You can have an iron will and still struggle to sleep if you don’t have a solid bedtime routine. Most people find that their body runs best with cues and routines. In fact, did you know that if you create a better evening routine for better sleep, you can benefit from lower all-cause mortality?
That’s right. A recent study of over 60,000 people has proven this to be true for those within the top 20% for sleep regularity. In addition, a bedtime routine for adults also helps one lower the risk of developing depression and anxiety. For example, the same study has shown that consistent sleepers have a 38% lower risk of developing depression and a 33% lower risk of developing anxiety.
So, given that a better sleep routine can be hugely beneficial, you likely want to learn how to sleep better with a routine. That’s why our team at This Is J is sharing how to build a wind-down routine and sleep hygiene tips alongside the science of sleep onset and optimising your sleep. With this information, you should have a better idea of how to fall asleep faster, enjoy sounder sleep, and wake up feeling fresher.
How to Sleep Better with a Routine: The Science of Sleep Onset
Before you can fully understand how to create a better sleep routine, you need to learn more about the science of sleep onset. With sleep onset, three things need to line up. The first thing is your circadian rhythm. This is your internal clock, which releases melatonin throughout the evening and signals to your body that the day is ending. Then, the second thing is your core temperature. This naturally drops when you start to sleep.
Afterwards, the third thing is conditioned cues. These are learned associations your brain builds between certain signals and sleep. According to sleep scientists, the last one is the basis for stimulus control. This is a cornerstone of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, and it is why a consistent routine works so well. So, naturally, if you repeat the same wind-down routine often enough, the steps themselves start to make you sleepy and signal it's time for sleep.
The Three-Hour Wind-Down
Some of us are privileged to simply go to sleep the moment we climb into bed, and our heads hit the pillow. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t as lucky. We need to follow the three-hour wind-down window to help our bodies get used to the approach of sleep. Here’s a look at what experts recommend for a better night's rest:
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Three hours out: You’ll want to finish your last proper meal and your last coffee three hours before bed. This is because caffeine lingers for hours and a heavy late meal keeps your body busy digesting when it should be cooling down for sleep. Both can make sleep difficult if you don’t stop three hours before bedtime.
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Ninety minutes out: You’ll want to begin dimming the lights and easing off screens about ninety minutes before bed. If you keep things bright, the light signals your brain it's still daytime, which helps hold back melatonin. So replace your screentime with a different hobby or a warm bath. A 2019 meta-analysis found that bathing one to two hours before bed helps people fall asleep faster, by nudging along the core-temperature drop that sleep depends on.
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Thirty minutes out: This is when you need to run your comfort ritual. You’ll want to change into sleepwear that is breathable, stretchy, and moisture-wicking. You’ll also want to try doing something calming like reading, meditating, practicing yoga, or listening to calming music. These activities help your body register that the day is genuinely over.
Then, when it's approaching the three-hour mark, you should get into bed. But you’ll want to make sure the room is cool and dark. You should also only get into bed when you’re actually sleepy to avoid a restless night.
The Comfort Cue
You’ll want to make sure you have a comfort cue in your bedtime routine because it's, believe it or not… scientifically supported. In science, stimulus control shows that your brain learns to link consistent signals with sleep, as we said, and a comfort cue can help with better rest.
So, changing into sleepwear you only wear to bed can become one of those signals. It can create a distinct line between day and night, telling your nervous system to stand down. However, the trick is consistency and comfort.
If what you change into is scratchy or too warm, it works against you. Luckily, our comfortable bamboo pajamas are breathable and temperature-regulating. So, they help rather than hinder your routine.
What to Do When You Can't Fall Asleep
Sometimes even with a sleep routine, sleep can allude you. When this happens, you need to forego lying there hoping sleep will come, as this can make it worse.
According to sleep scientists, the fix is getting up after 20 minutes if you were unable to fall asleep and feel too wired. If you get up, you should go to another room. There, you must do something calm and boring in dim light until you feel sleepy again. When this happens, you can go back to bed.
Although it sounds backwards, it keeps your bed from becoming a place your brain associates with frustration, and it protects your routine.
Building Consistency
Perhaps the most important thing you need to do when building a sleep routine is being consistent. The easiest way to build this consistency is to set a wake-up time and stick to it, even on weekends.
This one simple act is the anchor that will hold your entire routine together because it sets the timing for everything else, including when you naturally get sleepy at night. You also should give your sleep routine a few weeks before you judge it, since your body needs time to learn the new pattern.
Common Routine Mistakes
It's only human to make mistakes. If you’re trying to build a better sleep routine, you’re likely to make a few. Here’s a closer look at a few of the most common that you can try to avoid:
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Different sleep times. When you wake up matters more, but if you go to sleep at wildly different times, this can confuse your internal clock.
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Using a phone before sleep. If you use your phone in bed, it can train your brain to stay alert when it should be winding down.
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Recognizing the wrong patterns. In many situations, treating a single good or bad night of rest as proof of anything sets you up to quit too early.
The Wrap-Up On Building a Better Sleep Routine
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the science behind sleep. We hope you also know how to build a better sleep routine now. However, don’t feel too much pressure to build the whole routine overnight. Sleep routines take time. If you try to overhaul everything at once, it's the fastest way to give up.
So, try to pick what feels most important for your routine and start from there. For instance, you could begin by getting yourself a set of Canadian-made pajamas that are comfortable and that you look forward to sleeping in. This small move is a step in the right direction because it signals to your brain that change is happening. Then, once this is achieved, move on to the next thing. For instance, cutting off caffeine or setting a specific wake-up time.
If you do this, your wind-down will eventually become a habit. It is this habit that finally gets you the sleep that willpower alone never could.
