A simple evening wind-down routine for better sleep

Good sleep rarely starts the moment your head touches the pillow. The hour before bed shapes it: what you are looking at, what you last ate and drank, and what is still on your mind. A wind-down routine is a handful of small cues that tell your body the day is closing.

How much sleep is enough?

Sleep experts recommend at least seven hours a night for most adults, on a regular basis. Needs vary from person to person, and how rested you feel during the day is a useful signal too.

Anchor your wake-up time

A regular wake-up time is the anchor for everything else. If you get up at roughly the same time each day, including most weekends, falling asleep at a steady time tends to follow. Late nights will happen, for a wedding, a deadline or a late train, and one late night does not undo a routine.

Build a 20-minute wind-down

Choose two or three cues you can repeat every evening:

• Dim the lights and switch to warmer lamps.
• Put tomorrow’s things in one place: bag, keys, clothes, tiffin box.
• Write down whatever is on your mind, so it is on paper instead of circling in your head.
• Read, stretch gently, listen to something calm or take a warm bath.
• Leave your phone across the room, or at least out of your hand.

The activity itself matters less than repeating it. Over a few weeks, the routine becomes the cue.

Watch the afternoon chai

Caffeine lasts longer than most people expect. In one study, caffeine taken six hours before bed still cut people’s total sleep. If you sleep badly, try moving your last cup of chai or coffee earlier in the afternoon, and remember that colas, energy drinks and dark chocolate contain caffeine too.

Late dinners and heavy meals

A large, rich or spicy dinner just before bed can make it harder to settle, especially if you are prone to heartburn. Where you can, leave a gap between dinner and bedtime. If your day only allows a late dinner, a lighter, smaller plate is a reasonable middle path.

Make the room work for you

• Dark: thicker curtains or an eye mask help, especially with street lights outside.
• Quiet: earplugs or the steady hum of a fan can mask traffic and household noise.
• Cool and airy: a slightly cool room is easier to sleep in than a warm, stuffy one.
• For sleep: keep work and long scrolling sessions out of bed where you can.

If you cannot fall asleep

If you have been lying awake for what feels like a long time, get up, go somewhere dim and do something quiet until you feel sleepy, then go back to bed. Watching the clock tends to make it harder.

Notice your own pattern

Looking back over a couple of weeks is more useful than judging any single night. You may notice that late screens, a late dinner or a busy week line up with the nights that went badly.

This article shares general wellbeing information. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or registered dietitian who knows your health history.