It’s been a long day. You finally collapse into bed and doom scroll on TikTok until your eyes start to shut. Whether you’re scanning headlines or watching reruns you’ve memorized, it’s easy to lose another 30-60 minutes to screens before sleep, without even realizing it. This blue light, mental stimulation, and dopamine spikes drain your ability to truly recharge, ultimately adding up to lighter sleep, groggier mornings, and a chronic sense of never catching up. But with this practical, 7-step routine, you can support deep rest, better focus, and next-day energy.
Step 1: Power Down Screens with Intention
Screens cause biochemical and hormonal changes in our bodies, significantly affecting our circadian rhythm (the sleep-wake cycle driven largely by natural light cycles). The artificial light from phones, tablets, and television interferes with your brain’s ability to produce melatonin, which is the hormone that regulates sleep. What you think is just an innocent half-hour on your phone is actually telling your nervous system it is morning, triggering cortisol release. Even when that input stops, your mind stays wired for stimulation that isn’t coming, keeping us wide awake when we should be fast asleep.
Manage your light exposure to provide the optimal signaling to your body that facilitates melatonin production and restful, healthy sleep. Set an alarm or calendar reminder for 1-2 hours before your target bedtime. When it goes off, treat it like a closing shift, shutting down devices, flipping on “Do Not Disturb,” and creating a visual cue that the day is over. Treat logging off as a reset that allows you to choose clarity, calm, and quality rest so you can wake up tomorrow with the energy and clarity you need to thrive.
Step 2: Warm Water Reset
Nothing signals that the day is done like stepping into warm water. A shower or bath resets your nervous system, relaxing your muscles, improving circulation, and kickstarting thermoregulation. As your body cools after your shower or bath, it gets the message that it’s time to rest, which in turn, makes it easier to fall asleep naturally and sleep through the night without interruption.
Want to upgrade the impact?
- Add Epsom salts to your bath. They’re a natural source of magnesium, which supports muscle recovery, reduces stress, and helps the body shift into a parasympathetic state.
- Stack a calming practice. Stand under the water and take a few deep breaths to lower cortisol and disconnect from the urgency loop.
Step 3: Sip Something Soothing
A warm drink signals comfort, care, and calm, but skip sugars or alcohols. Instead reach for herbal teas that promote relaxation like chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, lavender, and passionflower. This ritual engages multiple senses: the warmth of the mug, the scent of the herbs, the moment of pause before you take the first sip. To go deeper, try blends that pair nervine herbs (which support the nervous system) with adaptogens or natural magnesium to support short term calm and long-term stress resilience. Night after night, this act builds a reliable rhythm: boil, sip, unwind, rest.
Step 4: Create a Supplement Ritual
Take supplements before bed to reinforce the idea that your body deserves care and consistency. Keep it simple and store your nighttime stack somewhere visible and calming like on your bedtime table or next to your tea setup. If you’re wondering which supplements are best aligned with your needs, consider this starter list:
- Ashwagandha: Helps regulate cortisol and ease stress so your mind can settle for restful sleep.
- Adaptogenic mushrooms: Support immune resilience and antioxidant defense as your body repairs overnight.
- CHOQ Minerals: Replenishes 72 plant-based minerals to aid gentle detox and cellular recovery during sleep.
- Irish Moss: Provides essential minerals that nourish skin, brain, and tissues while you rest.
- Glutathione: Boosts natural detox pathways and supports brain health as part of your nighttime recovery.
Step 5: Set the Stage for Sleep
Your environment speaks to your nervous system. You need to visually, physically, and energetically set the scene:
- Dim the lights. Bright, artificial lighting blocks melatonin and keeps your body in “go” mode. Opt for soft, warm lighting instead. Salt lamps, red incandescent lights, red light therapy devices, low-wattage bulbs, red/infrared chicken brooder lights, or candlelight work well.
- Drop the room temperature by a few degrees. Cooler rooms (around 65°F or 18°C) help your body fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
- Cut the noise. Use a fan, white noise, or earplugs to dampen disruptive sounds.
- Clear the clutter, remove your phone from arm’s reach, and swap out harsh lighting for analog tools: a good book, an essential oil diffuser, or calming music. Lavender, cedarwood, and vetiver are especially effective at cueing rest.
Step 6: Journal or Reflect to Clear Mental Clutter
Your brain isn’t wired to store endless open loops. That’s why you lie in bed replaying awkward conversations, running through tomorrow’s schedule, or remembering the things you forgot to do. Mental clutter robs your nervous system of conditions it needs for deep rest. So grab a notebook and give yourself five minutes to unload your thoughts without structure. If you need a little more direction, try prompts that steer you towards closure and calm:
- What went well today?
- What am I grateful for right now?
- What can wait until tomorrow?
Alternatively, close out the day with a short list of affirmations or intentions for the next morning. These practices allow you to remove friction from your sleep. When your mind is full, your body stays tense. When your thoughts hit the page, your system gets the message that it’s safe to power down.
Step 7: Move Gently, Breathe Deeply
Five minutes of focused movement and breath allows your nervous systems to calm down and relax. When your body gets that message, your mind follows. Start with light stretching. Target areas where stress hides like the hips, shoulders, neck, and hamstrings. Think gentle twists, forward folds, or legs-up-the-wall. Layer in your breath. Try 4-7-8 breathing: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Or use box breathing: inhale, hold, exhale, hold– all for 4 counts each.
Start Tonight
You don’t need to do all seven steps. But you do need to start. Pick two or three of the rituals that feel doable tonight– then repeat them tomorrow. The magic happens when we intentionally build habits and maintain consistency. The truth is that falling asleep is something you allow, but your body won’t allow it if it’s still chasing dopamine, bathed in blue light, and stuck in stress mode. So take back your hour and choose breath, warmth, stillness, and sleep.