There are numerous relaxation techniques that involve breathing. Several techniques can be learned quite easily and used to relax and ready yourself for sleeping.

• Close the eyes
• Focus on tensing and relaxing each muscle group for 3-6 seconds each.
• You can go toe to head starting with the feet and toes
• Move to the knees, thighs, glutes, abdomen, chest, hands, arm, shoulders, neck, jaw, muscles around the eyes, and forehead.
• Maintain deep, slow breaths. Breathe in through the nose, hold while the muscles tense, then breathe out through the mouth on release.

Many find light yoga or stretching to be helpful parts of their bedtime routine. It is recommended that you do this for a few minutes as part of your night time ritual.

Think of something soothing, pleasant, relatively uninteresting, and, ideally, unrealistic. Some people imagine lying under a palm tree feeling the sand in their fingers and others imagine being in a bubble gently knocking into other bubbles in outer space. We have provided a few examples.

Meditation is a very popular technique used for relaxation, applied at any time of the day. As part of the bedtime routine it can be completed relatively quickly. Provided are a list of guided meditations, including some provided in other languages, available online or as apps for your phone or tablet.

Autogenic training exercises focus on the physical manifestations of relaxation in the body, especially the feeling of heaviness in your limbs and the feeling of warmth. These include heaviness in your muscles and warmth in your circulatory system. Autogenic training practitioners also learn to be aware of their heartbeat, breathing, abdomen, and forehead. Various courses are available to learn the techniques. Aims are to reduce stress and anxiety and to improve sleep, relaxation, concentration, focus, self-esteem, and confidence.