Night Routine: A Science-Based Bedtime Routine for Better Sleep

A good night routine is a short, repeatable set of steps that tells your body it is time to sleep: a caffeine cutoff in the afternoon, a light dinner without alcohol late in the evening, a warm shower 1 to 2 hours before bed, screens off at least 30 minutes before lights out, and the same bedtime every night. (CDC) Each step has research behind it. A warm shower or bath 1 to 2 hours before bed helped people fall asleep faster (Haghayegh et al., 2019), and writing a to-do list for 5 minutes at bedtime did too (Scullin et al., 2018). This guide gives you a step by step night routine, the timing for each step, a sample schedule and what to skip.

It is educational, not medical advice.

Key Takeaways

• Keep the same schedule: going to bed and getting up at the same time every day is the first habit the CDC lists, and adults need 7 or more hours of sleep (CDC).
• Cut caffeine early: 400 mg of caffeine disturbed sleep even when taken 6 hours before bed, so the researchers advise no large amounts for at least 6 hours before bedtime (Drake et al., 2013).
• Warm up, then cool down: a warm shower or bath of 104 to 108.5°F (40 to 42.5°C), 1 to 2 hours before bed, for as little as 10 minutes, shortened the time it took to fall asleep (Haghayegh et al., 2019).
• Swap screens for paper: reading on a light-emitting e-reader before bed meant taking longer to fall asleep, less melatonin and lower alertness the next morning than reading a printed book (Chang et al., 2015).
• Write tomorrow's to-do list: 5 minutes of writing a specific to-do list at bedtime helped young adults fall asleep faster than writing about what they had already done (Scullin et al., 2018).

What Is a Night Routine?

A night routine, or evening routine, is the same short sequence of steps you do every evening before bed. The point is not any single step but the repetition: a predictable wind down at a predictable time. Your brain makes melatonin in response to darkness, and light at night can block it (NCCIH), so a good routine also moves you from bright, busy evenings toward a dark, quiet bedroom.

It is the bookend to your mornings. Our guide to a morning routine covers the first hour of the day; this one covers the last few hours.

A Night Routine, Step by Step

1. Set your bedtime and wake time. Pick a bedtime that allows 7 or more hours of sleep, and keep it, along with your wake time, every day, weekends included (CDC).
2. Afternoon: last caffeine. In a controlled study, 400 mg of caffeine at bedtime, 3 hours before bed and 6 hours before bed all disturbed sleep compared with placebo (Drake et al., 2013). Make your last coffee at least 6 hours before your bedtime.
3. Evening: a lighter dinner, no nightcap. The CDC advises avoiding large meals and alcohol before bedtime (CDC). Alcohol helps you fall asleep faster but disrupts the second half of the night (Ebrahim et al., 2013). Our guide to melatonin and alcohol explains more.
4. 1 to 2 hours before bed: a warm shower or bath. A review of 13 studies with comparable data found that warm water of 104 to 108.5°F (40 to 42.5°C) improved self-rated sleep quality and sleep efficiency, and, when scheduled 1 to 2 hours before bedtime for as little as 10 minutes, shortened the time to fall asleep (Haghayegh et al., 2019). The authors link this to the drop in core body temperature that follows as heat leaves through the hands and feet.
5. Dim the lights and cool the room. Keep your bedroom quiet, relaxing and at a cool temperature (CDC), and switch to lamps rather than bright overhead lights in the last hour.
6. 30 minutes before bed: screens off. Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime (CDC). If you read, use a printed book: an e-reader that gives off light delayed sleep, lowered melatonin and left people less alert the next morning (Chang et al., 2015).
7. 5 minutes before lights out: write a to-do list. In a sleep lab study of 57 healthy adults aged 18 to 30, writing a to-do list for 5 minutes helped people fall asleep faster than writing about completed tasks, and the more specific the list, the faster they fell asleep (Scullin et al., 2018).
8. Lights out at the same time. If you are still awake after a while, our guide to how to fall asleep fast has 12 tips to try.

A Sample Night Routine for a 10:30 PM Bedtime

Shift every time by the same amount to fit your own bedtime.

