Some Sundays I sometimes begin my workday at 4 am. My team is scheduled to work at this time to make sure our tasks get done before the payroll cut-off since we work on fixing time sheets.

This is an early start time, yes, but I’m used to it by now; they don’t phase me. In fact, I really like getting off work early and having the rest of my day to myself. Sure, I get tired at around 6 or 7 pm, but after I’m off at noon, I’m free to nap and do as I please.

Getting a full 8 hours of sleep the night before my Sunday 4 am shifts are crucial. To ensure a restful sleep, here’s my routine of steps I take before winding down for the night:

Shower

I saw a Tweet (X post?) recently that said showering during the day felt like self-care, but showering at night felt like self-love, and I couldn’t agree more. There is something about showering at night that makes me feel loved, releases all stress and anxieties, and gets me ready for bed. You also just can’t beat the feeling of getting under the covers in bed when you’re squeaky clean.

Make Overnight Oats

My go-to quick and easy breakfast meal is overnight oats! I’ve written about this in past blogs and have since converted multiple friends and family members to my overnight oats craze. If I’m rushing to get to bed on time, I always make sure to carve out 5 minutes to put together some basic oats with milk, almond slices, chocolate chips, protein powder, and chia seeds. Now I don’t need to make breakfast at 4 am! Hooray!

Clean up my Workspace

The last thing I want to do is wake up and have to set up my work laptop, clear off my desk, refill my water bottle, etc. so early in the morning. I make sure to do all of these the night before so that I can just clock in on time and focus on waking up my work.

Since my work desk is in my bedroom, I also make sure my room is nice and tidy. Having a clean room clears out all stress and anxieties, making the space ready for a brand new day!

Make my Bed

This goes along with cleaning my room, but making sure my bed is ready for the most comfortable sleep ever is important. Some nights before my Sunday shifts I toss and turn, waking up every hour to see if it’s time to wake up for my shift yet. It can be rough. Making my bed extra fluffy and the blankets comfortably within reach ensures I’m set up for a good night’s sleep from the get-go.

Actual photo of me deep in my REM cycle.

Read

If I have enough time, I will try to read a chapter or two of a book. If it’s especially hard to fall asleep at 6 or 7 pm, reading while in bed always puts me in a calm state, making me sleepier with every line I read. It’s much easier to look at a physical page than the harsh lighting of a phone, too.

I’m not always able to read at night, mainly because I’m typically rushing to get to bed on time. I consider it a success even if I’m only able to read one or two pages before winding down for the night.

Set Multiple Alarms (& Backup Alarms!)

The last thing I do before finally calling it a night is set up my multiple alarms for the next day. As I’ve said, waking up so early can be rough (and the first hour of work is the hardest), so ensuring I wake up and stay awake is vital.

I typically don’t need the second, third, fourth, etc. alarms, but it’s nice to have them set up as a fail-safe.

(wake me up) wake me up inside

BONUS STEP: Set up my Nightstand Essentials

My roommates and friends are aware that I have early morning shifts on Sundays. To further prepare myself, though, I make sure to have earplugs (both disposable and reusable ones) and a silk eye mask within reach on my nightstand. If it’s particularly loud outside or I need silence, I will typically put in one disposable earplug in one ear (the ear that’s facing the ceiling), and a reusable earplug (that I typically wear during concerts) in the other. This ensures most sound is blocked out, but I can still hear my alarm in the early morning.

If it’s still light outside and I’m having trouble falling asleep, I’ll also reach for my eye mask. Sometimes even if it is already dark outside, I will still put the mask on if I’m having trouble sleeping to further encourage my body to fall asleep.

A silk eye mask feels so luxurious and cool to the face. I highly recommend the brand Blissy! It’s a bit pricey, but definitely worth the splurge.

There you have it! Outlined is my nighttime routine before my 4 am Sunday shifts. I will add a disclaimer that I don’t get scheduled 4 am shifts very often anymore, but I will still get them once in a while. (If I didn’t add this someone from the office would surely have pointed it out… lol).

Is there anything else I should do to prepare for my early morning? Do you incorporate any of these steps into your nighttime routine? Let me know!

Until next time, dearest friends!

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