6 Things You Should Do At Night If You Want To Be Happier In The Morning

Getting ready for a great day means more than just having a regular morning routine (although that’s important too).How you spend your evenings is a key part of it, but it can sometimes be overlooked.

You may be surprised to learn that just a few small tweaks to your nighttime habits can have a big impact on your morning happiness.

We asked our experts to share which evening habits will have the most positive impact on your mood the next day.Here’s what we learned:

Evening walks.

Maybe it’s a walk around the block after a meal, or taking your dog to the bathroom one last time before bed at night.But just a few minutes of gentle exercise outside can lower your blood sugar levels after a meal and help you relax.

If you’re going for a walk in the dark, be sure to take some basic safety precautions: wear reflective gear or brightly colored clothing, choose well-lit and familiar routes, and ask someone else to follow or take your cell phone with you in case you need it (but avoid texting, putting on headphones, or doing anything else that distracts you).

Put down your cell phone, preferably in another room.

You’ve undoubtedly noticed that a good night’s sleep has a significant impact on the next morning’s state of mind – and there’s “tons of evidence” to support that, says Laurie Santos, a professor of psychology at Yale University and host of the “Happiness Lab” podcast.”The Happiness Lab,” says Yale psychology professor and “Happiness Lab” podcast host Laurie Santos.

In order to get a better quality of rest, it is important to focus on improving “sleep hygiene”, i.e. the habits and environmental factors that affect our sleep.How we use our devices at night is an important part of this.

Turn off your screen about 30 minutes before bedtime, and consider placing your devices away from your bed so you won’t be tempted to check them at night.It’s recommended to get an old-fashioned alarm clock that doesn’t talk to social media or email.

We live in an overstimulated world, which can overstimulate our senses.Moving away from screens is one solution to this problem, but there are other things we can do to soothe our senses.

Consider overlaying a sensory relaxation ritual that includes relaxing scents, calming sounds, and soothing hot beverages to allow our senses to separate and reconnect with greater strength the next morning.

Take a warm bath (or shower).

Justine Grosso, a mind-body psychologist in New York and North Carolina,advocates showering in the evening because of the physical and mental health benefits.

Fully immersing yourself in water as opposed to showering has been shown to improve mood in people with depression, improve sleep in people with insomnia, and positively affect the cardiovascular system.

That said, if you don’t have a bathtub or don’t like to soak, there are benefits to showering before bed.Bathing at night improves the quality of your sleep because it lowers your core body temperature, which is necessary to fall asleep and maintain a good night’s sleep.

Perform a body scan.

Cortland Dahl, a research scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says that Positive Mind Body Scanning is an effective way to relieve chronic stress and mental contemplation.You can do this simple positive thinking exercise while lying in bed.

Focus your attention on each part of your body, starting with your head and slowly working your way down to your toes.Pay attention to the sensations in your body with warmth and non-judgmental curiosity.This will activate brain networks, which are vital for self-regulation and inner balance.It’s also a great way to de-stress and release all the stress that builds up in our busy lives.

Grosso also suggests yoga rest (a meditation technique that allows you to “circulate awareness throughout your body,” she says) or gentle stretching.Both activate your parasympathetic nervous system-the system responsible for the body’s “rest and digest” response.

This approach “can help you feel calmer and enter nights of restorative sleep.Over time, these practices can help your body more reliably and quickly regain a sense of ease and emotional regulation after a stressful event.”

Looking back on the day.

Many of us are more likely to fret about an unfinished to-do list for a given day than to stop and appreciate the progress we’ve made.

Whether writing it down or reflecting on it, record steps taken toward a goal, challenges overcome, or tasks accomplished, no matter how small the task is.This feeling of progress will set the stage for moving forward the next day.

Dahl also calls self-reflection “a great practice to end a busy day.”He suggests taking a moment to think about what you’ve learned and what progress you’ve made during the day.

See if you can reframe stressful events as opportunities for self-discovery or alignment with your most cherished values or guiding principles.This simple practice enhances our insight and can help us meet the next day’s learning with an open mind.

End your day with gratitude.

Before going to bed, write down three to five things for which you are grateful.Santos cites research by psychologist Robert Emmons, a professor at the University of California, Davis.He and his colleagues “found that the simple act of listing the happiness in your life can significantly improve your well-being,” she says.”So make writing a gratitude list every night a daily habit.”

A short gratitude practice is recommended to end the day.

If you take a few minutes before bed to think back on the people you admire and the things you’re thankful for, you’ll naturally feel less stressed and more connected to others as you fall asleep.