For better or worse, the pre-bedtime habits you\u2019ve formed over time have a huge impact on the wellbeing of your relationship. (For better = going to bed at the same time. For worse = self-grooming in bed. Just no.)<\/p>\n
Below, relationship experts share nine bedtime rituals that could change your marriage for the better.<\/p>\n
1. Escort your smartphone out of the bedroom<\/strong><\/p>\n A recent study out of Baylor University found that nearly half of us feel \u201cphone snubbed\u201d by our partners. Give your S.O. more respect than that: When it\u2019s time to go to bed, turn off all devices and tuck your smartphone in for the night as well. Use your phone as an alarm? Consider this your chance to buy a snazzy new alarm clock.)<\/p>\n \u201cSmartphones distract you from each other and keep you from communicating when you go to sleep and when you wake up,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can have distractions everywhere else in the house but not in the bedroom. When you\u2019re in your bedroom together, be together.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Create a before-bed ritual<\/strong><\/p>\n Time permitting, don\u2019t rush to bed right after dinner. Instead, unwind and slowly ease into the evening with a hot bath or shower and catch-up sesh with your spouse (a glass of wine is optional).<\/p>\n These decompressing rituals send a signal to our body that it\u2019s time to shut down. Giving ourselves the time to shut down starts the process of getting a good night\u2019s sleep. Whether couples do this together or separately, the benefits extend to both of them.<\/p>\n 3. Put your clothes away before climbing into bed<\/strong><\/p>\n Consider the bedroom your sanctuary as a couple and treat it accordingly. Attempt to make the bed when you get up (attempt being the operative word there), dress for bed in your fave PJs and put away the clothes you were wearing earlier. That last part is more important than you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n A couples\u2019 bedroom should be a special place for them that is set apart from the rest of the house \u2014 and even the family. If you\u2019re just throwing your clothes on the end of the bed before you slip on your PJs then you\u2019re not making it a special place for either of you.<\/p>\n 4. Try to go to bed at the same time<\/strong><\/p>\n If your schedules synch up, make it a habit to go to bed at or around the same time.Often couples fall into patterns of going to bed at separate times, sometimes because of TV or the Internet,\u201d she said. \u201cBut this may be an unconscious way of avoiding intimacy. The longer this pattern of avoidance continues, the more damaging it becomes to the relationship.<\/p>\n 5. Cuddle and kiss before drifting off<\/strong><\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re too tired for sex, make an effort to touch, spoon or kiss your spouse when you hit the sheets, Ingram advised. (And when Ingram says kiss, she means kiss — not a half-hearted, first date-esque peck on the cheek, but a genuine, all-in kiss.)<\/p>\n \u201cA long, romantic kiss can release the hormones that give you both the feeling of wanting more,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n 6. Consider moving the TV out of your bedroom<\/strong><\/p>\n This may sound like sacrilege if you grew up dozing off to the sounds of David Letterman and the late night news, but moving the TV out of your adult bedroom will do wonders for your marriage.\u00a0Make TV and electronics a bedroom taboo. It\u2019s easy for couples to get into a routine of watching TV every night in bed, but it can serve as a distraction from true, intimate connection.<\/p>\n 7. Don\u2019t get too relaxed around your spouse<\/strong><\/p>\n Obviously, it\u2019s OK to pass gas in front of your spouse. You\u2019re human! But if you didn\u2019t let it rip with your spouse when you were dating, don\u2019t do it excessively now that you\u2019re sharing a bed.The bedroom is a romantic, private space. Don\u2019t ruin it for your spouse by passing gas where you sleep and make love.<\/p>\n 8. Tuck the kids in at night into their own beds<\/strong><\/p>\n Inviting the kids into your bed at night could affect your ability to reconnect as a couple and have a negative impact on the kids.\u00a0There are boundary issues. Teaching children that parents need their time alone is critical.<\/p>\n 9. Before falling asleep, say \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n You could count off all the groceries you need to get before bed or rant about your day, but you\u2019d be missing out on a great opportunity to connect and end the night on a sweet note.\u00a0Go to bed every night reminding your partner that you\u2019re with them because you really want to be with them. Saying \u2018I love you\u2019 will demonstrate that you\u2019re happy with them and that you want to continue being married to them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source: Huffington Post<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For better or worse, the pre-bedtime habits you\u2019ve formed over time have a huge impact on the wellbeing of your relationship. (For better = going to bed at the same time. For worse = self-grooming in bed. Just no.) Below, relationship experts share nine bedtime rituals that could change your marriage for the better. 1. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":220151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[354],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n