Lying in bed scrolling your phone for an hour — sound familiar?

You get under the covers and tell yourself just one more YouTube video, just one more short. Before you know it, it's well past midnight. If your nightly routine consists of nothing more than staring at a screen until your eyes finally close, it's no surprise that your sleep quality suffers.

The issue isn't willpower. Research consistently shows that what you do during the hour before sleep has a direct impact on how well you rest.

What Is Sleep Hygiene? It Starts One Hour Before Bed

The concept of sleep hygiene and why the pre-bed window matters

Sleep hygiene refers to the set of habits and environmental conditions that promote quality sleep. It includes factors like bedroom temperature, lighting, and caffeine timing.

The key takeaway is that good sleep doesn't start when you lie down — it starts before that. Your brain and body need a transition period to shift into sleep mode, and sleep researchers estimate this window at roughly 30 minutes to one hour.

4 Bedtime Routine Habits to Start Tonight

Blue light blocking: protect your melatonin

The blue light emitted by smartphones and monitors sends a signal to your brain that it's still daytime. This suppresses melatonin production, keeping you alert at the very time you should be winding down.

Simply putting your screen away 30 minutes to an hour before bed can help restore your natural melatonin rhythm. Night mode filters help a little, but the most effective approach is setting the device down entirely.

Body temperature regulation: flip the sleep switch with a warm shower

Using body temperature to promote sleep is surprisingly underrated. Your core body temperature naturally drops in the evening, and this decline is what triggers drowsiness.

A lukewarm shower or foot bath dilates the blood vessels in your skin, speeding up heat loss. The result is a faster drop in core temperature and a shorter time to fall asleep.

Mind dumping: get tomorrow's worries out of your head and onto paper

Lying awake while tomorrow's schedule and today's unfinished tasks swirl through your mind — everyone has been there. This kind of rumination is one of the biggest barriers to falling asleep.

A study from Baylor University found that spending just five minutes writing a to-do list by hand before bed significantly reduced the time it took to fall asleep. Transferring those floating thoughts onto paper helps the brain register them as "handled."

Light stretching and breathing exercises: activate the parasympathetic nervous system

As the final step in your bedtime routine, try light stretching or a breathing exercise. The goal is to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and ease your body into a relaxed state.

The 4-7-8 breathing technique (inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8) requires no equipment and can be done right in bed. Avoid vigorous exercise, which can actually increase alertness — gentle, slow stretches are all you need.

Consistency Is What Makes a Routine Work

Lock in your routine start time with Alarmy's bedtime reminder

A bedtime routine won't show results after just one or two tries. It needs to start at the same time every night so your body's internal clock can stabilize. After two to three weeks, your body will begin shifting into wind-down mode on its own.

The challenge is that busy days make it easy to lose track of time and miss your routine window. Setting up Alarmy's bedtime reminder gives you a nudge at the right moment — a simple notification that says "it's time to start your routine." Pair it with Alarmy's sleep routine feature, and you can build a consistent cycle from pre-bed preparation all the way through to waking up.

Start With Just One Habit Tonight

You don't have to tackle all four at once. Tonight, try putting your phone down just 10 minutes earlier than usual. One small change can be the starting point for better sleep.

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