Sleep is not a switch you flip at 11pm. It is a slow descent. The quality of your sleep depends almost entirely on the hour leading up to it.
- Set a wind-down alarm. Pick a time roughly one hour before you want to be asleep. When it goes off, the day is over.
2. Dim the lights. Bright overhead lights suppress melatonin. Switch to lamps, candles, or warm-toned bulbs.
3. Put your phone to bed. Move it to another room. The endless scroll is the real sleep thief.
4. Do something with your hands. Read a paper book. Sketch. Stretch. Journal. Make tea. Anything analog.
5. Cool the room, warm the body. Aim for 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. A warm shower an hour before bed helps your body release heat as it cools.
6. Climb in early. Get into bed 15 minutes before you want to be asleep. A weighted blanket does most of the work.
7. Three breaths, then let go. Inhale through the nose for four counts. Exhale through the mouth for six. Then stop counting. Sleep is not something you do. It is something you allow.
This routine will not work the first night. Sleep responds to patterns. Stick with it for two weeks before you decide whether it is working.