Summer Night Ritual that Allows Me to Get More Sleep

Since I read Arianna Huffington’s book entitled, Thrive, my outlook on productivity and sleep had a major shift. I realized that it is sleep deprivation that actually made me unable to focus during the day. Since then, I made major changes in my nighttime routine. In fact, since I have learned to enjoy it, I call it ritual instead.

However, it is important for me to point out that my nightly routine now that it’s summer is slightly different than the usual.

7:00 PM – Remove make-up

The first thing that I do is remove my make-up. I love the balm type make-up remover, but during the summer, I prefer using wet wipes because it’s more refreshing. This works best for me since I don’t wear a lot of make-up when it’s super hot in the day.

7:15 PM – Yoga

Because the gym gets too crowded, I like to practice yoga at home. But when I’m feeling too tired for even a good stretch, I just lay down on my mat and meditate for 10 minutes. It helps me clear my mind after a long day at work.

8:00 PM – Dinner

I do my meal preps at the start of the week, so I just usually heat my food in the microwave. Sometimes, I just toss some fresh vegetables for a colorful salad. These days though, my favorites are vegan bowls. I love how easy, tasty, and healthy they are. Get some recipes here.

8:30 PM – Skincare

Since I try to do light exercises at night, I do the rest of my skincare routine after dinner. After showering and brushing my teeth, I make sure that my face is cleansed thoroughly. During the summer I only use a light-foamy cleanser like Innisfree. After that, I use a toner. I am also a big fan of overnight gel masks and sheet masks, but they are too sticky for a summer night, so I just use a peel-off mask once or twice a week.

9:00 PM – Social

I try to limit my time browsing my social media accounts, and I usually do it at this time for a maximum of one hour. And you know what, it works! I only check updates of people I care about and things that interest me, so I don’t fall into the black hole of self-pity and regret seeing a lot of #feedgoals from strangers.

10:00 PM – Read

I love to read in the morning and at night. It’s the last thing I do for the day.

11:00 PM – Sleep

That is, if I don’t get too hooked with my book. Hence, I stay away from suspense and thriller genres.

Ideally, I’m already dozing off before 11PM. I’m a morning person, and I like waking up extra early during the summer, so I’m already in the office before the sun reaches its peak.