mbg Sustainability + Health Director
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of “Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us.”
Image by Ivan Ozerov / Stocksy
July 22, 2023
When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, kids are actually some of our greatest teachers. Most children are trained from a young age to stick with a strict nightly routine. Once it gets to a certain hour, they know the time has come to brush their teeth, slip into their PJs, maybe visit the land of Hogwarts or Narnia for a few minutes, and then start snoozing.
This consistency, combined with the fact that they’re not boozing, scrolling through emails, or stressing about bills before bed (I hope) means that children can get the high-quality sleep that many adults only dream of.
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While we can’t turn back the clock by a few decades, we can return to some childlike bedtime habits for the sake of our sleep. Here are a few ways to craft a more stable sleep routine, no matter your age.
How to sleep like a kid again
First things first: adults need bedtimes just as much as kids do. Experts agree that going to bed at roughly the same time every day is an important part (if not the most important part) of establishing a healthy circadian rhythm—and healthy sleep, by extension. Without a parent figure around to nag you about it, you can keep yourself accountable to your “adult bedtime” by setting a recurring alarm on your phone that reminds you to start winding down.
Then begins your nightly routine. This, too, should stay relatively consistent. Find a relaxing practice that you genuinely enjoy doing—be it journaling, doing a quick breath practice, thinking about what you’re grateful for, etc.—and carve out a few minutes to do it each night. When repeated, this practice will also send a signal to your body that it’s time for bed.
Taking a sleep supplement at the same time each day is another way to give your body the gentle nudge it needs to prepare for sleep.*
While it can’t guarantee the hours upon hours of deep sleep that we get as kids, mindbodygreen’s sleep support+ supplement is designed to help adults fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, so they can spend more time in those later sleep stages where most recovery happens.*
How does it work, you ask? sleep support+ features three ingredients that have been clinically studied to support sleep:
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These ingredients are present in science-backed doses high enough to make a difference you can actually feel (and see, if you’re someone who wears a sleep tracker). Take it from sleep support+ user Carleigh, who saw her REM time increase by 400% over her first two weeks taking the product. Or Hannah Margaret, who consistently gets an A-range sleep score (which measures total time asleep and time in REM and deep sleep) on nights when she takes the product.*
They’re just a few of the hundreds of people who have reviewed sleep support+ and reported that it helps them fall asleep way faster and stay asleep through the whole night.*
It also makes a difference the next morning. Since sleep support+ is non-hormonal, it doesn’t cause the same grogginess as sleep aids like melatonin; just all-day energy.*
The takeaway
There’s a lot to learn from kids’ sleep routines, including the importance of a strict bedtime and the need for a steady nightly schedule. Add sleep support+ to your evenings and prepare to fall asleep like a kid again—temper tantrums not included.*
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.