If you've been waking up feeling like you barely slept, you're definitely not alone. We often look for the next supplement or gadget, but in reality some of the biggest improvements come from small changes to your evening routine.
Deep sleep isn't something you can force. Your body naturally moves into it when it receives the right signals that the day is ending. Light, temperature, and even what's happening in your mind all play a part.
None of these ideas are revolutionary, and you don't need to do all of them at once. I'd actually recommend trying just one for a few nights before adding another. Consistency tends to matter far more than having the "perfect" bedtime routine.
1. Make your evenings feel like evening
Modern homes are bright right up until we switch the lights off and expect to fall asleep five minutes later. Unfortunately, our brains don't work like that.
One of the strongest signals for sleep is darkness. Bright lighting in the evening can delay melatonin production, making it harder to feel naturally sleepy. A Harvard study found that typical room lighting before bed shortened people's nightly melatonin window by around 90 minutes compared with dim light.[1]
Temperature matters too. As bedtime approaches, your core body temperature naturally starts to fall. A slightly cooler bedroom supports this process and makes it easier for your body to transition into sleep.[2]
You don't need to sit in complete darkness. Simply dimming lamps, using warmer light instead of bright white LEDs, and cooling the bedroom a little can make a noticeable difference.
Try tonight: Lower the lights and cool the room around 30–60 minutes before bed.
2. Have a warm shower before bed
This one always seems backwards.
If sleeping in a cool room helps, why would warming yourself up first make any sense?
The answer is what happens afterwards. A warm shower or bath brings blood closer to the skin. As you cool down afterwards, your core temperature drops, reinforcing one of your body's natural sleep signals.
A review of 17 studies found that a warm shower or bath around 40–42.5°C approximately 90 minutes before bedtime helped people fall asleep about ten minutes faster.[3]
Personally, I also find it creates a clear mental separation between the day and the evening. Even if you've been working late or staring at a screen, a warm shower can feel like hitting a reset button before bed.
Try tonight: A warm shower or bath roughly 60–90 minutes before going to sleep.
3. Get tomorrow out of your head
Have you ever climbed into bed feeling exhausted, only for your brain to suddenly remember everything you need to do tomorrow?
Instead of trying to ignore those thoughts, write them down.
In a Baylor University sleep laboratory study, participants who spent five minutes writing a detailed to-do list before bed fell asleep faster than those who wrote about tasks they'd already completed. Interestingly, the more detailed the list, the quicker they tended to fall asleep.[4]
I've found it works best with pen and paper rather than a notes app. It avoids another reason to pick up your phone, and once it's written down your brain doesn't have to keep rehearsing it.
Try tonight: Spend five minutes writing tomorrow's tasks before getting into bed.
4. Treat caffeine like it has a bedtime too
Most people know coffee can keep them awake, but many underestimate how long caffeine stays in the body.
Research has shown that caffeine consumed even six hours before bedtime can reduce objectively measured sleep by up to an hour.[5] Perhaps the surprising part is that many people don't even realise their sleep has been affected.
Everyone responds differently. Some people can drink an espresso after dinner without noticing, while others struggle after an afternoon cup. If you're trying to improve your sleep, it's worth experimenting with an earlier cut-off.
I generally think it's easier to move your last coffee forward than to give it up completely.
Try tonight: Keep caffeinated drinks to the morning or early afternoon and switch to decaf later in the day.
A couple of extra habits worth mentioning
These aren't miracle fixes either, but together they help reinforce your body's natural sleep rhythm.
Try to wake up at roughly the same time every day. A consistent wake-up time helps keep your internal body clock stable, even if bedtime occasionally varies. Sleeping in for hours at weekends can make Monday mornings feel a bit like jet lag.
Get outside early if you can. Natural daylight, especially in the morning, is one of the strongest signals for setting your circadian rhythm. Even 10–20 minutes outside after waking can help reinforce when your body should feel alert during the day and sleepy at night.
Keep the bedroom for sleep where possible. If you regularly work, scroll social media or watch TV in bed, your brain starts associating your bed with being awake instead of sleeping. It isn't always practical, but making the bed feel like a place reserved mainly for sleep can help over time.
Start with one change
It's easy to read a list like this and think you need to overhaul your evenings overnight.
You probably don't.
Pick whichever habit feels easiest and stick with it for a few nights. Once it becomes automatic, add another if you want. Better sleep usually comes from lots of small improvements rather than one magic solution.
If you're looking to make your bedroom even more sleep-friendly, explore our Sleep Essentials Collection for products designed to support a comfortable and relaxing bedtime routine.
Sleep well.
The research
Every tip above is based on published scientific research.
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Gooley JJ, et al. Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2011. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21193540/
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Harding EC, Franks NP, Wisden W. The Temperature Dependence of Sleep. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2019. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.00336/full
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Haghayegh S, et al. Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31102877/
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Scullin MK, et al. The Effects of Bedtime Writing on Difficulty Falling Asleep: A Polysomnographic Study Comparing To-Do Lists and Completed Activity Lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2018. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5758411/
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Drake C, et al. Caffeine Effects on Sleep Taken 0, 3, or 6 Hours before Going to Bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24235903/
