Duration of your routine

• It can calm an overactive mind.
• You can think, plan and prepare for tomorrow, so you don’t lie awake worrying about details when you go to bed.
• By repeating a regular pattern, you can train your body and mind to unwind ready for bed.
• Many activities people do in the evening can be overstimulating. So a bedtime routine helps you avoid doing those things and relax instead.

It’s up to you to decide how long your routine will be, based on the amount of time you feel it takes you to relax.

It may be, for example, that by the time you’ve put the kids to bed and tidied up, 15 minutes is enough time. If you do have more free time and suffer from regular sleep problems, maybe 30 to 60 minutes would be better.

• They stimulate your brain.
• The light that some devices emit might affect your internal body clock. If you can’t separate yourself from your phone, at least put the blue light filter on and dim the screen brightness.
• They can be addictive, eating into even more sleep time.
• Checking emails, the news and even social media at night can create worry and stress.

In a survey of 2000 readers of this website, 58% said they couldn’t fall asleep because of their busy minds. Another 24% similarly said it was worry, stress or anxiety keeping them up.

If you struggle with this too, then doing some relaxation exercises before you go to bed, or when in bed, can help enormously.

It’s fine to relax with a good book in bed. Many people find that this in itself helps them sleep.

The alternative is to read in another room for a while, perhaps with a relaxing drink, and then continue in bed once you start feeling sleepy.

Whilst it’s important to avoid screens, listening to music before bed is a great idea. Preferably not music which is too exciting or emotional though.

Write down your worries and points you need to remember for the next day, before going to bed.

That way you know you won’t forget anything important, and you can relax.

It’s a good idea to avoid caffeine, alcohol and sugary drinks before bed.

But drinking one of the many relaxing herbal teas is a good way to spend some quiet time, perhaps whilst reading or listening to music.

If you find yourself hungry at night it’s ok to have a light snack before bed. 

Prayer, yoga, meditation

If you find that engaging in spiritual activity brings you peace and clarity of mind, then doing it before getting into bed is an ideal time.

If you live with others, why not spend some time before bed talking or playing a quiet game? 

If you can, try to resist the temptation to all be using a phone or electronic device in the same room without talking to one another.

It takes many people between 20 and 30 minutes to fall asleep. So if you’re still awake after half an hour, it could be that you’re just not ready to sleep yet.

It might help to get up, go into another room, have dim lighting only and repeat some of your routines. After 15 minutes, you can go back to bed and try to fall asleep again.