Everyone Benefits from a Bedtime Routine. Here’s How to Build One You’ll Actually Stick With

Odds are, you probably associate a bedtime routine with childhood—splashing in a bubble bath, reading Goodnight Moon with your mom or dad, and turning on the nightlight to ward off monsters. But it turns out that adults can majorly benefit from a nightly routine, too. 

But how do you make a bedtime routine that actually works and is something you’ll truly stick with? We asked two sleep doctors for their insights and recommendations. Spoiler alert: Nailing a bedtime routine isn’t rocket science—it just might require some experimentation to find what works for you. 

What Is a Bedtime Routine?

A bedtime routine is essentially exactly what it sounds like: a collection of activities you habitually do before going to sleep. 

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), having a relaxing bedtime routine is an important habit for better sleep. The specifics of one’s routine differ from person to person; a 2023 survey from AASM found that some of the most common activities people did before hitting the hay include turning off electronics before bed (30 percent), reading (29 percent), taking a bath or shower (39 percent), and trying to go to bed at the same time every night (34 percent).

Benefits of Having a Bedtime Routine

There are several health and wellness benefits to maintaining a consistent bedtime routine, experts say. Here’s the lowdown:

1. It Prepares Your Body for Sleep

Having a consistent bedtime routine can help prepare your brain and body for rest, says Sarah Silverman, PsyD, a psychologist and holistic sleep specialist. “Consistent activities before bed become a ’cue’ or signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep, often resulting in the ability to fall asleep more easily,” she explains.

That’s because doing relaxing activities habitually before bed sets a “positive” association with sleep, says Joshua Tal, PhD, a licensed psychologist and sleep therapist based in New York City and New Jersey. It also tells your body that it’s safe to rest, he says. “We really want to trick our bodies in some way to think that it is safe and it’s fine,” Tal explains. 

This is especially true for people with insomnia (a sleep disorder where one struggles to fall or stay asleep) because research shows they tend to have more arousal (aka being alert and activated) and less sleepiness at bedtime. People with insomnia likely need extra help and intention about winding down during the evening to help get their bodies and minds ready for sleep. 

2. It May Help Reduce Stress

Having a relaxing bedtime routine “may also help lower your overall stress level by providing a predictable and calming end to your day,” Silverman says. Stress is associated with poor sleep quality and insomnia, so by taking purposeful steps to de-stress before bed, you might get a better night’s rest.  

3. It’ll Help You Sleep Better 

“Consistent bedtime routines usually lead to consistent sleep schedules, which, in turn, promotes good quality sleep,” Silverman says. 

4. It Can Support Your Fitness Goals

Research shows that fitness improves sleep quality, and that people who sleep better tend to exercise more. But did you know that your sleep—which is when your body rests and repairs itself—can impact how hard you can go during your workout, too? 

The longer you sleep at night, the more time your body has to regenerate and build muscle tissue, according to the American Council on Exercise. Plus, your body digests carbs while you’re fast asleep, which are then metabolized into glycogen and used to power future muscle contractions. Good quality rest can even help keep you physically healthy: A 2020 review of studies in the journal Sleep Medicine Clinics suggests that poor sleep may predict injuries and hinder performance among athletes.

How to Build a Bedtime Routine That You’ll Actually Stick With

Tal is adamant that there is no one “right way” to get ready for bed. Instead, he says that there are many different “ingredients” that support relaxation and sleep, such as taking a relaxing bath, meditating, or using a lavender spray on your pillow. He argues that people should experiment with those “ingredients” to come up with a personalized “sleep menu,” or a list of practices they enjoy that they can choose from before bed.  

“[The ideal bedtime routine] will vary on an individual basis because we all have unique preferences for what we find relaxing,” Silverman agrees. Some people might like to read, while others might prefer to watch a familiar TV show to help them fall asleep. And that’s extremely OK, both experts say—it’s all about what works for you. 

You also don’t need to feel like you have to have an extremely regimented routine in order to fall asleep, Silverman says. “Your bedtime routine doesn’t have to be anything elaborate or fancy to be considered a good routine to support healthy sleep; it would ideally involve engaging in an activity that is both enjoyable and calming to you.”

Need some inspiration? Both experts share ideas of what you can add to your sleep menu to make a bedtime routine that legitimately works for you.  

1. Pick a Goal Bedtime (and Try to Stick with It) 

Adults typically need at least seven hours of sleep per night (although some people might want or need more). To facilitate this, Silverman recommends doing your best to go to bed at the same time every night. “I typically tell my patients that it’s great to have a bedtime goal in mind, plus or minus an hour depending on the day,” she says. (This handy bedtime calculator from AASM can help you figure out the right time for you, and even your kids, to hit the recommended sleep goals.)

Having a set bedtime can help you be consistent with your nightly routine, too. Knowing that you want to be in bed by 10 PM, for example, gives you a clear framework from which to start your bedtime routine. You can then set a recurring alarm at 9 PM to remind yourself to start getting ready for bed (more on this below), or turn on automatic sleep mode settings on your devices to help you start that transition.   

That said, don’t beat yourself up if you can’t always meet that bedtime goal. “In an ideal world, we would all be able to go to bed at the same time every night, but realistically—given family, kids, partner, work responsibilities, etc.—it helps to have some flexibility and know that your sleep won’t be completely ruined if it doesn’t happen at the exact same time every night,” Silverman says. Think of it as a goal, not an essential.  

2. Try Some Relaxing Movement 

Some people might struggle to fall asleep after working out at night, particularly if you go for an intense HIIT workout that requires a longer cooldown time. But Silverman says that yoga or gentle stretches before bed “may help to release any tension, which may make it easier to fall asleep.” (The Peloton App has thousands of guided yoga and stretching classes that fit the bill.)

