids are sleeping through the night, along comes a sleep regression, illness or another tooth cutting through just to disrupt things once again.

As a mum to two boys aged five and two, I feel like I’ve had more than my fair share of toddler sleep woes. It took over 18 months for my eldest son to sleep through the night for the first time, and while my youngest settles easily and sleeps soundly, he often thinks that 5 am is an acceptable time to wake up for the day.

So it goes without saying that we will try anything to improve sleep for all of us, and while my kids have always had a relaxing bedtime routine to prepare them for sleep, I realised last year that I would also benefit from introducing one for myself. Since trying out these different relaxing rituals, I have found that my sleep quality has improved and I’m drifting off quicker, even with frequent wake-ups or early starts. As a health and wellness coach and author of Good Evening Rituals, here are five things that work for me…

No screens an hour before sleep

We all know that screens can impact our sleep, but that hasn’t always stopped me from watching TV or scrolling on my phone before going to bed. Turning off devices an hour before bedtime has enabled me to wind down and read instead, allowing me to get to sleep much more easily. I often work evenings, and this isn’t always possible, so on the nights I’m working later, I try to wear blue light glasses to mitigate the effect that the blue light from my laptop has on my melatonin levels, the sleep hormone. 

Magnesium before bedtime

Magnesium is known as the master mineral as it is responsible for so many functions within the body, including nervous system regulation and supporting restful sleep, and I genuinely noticed a difference when I introduced it into my evening routine. I tend to take magnesium bisglycinate supplements, but adding a cup of Epsom salts to the bath can also be a game-changer as part of a relaxing bedtime routine. 

Prep ahead for the following day

I’ve found that spending some time in the evening getting organised and planning ahead for the following day has been really helpful in allowing me to switch off and sleep more soundly, safe in the knowledge that I haven’t forgotten anything or don’t need to rush around in the morning trying to do it all. This can include anything from sorting out school uniform or making packed lunches, prepping an easy breakfast like overnight oats, or even brain dumping a To Do list for the following day.

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Create a relaxing environment

Just as I do for my kids, I’ve started focusing on creating a more relaxing sleep environment in my bedroom. This includes adding blackout blinds to the windows during the summer months to avoid 4 am wake-ups, dimming the lights in the last hour or two before bed, and adding a diffuser with relaxing essential oils to help me relax and unwind for sleep. 

Bedtime meditation

If, like me, you often experience a racing mind at bedtime and find it hard to switch off, you may want to give meditation a try. Since introducing short five or ten-minute guided meditations into my bedtime routine as the last thing before going to sleep, I genuinely feel my worries easing, my breathing slowing, and I drift off to sleep much more easily. It can take some time to get used to mindfulness, but I’ve found that meditations that focus on breathwork or visualisation are really effective. 

No matter how busy you are or what your sleep is currently like, we can all benefit from introducing more relaxation and mindfulness into our routines, and this aims to give you lots of inspiration to get started.