routine, even Not quite followed, providing a guiding structure to the chaos of human life. I take a shower right after my morning coffee. I sit at the same desk every day, even though we technically have unassigned seats. I’ll take long, winding walks at lunchtime. I sleep every night. always.
From bubble baths to pajama time, kids often have a set bedtime set by their parents in an effort to wind down with a little ball of energy. “We do all of these things for our kids,” says Rebecca Robbins, an instructor at Harvard Medical School and a sleep scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “And then forget about doing it for ourselves, as adults.” She’s right: On closer inspection, many of the “routines” in my life are just habits that developed unconsciously and rudely over time.
Whether you’ve never thought about what to do before bed, or you’re looking to overhaul your entire routine, here are seven tips to help you wrap up your busy day on the perfect, restful note.
Ritualize your time before bed
Robbins recommends ritualizing the entire bedtime routine. Maybe you drank hot tea, put on body lotion, and talked to your partner in bed about the events of the day. Or, you might do some stretches, then take a quick shower and slip into a comfortable robe. Whatever the routine, repeatability is important.
“Then your body and your brain understand that what happens after that activity is sleep,” she said. “So, we can classically teach ourselves that when bedtime is over it’s time to sleep.” Intentionality can turn a thoughtless habit into an impactful routine.
Learn that consistency is king
One of the biggest mistakes adults make when it comes to bedtime is lack of consistency. “With regards to falling asleep, I would take a page from the playbook we use for our kids,” Robbins said. “That includes a consistent bedtime.”
Even if you start a regular ritual at night with good intentions, the unpredictability of life is bound to interfere with your plans. It could be a late night call from a loved one, or your favorite sports team winning an intense game. Whatever messed up your schedule, take a moment to reflect on what happened, then try again the next night.
Set a regular wake-up time
Chris Winter, a physician, neurologist and sleep specialist, hosts sleep unplugged The podcast, suggests focusing more on the time you wake up in the morning than the exact time you go to bed each night. “I eat lunch every day,” Winter said. “But if one o’clock passes and I’m not hungry, I don’t force food down my throat.”
It’s important to note that even if you’re going to bed an hour or two later than usual, he recommends that people set their morning alarms for their usual time. “I think it’s okay to have your brain punished a little bit there,” he said. Some sleepiness can reinforce the importance of your daily structure.
Remove the screen before bed
When should you put down your smartphone, toggle notifications to “do not disturb,” and leave it on its charger?
Robbins recommends doing this at least 30 minutes before bed. While dimming your phone or switching to warmer lighting may hurt your eyes more than normal phone use, giving up screen use entirely is your best bet for a restful bedtime.
don’t rush
A common misconception about quality sleep is that it happens in an instant. Curled up under the covers in a bedroom with half the lights on, the movie’s exhausted main characters pass out in a nanosecond. “It actually takes about 15 or 20 minutes for even a well-rested person to fall asleep,” says Robbins. Incorrect assumptions about how you should experience sleep can create unrealistic expectations about your nighttime habits.
Seriously, stop stressing yourself out
Treat yourself better. While a set of soothing movements before bed can be beneficial, the reverse is also true. One of the worst things you can do is stress out about getting that perfect night’s sleep. “Anxiety starts to affect how we think about sleep, and that’s really a problem,” Winter said.
As with most situations in life, overly critical emotions just lead to a vicious cycle of negativity. “For me, the secret to a good night’s sleep is being as happy awake in bed as I am asleep,” he says. So, establish that routine and stick to it, but don’t beat yourself up on evenings that don’t go according to plan.
meet the professionals
Are you looking for the perfect gadget to help you unwind and start sleeping? From mouth tape to pink noise, Winter is critical of “all these stupid things” people buy to help them sleep. (Though to be fair, we’ve spent a lot of time at WIRED testing sleep gadgets, and there are definitely clear favorites.) Buy the right solution. ”
Rather than buying a $500 device or testing out the latest sleep hack from TikTok, people who are still having problems should consider making an appointment with a sleep specialist with a history of helping people with sleep disorders or conducting sleep studies.
