The benefits of a good night's sleep are undisputed, but it can be entirely too difficult to quiet your body and mind enough to get the quality shuteye you need. Creating a bedtime routine customized to your needs can help with this. Here are some ideas to choose from that you can incorporate into your evenings before bed.

We think of all the rituals at bedtime from yoga, essential oils, and sound machines when sometimes the one issue stems from American’s largest addiction: digital devices.

With 71 percent of Americans sleeping with their phone in bed or on the nightstand, the blue light from the screens can emit unneeded light that prevents our brains from shutting down. But we should also not be confused with eliminating blue light altogether. Light therapy treats seasonal affective disorder (SAD) uses blue light.

Ever wonder what makes the sky blue? It is blue light from the atmosphere and comes in a natural, non harmful way. According to Blue Light Exposed, “when outside, light from the sun travels through the atmosphere. The shorter, high energy blue wavelengths collide with the air molecules causing blue light to scatter everywhere.”

Most of us have a routine we follow. We get up at the same time, go through the same steps to get ready for the day, and even have the same thing for breakfast. There are many reasons we follow routines. We may do it out of habit, or do it because it’s comfortable, or maybe it’s the most effective and efficient way to go about our days. Our habits and routines can even make us more successful according to an article recently published in the Harvard Business Review.

We all are distracted during the day with responsibilities and activities, but when it is time to lay your head down, quality counts after a long day. It is not all about the number of minutes you are laying in bed. Several factors qualify as quality sleep.

Salty and sweet or sweet and savory. Whether it be fireside in the middle of winter or by the pool in the summer, sometimes you cannot resist the urge to fall off the wagon and snack late at night.