Your Night Routine

[DorianMask]

So in getting back into my dream practice I have sort of fallen into a pretty standard night routine to get myself into the right state of mind for sleep. It got me wondering if many dreamers have pre-bed rituals or routines they go through that enhance their connection to the dreamscape. What is your night time routine? Do you have a specific ritual you go through or behaviours you find help your dreaming? I'd love to know more and I'm sure we could all benefit from the awareness of each other's practice. Cheers!

[Eonnn]

Yes, play games til early hours of the morning, quick fap on pornhub then fall asleep instantly. LOL Well, this might be true for some but my ideal night routine is: 10:00pm: read a book for 30 mins or meditate 10:30pm: have shower (hot, finish cold), brush teeth, etc. 10:45pm: make chamomile tea, take supplements 10:50pm: write in dream/gratitude/intent journal 10:55pm: basic arm/leg stretches incorporating conscious/pranic breathing 11:00pm: quick prayer and go to sleep Doesn't always work out that way, sometimes I start earlier or later than 10pm, or do things longer than I should or in a different order. Morning routine is pretty much doing same but in reverse, except swapping chamomile for green tea, and using different supplements to make you alert rather than sleepy. I've read a few things as well about how to get a good sleep such as: 1 having your body in north-south direction, head pointing north or south depending which you prefer (note: south is better for relaxed, energizing sleep. north is better for lucid dreams and AP/OBE) 2 sleeping on the side (or stomach if need be) never on the back. Body functions better that way, it's called the coma or recovery position for a reason! 3 managing to be asleep during the hours of approx. 11pm to 4am as this has been found to be when our body produces the most important and beneficial chemicals such as HGH, testosterone, oxytocin, etc. and our brain flushes waste through cerebral spinal fluid during this time. 4 making sure all lights are off (pineal gland can detect light even with eyes closed), leave doors open as much as one can (to allow air/chi flow), leave window ajar (for more air/chi flow depending on night temps of course), turn blinds so they are facing in a way to allow sunlight to fill room in the morning (helps with wakefulness and feeling rested) I've also been trying to incorporate sun gazing during sun-rise and sun-set as this is less likely to damage the eyes during this period, however with the position of my building makes it a bit harder than just walking outside. There's phone apps which tell you the times and give reminders if you're interested in doing this. Sun gazing can be done any time of the day with eyes closed as well! you feel the warmth on your eye lids and start seeing the pattern behind them, remember what I said earlier that the pineal gland can detect light even with eyes closed!

[DorianMask]

[*]1 having your body in north-south direction, head pointing north or south depending which you prefer (note: south is better for relaxed, energizing sleep. north is better for lucid dreams and AP/OBE) I love this! Thank you for your contribution! Many great ideas here. I tend to be more fluid with my timings as I'm somewhat of a night owl. Though I do aspire to eventually have a sleep cycle synched with the sun. My routine has turned into; -once things wind down in my household I'll catch up on some youtube creators I follow, food travel, makers, some musical for an hour or so -turn my light to a low blue and put on some bineural lucid tones and pull up some fantasy/sci-fi imagery slideshows and just relax to that for ~30min or so -prepare a cup of blue lotus stamen tea -take some melatonin -get comfortable and sit for some guided meditation (am currently working through Sam Harris's Waking Up app, highly recommended) -this usually just acclimates me to a more calm mindset -set the timer for 15-20 more minutes after for some freeform meditation split into mindfulness, metta, and lucidity mantras -turn the light off and head to bed -a casual body brush off -fall asleep to points of awareness/affirmations Been on this pattern for almost a month and I'd say it's helped me immensely. Counter to the previous routine of just turning everything off and trying to lay down. I find treating the time of sleep as sacred has helped my frame of mind immeasurably. Welcoming the dream state seems to benefit the transition to restful sleep. Cheers!

[Hilary]

Love this thread! I think it's very important to have a nightly routine. Not only does it give you more relaxing, restful sleep (which is good for lucid dreaming), but also, it sets the intention in your mind that sleep (and dreams) are sooo important to you! My relaxation routine: Take a hot bath with epsom salts, candle, no lights on, and my audiobook playing Get dressed in pajamas Go out on the porch, light incense, make 2 pots of chamomile tea, 1 glass of red wine, enjoy the night air and listen to my audiobooks or softly play ukulele Make I sure I have fresh sheets and pick out whatever crystals I want to sleep with, spritz my pillow with rosewater Take vitamin B6 before bed Go to bed early

[mobwicket]

I take a warm bath, get on my pajamas, read abook

[Sageous]

Okay, I'll play... Once or twice a week I will stay up until around 2am, usually watching TV (in an absent sort of way) while doing crossword puzzles (to jump-start memory), or just sitting quietly, thinking about the potentials of what I might be doing tonight. I take some melatonin to help my first few hours' sleep, then go to bed. Once in bed I read for a while (always sure to stop by 3am), then fall asleep thinking about my dreams/plans, but not making any real effort. I wake at 8am, do a WBTB, then dream 'til 11am or so. Then I get up, have some breakfast, do a little writing, and get back to bed by 1pm for my afternoon session.