Create a “closing ritual”

Haphazard evening routines can have serious effects on our sleep. 

The right evening routine helps us wind down, relax, and get into a deep, restorative sleep—making us refreshed and ready for tomorrow.

When we close our eyes for the night, our mind cycles through different stages of sleep:

• Light sleep: Which is most similar to being awake
• REM (or Rapid-Eye-Movement): Where our minds are asleep but active and where dreams are most likely to happen
• Deep sleep: Where our mind is in “regeneration” mode

So many things can get in the way of us reaching deep sleep, from stress and burnout to late-night screen usage, eating late, and physical issues. To make sure we reach our deep, restorative sleep, we need a proper evening routine.

For most of us it is the mind, rather than the body, that disrupts restorative sleep.

To cleanse our mind of the leftover responsibilities of the day, we need to bring a mental wind down into our evening routine.

Your evening routine doesn’t simply need to be about relaxation. The reason those thoughts keep our brains active long into the night is usually because we feel some aspect of our life is out of our control.

Spend time in the evening to write down your 3 MITs (Most Important Things) for tomorrow. Add other preparations to your evening routine such as checking the weather and picking out your clothes for the day, packing your lunch, and tidying up a bit so you wake up to a clean house.

Your evening routine is a fantastic place to reflect on what you did today.

Writing down a list of positive events at the close of a day—and why those events made us happy—lowers stress levels and gives us a greater sense of calm at night.

Instead, pick up a book. Reading for as little as six minutes a day can reduce stress levels by up to 68%.

If you do want to watch a movie at night, try to work it into your schedule earlier in the evening. The goal should be to leave at least an hour or two before bed where you’re screen-free.

Going to sleep at a consistent time is an important part of our “sleep hygiene”—the practices that insure we get regular, deep sleep. 

Commit to a daily bedtime and waking time and try not to waver too far from them (even on the weekends).

A study from Albion College revealed that tasks requiring creative insight were consistently better during their non-optimal times of the day.

If you can’t sleep, you can at least use the time productively.

Buffer CEO, Joel Gascoigne likes to unwind with a brisk walk right before bed. He uses his walks to turn off his thoughts about work and slowly transition into a “state of tiredness.”

In most cases, you want at least a few hours between your last drink and your bedtime.

Excess noise and light can keep us awake. Temperature also plays a big role. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the ideal temperature for shut-eye is around 65 degrees.

When you lie in bed thinking for long periods of time, you teach your brain to automatically go into “thinking” mode rather than “sleeping” mode when you lie down. 

To break this connection, don’t try to fall asleep in bed for longer than 10–20 minutes. If you pass this threshold, get up, go into another room, and do something relaxing like reading or meditating until you feel sleepy again. Repeat this process as many times as necessary.