3. Take a Warm Bath or Shower 

Having a cooler body temperature is a key part of falling and staying asleep—it’s why a lot of us struggle to sleep in hot weather. Silverman says that taking a warm bath or shower about an hour and a half before bed “has been shown to have a cooling effect on core body temperature throughout the night,” which can help improve sleep quality and make you fall asleep faster. That might seem surprising—doesn’t a warm bath heat you up?—but experts believe that after warming up in a shower or bath, your body works hard to shed heat so you cool down. 

4. Unwind with Meditation or a Mindfulness Activity 

When it’s time for bed, stress is the enemy of sleep. That’s why Silverman recommends practicing calming activities before bed. “I really like journaling or adult coloring books, as both activities serve as a way to stay focused on the present moment,” she says. “This is a helpful approach to winding down for sleep since sleep is a passive process that you can’t force; you can instead focus on the present, which helps take some of the pressure off of having to fall asleep at a certain time. Sleep is more likely to happen this way.”

Journaling not for you? Tal personally prefers reading before bed to unwind. You might also like one of these mindfulness exercises, many of which you can do from bed. Or, turn to a sleep meditation on the Peloton App to decompress.

5. Watch Some TV If That Works for You

You might be surprised, but both sleep experts said that watching TV (or listening to music or a podcast) is totally fine before bed if it works for you. “While there may be a lot of buzz about screen use to fall asleep, I believe that for a lot of people, especially for those who struggle with insomnia, that watching a comfort show or listening to a podcast/audiobook, etc. can be a very helpful tool to get to sleep easier,” Silverman says. The key is the content itself, she says—if scary or tense stuff keeps you up at night, that’s probably not the right choice for bedtime viewing.  

6. Put Away Your Phone 

Tal says he personally tries to put down his phone before bedtime, but not necessarily for the reason you’d think. Similar to Silverman’s advice on watching TV before bed, “what matters the most [with screen use] is the content, not the blue light,” Tal explains, since what you’re doing on your phone can trigger stress and anxiety, which can make it harder to fall asleep. (Blue light exposure, which can impact your circadian rhythm, is typically more of an issue for people who are jet-lagged, Tal says.)  

If you have your phone in bed because you use it to listen to a comforting podcast, great. But if you’re just going to doom-scroll through your Instagram feed or start drafting work emails, it’s a good idea to keep your phone charging out of reach instead of bringing it to bed with you. Or install a focus app, which is designed to set strict time limits and schedules for anything on your device that you consider “distracting.” 

7. Track What Works (and What Doesn’t) In a Sleep Diary 

Remember, the ideal bedtime routine involves figuring out what works best for you. Doing that will involve a bit of trial and error. “The best thing you can do is keep a sleep diary,” Tal says. “Try something out for a week, and then try a different variation the next week…mess around and see what works,” he says. Keep track of it all in that diary. 

Not only does this help you figure out what works, but it can also help you reframe nights where you don’t sleep well. “Look at one bad night as data to know what you’re doing next,” Tal suggests. 

How Long Before Falling Asleep Should You Start Your Bedtime Routine?

Silverman says that starting your bedtime routine about an hour before falling asleep is “ideal.” That said, you don’t always need that much time—so don’t restrict your schedule to get that perfect hour. 

“Even if you only have 15 or 20 minutes to wind down, that is perfectly fine,” she says. “Most of us need a little bit of time to signal the end of our day and when it’s time for sleep. Even a short bedtime routine can still be helpful to facilitate sleep onset.” 

Tips for Making Your New Bedtime Routine a Habit

1. Stay Consistent Where You Can

As with any new habit, it’s important to be consistent. Ping-ponging back and forth between different bedtime activities night after night, or constantly changing your ideal bedtime, might make it harder for your brain to establish (and stick with) your routine. 

“It may help to stick with one or two of the same activities each night, so the activities become hard cues or signals for the brain to associate with sleep,” Silverman says. If you’re experimenting with different tactics as Tal recommended earlier, don’t change too much at once—try something for a week before changing or adding onto it. 

2. Set a Bedtime Alarm

This is a great way to remind yourself to, you know, actually start your bedtime routine. “Sometimes we need a little nudge or reminder to set a boundary between our busy day and bedtime,” Silverman says. She recommends setting an alarm for about 30–60 minutes before bed, depending on how much time you have to wind down. A recurring reminder on your phone works as well.

3. Allow for Some Flexibility

Don’t get too obsessive or prescriptive with your routine, Tal says. “There are some nights where you won’t be able to do your perfect bedtime routine and that’s normal. That is OK,” he says. It’s not the end of the world if you only have 10 minutes to get ready for bed, or if you don’t do everything on your list. Nor should you miss out on other things that are important to you—like getting dinner with friends or celebrating a family member’s birthday—because it potentially interferes with your bedtime routine. “We sleep to live, we don’t live to sleep,” Tal says.  

The Takeaway

Finding the best bedtime routine requires some experimentation to figure out what works for you to relax and unwind after a long day. But having some kind of routine can be helpful to support better overall sleep, which can set you up for success during your waking hours. Test out different wind-down techniques for your bedtime routine, such as relaxing stretches or a warm shower, and keep track of what works best for you and your Zzzs (and what doesn’t).

If you’ve tried everything and you’re struggling to sleep, it’s a good idea to talk to a medical professional. Tal recommends talking to your healthcare provider about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia—it’s a research-backed, short-term treatment that many people find helpful for falling and staying asleep

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.