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Bedtime rituals can help you sleep better because they prepare you and your body to gently coast into a restful night's sleep. Watch sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, explain the "20/20/20" rule, and why winding down before bed is so important.
So bedtime rituals turn out to be incredibly important in the wind down process before bed so most people think that sleep is an on and off switch they just go in and turn off the lights and go to bed it really doesn't work that way it's more like slowly pulling your foot off the gas and slowly putting your on the brake so there's different things that you can do to help you do that, so what we talk about is something called the 20 20 20 rule.
So take 20 minutes for things you just got to do. In our house it's getting back packs together finding shoes getting my briefcase for the way I want it to be then 20 minutes for hygiene try to do your hygiene in a dimly lit bathroom you don't want bright lights telling your brain that it's morning time and then finally 20 minutes of something calming in the dark in bed, that can be everything from deep breathing to muscle relaxation, meditation even player, but something that allows your body to coast on and just sleep.
Michael J. Breus, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He specializes in sleep disorders and is one of only 163 psychologists in the world with his credentials and distinction.
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