A Fitness Coach's Secrets For Sleeping Deeply & Waking Up Energized
For Wood, winding down actually involves sending her legs up the wall.
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There's nothing like a great night's sleep to get you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day ahead. And the key to restorative rest? A solid nighttime routine. So needless to say, when health and fitness coach Melissa Wood shared her go-to evening rituals on her podcast, Move With Heart, we were all ears. Here's what she swears by to stay energized and radiant.
Melissa Wood's recipe for a great night's sleep:
First things first: Wood sets the tone for sleep by dimming the lights. Just as getting morning light can help you wake up in the morning, dimming the lights in the evening signals to your body that it's time to start winding down.
"Anything and everything that I can do to make sure that I get a really good seven to eight hours is crucial, and that comes with winding myself down," Wood says. She adds that she'll also sometimes put on ambient meditation music and make a cup of calming tea.
2. She takes sleep support+.
Next up in her routine, Wood takes a sleep-supporting supplement, and she's a fan of none other than mbg's sleep support+. Made with magnesium, jujube, and PharmaGABA®, this supplement was specifically designed to help people fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling more refreshed.* And Wood isn't the only one who loves using the safe, non-hormonal formula nightly: Check out more reviews of our bestselling sleep product here.
3. She hops in a warm shower or bath.
Following sleep support, which we recommend taking about one to two hours before bedtime, Wood continues to unwind with a warm shower or bath. "It helps lower cortisol, [it] brings you right into that state of rest and digest," she says, adding, "And I'll listen to a nighttime meditation or something that calms my brain from the day."
4. She puts her phone down for the night.
Even Wood admits that this one can be challenging, depending on what's going on in her life, but she tries to get her phone out of her hand, and away from her (aka not on the nightstand). "I put it on my dresser [so] I have to actually get up to look at it. [Giving] ourselves that separation helps you to really come down and I can't recommend it enough," she says, adding that she aims for the 30 minutes before bed to be tech-free.
5. She puts her legs up the wall.
Finally, the last thing Wood does before lights out is put her legs up the wall. Legs up the wall is a common and beginner-friendly yoga inversion, and it helps to both increase circulation and relax the body just before bed. "If I'm like still a little wired, I'll read a book [with my legs up] and it gets me really sleepy. A good five pages in, and then that's it," she adds.
Sometimes unwinding after a long day is difficult. To that end, Wood notes the biggest part of her routine is keeping it consistent. And with our relaxing supplement and these five steps practiced every day, she says, she's able to get a full night of high-quality sleep day after busy day.*
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.
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/melissa-woods-go-to-nighttime-routine-for-great-sleep
