If you're anything like me, you've fine tuned
your morning routine to get your day started on the right foot. But while we often focus on morning routines,
our days are highly dependent on our sleep, and our sleep is largely influenced by our
bedtime routines. Let's help you create an effective night routine. Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com. If a morning routine helps you get out of
bed and lay the foundations to having an effective day, then a pre-bed routine is the opposite. An effective night time routine should focus
on three main principles: 1. Set you up for a successful tomorrow
2. Activate the parasympathetic nervous system
3. Optimize for sleep Perhaps the most frequently overlooked factor
to an effective night routine is knowing when to initiate it. Morning routines are easy, you just start
them as soon as you wake up, but initiating an evening routine is more challenging. We too often are distracted by our gadgets,
a new show on Netflix, or chatting with our friends and family. Sometimes the most impactful changes are the
simplest, and that holds true here. A huge part of sleeping better comes down
to waking up and falling asleep at consistent times. By practicing this, I've noticed I can more
easily fall asleep, and I can even wake up at my intended time without an alarm clock. This is a more natural way to approach sleep,
and you'll feel far more refreshed for the remainder of your day. So when should you initiate the night routine? If you're watching this video, you probably
need between 7-9 hours of sleep. Figure out when you need to wake up and work
backwards from there. My recommendation is you start your routine
earlier than you think necessary, as there are sometimes unforeseen delays that come
up. I personally give myself 1 hour from start
until intended bedtime. Create a system that will consistently remind
you, as relying on your own willpower will likely fall apart. I've set up my Philips Hue smart lights to
turn red in my living room and bedroom at 9PM every night. This is my signal, and red light is also much
more friendly to your night vision. You may also choose to set a recurring phone
alarm instead. Now that we’ve initiated the routine, first
start with your bathroom necessities. Brush your teeth, wash your face, shower,
and do whatever else you need to in the washroom. Do this now, at the beginning of your routine,
otherwise you'll startle yourself awake if you wash your face with cold water right before
crawling into bed. Next, set yourself up for a successful day
tomorrow. I approach this in two ways: First, reflecting with journaling. I created a custom journaling template for
my evenings which prompts me with three amazing things that happened today, three lessons
learned, and what would have made today better. If there are other thoughts bouncing around,
I'll make it a point to journal a bit further, beyond my templated prompts. This is important, otherwise my new business
ideas or vacation plans will continue to occupy my mind, and it's more difficult to fall asleep. Putting down the ideas on paper helps to trap
them to free my mind. This also plays into a concept pushed by Josh
Waitzkin, chess prodigy and expert on learning. He recommends journaling at the end of each
day on the singular most important question for the day, and posing it to your unconscious
before you sleep. That way, your unconscious mind can mull it
over, and you'll likely have a fresh take to brainstorm on it in the morning. Second, ask yourself if there's anything you
need to do now to make tomorrow easier for future you. If I'm getting on a flight in the morning,
I'll make notes on a post-it and put it on the bathroom mirror to remind myself to pack
my toothbrush and retainers, since those are things I cannot pack until the morning anyway,
and I don't want to forget. If I have a chaotic day tomorrow, I'll write
the one thing I want to get done, despite being pulled in multiple directions. If I have an early morning for filming a Day
in the Life, I'll make sure I have my bag packed and batteries charged. Or if it was an early morning for surgery
rotation, I'll make sure my ID, pager, stethoscope, and scrubs are laid out for easy access so
I don't have to hunt for them in the morning. The sympathetic nervous system is your fight,
flight, and freight system, dealing with higher acuity situations. The parasympathetic nervous system, on the
other hand, is the rest and digest system, dealing with more restorative functions. For optimal sleep, we want to activate the
parasympathetic nervous system leading up to bedtime. There are a few ways to do this. First, lower your body temperature. Set your A/C to a cooler level, or use a Chilipad,
or reduce clothing while in bed. I live in a hot climate, so I set my A/C to
72°F and sleep in my underwear with a light blanket. I could get similar effects by setting the
room a bit cooler and sleeping with a shirt and pajamas. Avoid things that stimulate you, like backlit
screens, high intensity and loud music, or other things that your grandpa wouldn't approve
of at late hours. Ideally, you shouldn't be using backlit screens
during this time, but if you must, turn down the brightness all the way and try wearing
blue light blocking glasses. And no, night shift helps but it isn’t good
enough on it’s own. This is important, as blue light stimulates
photoreceptors in your eye that suppress melatonin release from your pineal gland, which is an
important hormone in the onset of sleep. At this time, some like to relax further by
stretching or doing light foam rolling. Others practice deep breathing or meditation. I go with reading. I'll tell Google Assistant to kill the lights,
then grab my Kindle, again using it at a very dim setting, and read something that will
help me relax. This is often fiction, or a biography, or
something related to personal interests, currently How to Build a Car by Adrian Newey, which
is all about his 35 year career in Formula 1. On the other hand, if I read an intellectual
business book, it's more likely to keep me up thinking. Once I feel tired, the Kindle goes on the
nightstand and I'm off to sleep. One last point - if you're living by yourself,
you only need to worry about your own preferences. But if you have roommates or family living
with you, or a significant other that shares the bed with you, then consider how your routine
may influence them, and vice versa. Seek to find a system that works for everyone. For example, if your significant other sleeps
before you, consider doing your night routine activities that may disrupt them before they
go to sleep. Or if your family stays up later than you,
let them know you're going to bed so they know to keep the noise levels down, and do
the same for them. If you enjoyed this video, definitely check
out my video on the anatomy of a perfect morning routine, or my personal 4AM morning routine
from medical school and surgical residency. Much love, and I'll see you guys there.
