Sleep Hygiene: Your Wind Down Routine Matters More Than You Think

So you've committed to a bedtime. Awesome! That's a fantastic start. But here's the thing—you can't just expect to go from scrolling TikTok or answering work emails straight into dreamland. Your body needs a runway, a signal that it's time to shift gears. This is where sleep hygiene comes in, and no, it's not only about showering before bed (though that does work).

Sleep hygiene is basically everything you do in the 1-2 hours before your bedtime that either sets you up for success or completely sabotages your sleep. And trust me, most people are unknowingly sabotaging themselves every single night.

Let's start with the obvious culprit: screens. Your phone, tablet, TV, laptop—they're all blasting blue light directly into your eyeballs, which tells your brain "Hey! It's daytime! Stay awake!" Your brain responds by suppressing melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy. So that "just one more episode" or late-night Instagram scroll? You're literally fighting against your own biology. If you can't completely avoid screens (and let's be real, most of us can't), at least dim them way down or use blue light blocking glasses. Better yet, set a screen curfew an hour before bed.  I wear blue light glasses starting at 8 pm, and my bedtime is 9:30 pm.  This allows my brain to start producing melatonin, all while I write my evening journal into my laptop.

Next up: caffeine. I know, I know. You've heard this before. But did you know caffeine has a half-life of about 6 hours? That means if you have coffee at 3 pm, half of that caffeine is still in your system at 9 pm. For some people, it's even longer. If you're struggling with sleep, try cutting off caffeine by noon and see what happens. You might be surprised.  I used to drink pre-workout before my 1 pm gym sessions, but no more.  I keep my caffeine now to before 9 am and that has really helped.

And while we're talking about what you put in your body—alcohol. Yes, it makes you drowsy. Yes, you might fall asleep faster. But alcohol absolutely destroys your sleep quality. You'll spend less time in REM sleep (the restorative kind), and you'll likely wake up in the middle of the night. If you're serious about sleep, alcohol close to bedtime has to go. Sorry, I don't make the rules—biology does.  Years ago when I was a new doctor, we used to recommend one glass of red wine with dinner for resveratrol, blood pressure reduction, etc.  No more.  Alcohol has been found to have ZERO health benefits, so it’s time to give up the sauce.  Your sleep will thank you.

Now here's what you SHOULD be doing in that wind-down period. Your goal is to signal to your body that it's time to relax. This looks different for everyone, but here are some ideas: dim the lights in your house (bright overhead lights are also telling your brain it's daytime), take a warm bath or shower (the drop in body temperature afterward actually promotes sleep), read a paper book, do some gentle stretching, meditate, journal. Find what works for you, but make it a ritual. Your body loves routines and will start to anticipate sleep once you establish a consistent wind-down.  My routine involves starting with a 25 minute infrared sauna (also helps recover from strength training), then a shower, then put on blue light blockers and write my evening journal on my laptop.  Once that’s done, I put away all screens and read paper books on the couch (none of this is done in my bed, see below) and finally I get so sleepy I crawl into bed.  I also do dim the lights once I put on the blue light blockers, which really quiets the mind.

Temperature matters too. Your bedroom should be cool—like 65-68 degrees cool. I know it sounds chilly, but your body temperature naturally drops when you sleep, and a cool room facilitates this. Plus, there's nothing worse than waking up hot and sweaty at 2 am.  I have an 8 Sleep bed that keeps my temperature managed, love this bed and it was a game changer investment.

And speaking of your bedroom—it should be dark. Really dark. Blackout curtains are your friend. Even small amounts of light can disrupt your sleep. If you can see your hand in front of your face, it's too bright. Cover those little LED lights on your electronics, get rid of the nightlight, embrace the darkness.  If you think all that is just too much work, wear a well-fitted sleep mask.  I wear mine when the moon is full and shining through my shutters, works like magic.

One more thing that people don't talk about enough: your bed is for sleep (and sex). That's it. Not for watching TV, not for working on your laptop, not for scrolling through your phone. When you do all these wakeful activities in bed, your brain starts associating your bed with being awake and alert. You want your brain to link your bed with sleep, period.  It’s tempting, you want to read in bed, I get it.  But no.  I have a chair in my bedroom that is my designated wind down spot, and I only crawl into bed once I literally can’t hold my eyes open any more.  Reading somewhat boring or calming material helps this dramatically.

Look, I get it. These changes feel restrictive. The teenager in you is rebelling again. But here's the deal—you can either make these small adjustments now, or you can continue to struggle with sleep and wonder why nothing else in your health journey is working. Because remember, without sleep, nothing else works.

Start with one or two changes. Maybe it's the screen curfew and cooling down your bedroom. Get consistent with those, then add another. You don't have to be perfect, but you do need to be consistent. Your future self—the one who's sleeping through the night and waking up actually refreshed—will thank you.

Next time, we'll talk about the morning routine that sets your circadian rhythm up for success. But for now, start building your wind-down routine. See you next time!