8 Tips To Fall Asleep Faster After Dance Late At Night

There are a few life struggles that I think are unique to dancers, and irregular sleep patterns and sleep disruptions is a HUGE one. 

Dance class or practice is typically in the evening, and can often run really late. When I danced in the NFL, our practices would sometimes go until 11:30pm or even later. 

Having dance late at night makes it difficult to establish a consistent sleep routine and can disrupt circadian rhythm, especially if class or practice schedules are different each day (i.e. Monday no dance, Tuesday dance until 9:30, Wednesday no dance, Thursday dance until 11, you get the idea). 

Unfortunately, there’s really no way around this. It’s not like we’re going to just stop going to dance at night to get better sleep! (Although I’m waiting for someone to host senior special classes at 5pm for those of us who desire a 9pm bed time…)

But there are two things we can do:

1. Unwind quickly and fall asleep faster once we get home, thereby *hopefully* sleeping more hours 

2. Improve quality of sleep, so even if you can’t get your usual 7-9 hours, you still feel fairly well rested because you slept better

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First, let’s briefly cover why it’s so difficult to unwind and fall asleep after an evening dance class or practice. (It’s totally normal, there is nothing wrong with you…)

1. Increased alertness and mental stimulation → Vigorous physical activity, like dance, activates your sympathetic nervous system, making you feel much more alert 

2. Higher body temperature → Physical activity raises your body temperature, and it can take a while for your body to cool down, which is a natural part of the sleep process that helps to initiate sleep

3. Disrupted circadian rhythm → Physical activity at night disrupts our internal clock by sending signals to the brain that it’s not time for sleep yet (even if it’s 11pm) 

4. Stress and higher cortisol levels → Under physical stress and strenuous activity, the body releases cortisol, which interferes with sleep-inducing hormones like melatonin 

Basically… dancing late at night is a mismatch to what your body is supposed to be doing at that time.

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Here are some tips and tricks I use to calm my brain and my body down after dance, get to sleep faster, and sleep soundly through the night: 

1. I don’t blast upbeat music on my drive home from dance. I either call my mom, listen to a podcast, or just have complete silence. (If you feel like you would crash your car in complete silence, please don’t, maybe try some chill instrumental music instead.)

2. Once I get home, I keep all the lights down low. I just use the night light in the bathroom, or sometimes light a candle. If I go into the kitchen, I just turn on the small light over the stove. In the living room, I don’t turn any lights on. Darkness helps signal to the brain that it’s time for sleep, whereas bright light signals that you’re supposed to be awake.

3. I take a really hot shower. This seems counterintuitive, but a hot shower actually helps lower your body temperature because your body starts working to cool itself down. Plus, the ritual of the hot shower relaxes my muscles and mind. 

4. I make sure I eat something high in protein, and that I’m not going to sleep hungry. Despite the common narrative that it’s “bad” to eat late at night, if you just danced for 2+ hours, you probably really need food. If you burn a ton of calories at dance, but don’t eat when you get home, you’re probably going to have poorer sleep quality and wake up in the middle of the night because you’re hungry and your blood sugar is low. (I would generally avoid eating something high in sugar right before bed, as that can make it harder to fall asleep.)

5. If I use my computer or phone (because let’s be honest, I will be checking Instagram in bed), I make sure the screen brightness is turned down as low as possible. I also wear blue blocker glasses. 

6. I write down my to-do list for the next day. I’m a relentless over-thinker, and my thoughts can keep me awake forever. Writing down the things I’m worrying about helps me to remove those thoughts from my brain and clear my mind to be able to go to sleep. 

7. I typically take magnesium glycinate, and sometimes a combo of ashwagandha and l-theanine, about 20 minutes before bed to help me fall asleep and stay asleep. (Always check with your doctor before starting a new supplement!)

8. This is definitely not a “correct” recommendation (because it’s bad to sleep with light) but for me personally, I fall asleep best while watching a nature documentary (with the brightness and volume turned down suuuuper low). For my over-analyzing brain, it helps me to turn my brain off and stop thinking about a million things. The sound of David Attenborough’s voice puts me to sleep in minutes.