Time	Step	Why
4:30 PM	Last coffee or caffeinated drink	6 hours before bed (Drake et al., 2013)
7:00 PM	Finish a moderate dinner; skip alcohol	Avoid large meals and alcohol before bedtime (CDC)
8:30 to 9:30 PM	Warm shower or bath, 10 minutes or more	1 to 2 hours before bed (Haghayegh et al., 2019)
9:30 PM	Dim the lights, cool the bedroom	Darkness supports melatonin (NCCIH)
10:00 PM	Phone and screens off; printed book	At least 30 minutes before bed (CDC)
10:25 PM	Write tomorrow's to-do list	5 minutes of specific writing (Scullin et al., 2018)
10:30 PM	Lights out	Same time every night (CDC)

What to Avoid Before Bed

• Caffeine after mid-afternoon, including coffee, energy drinks and strong tea (Drake et al., 2013).
• Large meals and alcohol late in the evening (CDC). If a big dinner leaves you sluggish, see why you feel tired after eating.
• Light-emitting screens in bed (Chang et al., 2015).
• A different bedtime every night (CDC).

For a list of light options, see our guide to what to eat before bed.

Can Food or Supplements Fit Into a Night Routine?

A light snack can. Our guide to foods with melatonin covers tart cherries, kiwifruit and nuts, and how much melatonin food actually holds. For more habits beyond the evening, read how to sleep better.

Some people add a supplement as the last step. Our Melatonin Nasal Spray provides 200 mcg of melatonin with 17 mg of L-theanine per two-spray serving, used 15 to 30 minutes before bedtime. Theanine Nasal Spray provides 36 mg of L-theanine per two-spray serving and is caffeine-free; our guide to L-theanine for sleep covers the research. The Sleep Stack pairs Melatonin Nasal Spray with Theanine Nasal Spray and Lithium Orotate in one bedtime routine. Our melatonin dosage guide covers timing, and our melatonin ingredient page and sleep health hub have more. Talk to your doctor before starting a new product if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or take medication.

If a warm drink is part of your wind-down, our guide to drinks that help you sleep covers which bedtime drinks have research behind them and which to skip.

When to Talk to a Doctor

A routine helps most people, but see your doctor if you often lie awake for a long time, wake up through the night, snore loudly, or feel sleepy during the day even after 7 or more hours in bed. Melatonin can cause headache, dizziness, nausea and sleepiness in some adults, and there has been a lack of research on its use in pregnancy and breastfeeding (NCCIH).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good night routine?

A good night routine is short and the same every night: caffeine cutoff in the afternoon, a lighter dinner without alcohol, a warm shower 1 to 2 hours before bed, dim lights, screens off 30 minutes before bed, a 5 minute to-do list and lights out at a set time (CDC).

How long before bed should I start my night routine?

Start the main wind down 1 to 2 hours before bed, which is when a warm shower or bath helped people fall asleep faster (Haghayegh et al., 2019), with your caffeine cutoff about 6 hours before bed (Drake et al., 2013).

Should I shower at night or in the morning?

For sleep, an evening shower or bath of 104 to 108.5°F (40 to 42.5°C), 1 to 2 hours before bed, has the evidence (Haghayegh et al., 2019).

Is it bad to use my phone before bed?

Light-emitting screens can delay sleep: an e-reader before bed meant taking longer to fall asleep and less melatonin than a printed book (Chang et al., 2015). The CDC advises turning devices off at least 30 minutes before bedtime (CDC).

What should I do 1 hour before bed?

Dim the lights, cool the bedroom, finish a warm shower if you have not already, and put screens away in the last 30 minutes (CDC).

What should I avoid before bed?

Caffeine within about 6 hours of bedtime (Drake et al., 2013), large meals and alcohol (CDC), and light-emitting screens (Chang et al., 2015).

Does writing a to-do list help you sleep?

In a sleep lab study, writing a specific to-do list for 5 minutes at bedtime helped young adults fall asleep faster than writing about completed tasks (Scullin et al., 2018).

What time should I go to bed?

Choose a time that gives you 7 or more hours of sleep before your wake time, and keep both the same every day (CDC).

Sources

1. Haghayegh S, Khoshnevis S, Smolensky MH, Diller KR, Castriotta RJ. Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2019. PubMed 31102877
2. Drake C, Roehrs T, Shambroom J, Roth T. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. J Clin Sleep Med. 2013. PubMed 24235903
3. Chang AM, Aeschbach D, Duffy JF, Czeisler CA. Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015. PubMed 25535358
4. Scullin MK, Krueger ML, Ballard HK, Pruett N, Bliwise DL. The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2018. PubMed 29058942
5. Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013. PubMed 23347102
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Sleep. CDC
7. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Melatonin: What You Need To Know (updated May 2024). NCCIH

Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for education only and is not medical advice.