Nightly Routine: 13 Tips for Better Sleep

Wind-down time is as important to your night as sleep, as it's a transition period from your daily activities to sleep. A relaxing routine will rest your mind and heart rate so that when you go to bed you won't lie awake trying and failing to sleep. The one or two hours before bed should be your time for activities to prepare yourself for sleep.

Why a nightly routine matters for sleep and recovery

A consistent nightly routine is a powerful signal to your body and mind that it's time to shift into rest and repair. This wind-down period helps regulate your circadian rhythm, lower your heart rate, and activate your parasympathetic nervous system. By preparing your body for sleep, you improve your ability to fall asleep faster, achieve more restorative slow wave and REM sleep, and wake up with a higher Recovery.

Make consistency your foundation

Having a regular bedtime is just as important for adults as it is for children. Set your bedtime, whether it's 9 pm or 1 am and stick to it. A consistent sleep schedule can get you more and better quality rest and may lower your risk for heart disease.

A set bedtime ensures you're getting enough sleep. Adults generally need 7-9 hours of sleep each night, but the amount you need is highly individualized. On average, WHOOP members get about 7 hours and 11 minutes of sleep for every 8 hours and 2 minutes they spend in bed.

Optimize your pre-sleep nutrition and hydration

Eating simple carbs after dinner may help you fall asleep faster. Foods like potatoes, toast with peanut butter, low-fat cheese and crackers, almonds, bananas, or yogurt are easy to digest and may be sleep inducing. Avoid sugary or high-fat foods and spicy foods that are difficult to digest.

Avoid eating 2-3 hours before bedtime. Sticking to a regular dinner time regulates your circadian rhythm and improves sleep efficiency. When WHOOP members report eating close to bedtime, they get 26 fewer minutes of sleep, 3% less REM sleep, and their next-day recovery dips by 10%.

Eating within an hour or two of going to bed can affect your time spent asleep, amount of REM sleep, and next day's recovery.

Warm milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that plays a role in producing serotonin and melatonin. If you're on a plant-based diet, try chamomile tea, which contains apigenin—an antioxidant that promotes sleepiness and reduces insomnia. Both options can help you relax before bed.

Coffee drinkers should avoid caffeine in the afternoon. Some people are so sensitive they should stop before noon. You can experiment by stopping earlier and tracking how it affects your sleep in the WHOOP Journal.

Alcohol may make you feel sleepy, but it's detrimental to quality sleep. Sleep is an active process and alcohol inhibits those processes. Alcohol prevents you from getting enough REM sleep and deep sleep as your body metabolizes it. Alcohol has a significant effect on the quality of your resting heart rate while you sleep.

Create a tech-free, sleep-friendly environment

Working remotely often means less separation between work and sleep. Avoid working in your bedroom if possible. Maintaining a separate space for sleep lets you mentally associate your bedroom with relaxation.

Plan technology-free time before bed. Blue lights from televisions, computers, and phones inhibit melatonin production and affect your circadian rhythm. Social media can also create anxiety and depression — emotions you don't want when trying to sleep.

Incorporate relaxation to calm your body and mind

Gentle activities like yoga can calm your mind and heart rate as you prepare for bed. One survey found that most adults reported improved sleep after practicing yoga and 85% said it reduces stress. Try relaxing positions such as child pose, reclined butterfly, or sitting cross-legged and breathing for five minutes.

A sound machine for white or pink noise can drown out disruptive sounds. The steady background hum may keep you from waking throughout the night. Turn on the sound machine as part of your routine to signal to your brain that it's bedtime.

Writing in a diary helps organize your mind, decrease overthinking, and allows you to fall asleep faster. If you're prone to staying awake with anxiety, organizing your thoughts on paper may help calm you. You can also journal about positive experiences to redirect your mind.

Like yoga and journaling, meditation decreases resting heart rate and improves heart rate variability. Meditation also promotes neuroplasticity.

Consider supplements to support your sleep

Magnesium helps your body relax by inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system. Magnesium deficiencies have been connected to sleep disorders. If you're not getting enough in your diet, a supplement may aid your sleep.

WHOOP members average 15 more minutes of sleep per night when they use magnesium, 2% more REM sleep, and a 8% higher recovery the next morning.

Magnesium has a positive effect on time spent asleep, amount of REM sleep, and next day's recovery.

Melatonin is a widely used sleep supplement produced naturally in the pineal gland. It aids the regulation of your sleep cycle and circadian rhythm. Melatonin alerts your systems that it's time to sleep by binding with receptors in your body and brain.

WHOOP members report 34 more minutes of sleep each night when they take melatonin, 2% more REM sleep, and an 11% higher recovery.

Melatonin does not put you to sleep, but taking the supplement does have a positive impact on your sleep.

Measure what matters: track your routine's effectiveness

Learn which pre-bed activities work best by monitoring your wind-down routine with the WHOOP Journal. Each morning you can log nightly activities and see how well they work for you. Track the use of a sound machine or blue-light blocking glasses and learn the results from your Monthly Performance Assessment.

WHOOP members can log their nightly routine behaviors and track how they affect their recovery.

Build your routine with WHOOP

Building a better nightly routine is a process of discovery. It's about finding the combination of behaviors that works for your unique physiology. By using the WHOOP Journal to log your habits and monitoring their impact on your Sleep and Recovery, you can move from guessing to knowing.

Frequently asked questions about nightly routines

What is the best nightly routine?

The best nightly routine is personalized and consistent. It typically includes a set bedtime, avoiding stimulants like caffeine and alcohol, disconnecting from screens, and incorporating relaxation activities. Find what helps your body wind down and stick with it.

What is the 10-3-2-1 rule for sleep?

The 10-3-2-1 rule is a guideline to time your pre-bed activities. 10 hours before bed: no more caffeine. 3 hours before bed: no more large meals or alcohol.

2 hours before bed: no more work. 1 hour before bed: no more screen time.

How long should a nightly routine be?

A nightly routine can be effective in as little as 30 minutes, but many people benefit from a 60 to 90-minute wind-down period. This gives your body and mind time to transition away from daily activities. Experiment to find the duration that leaves you feeling most relaxed and ready for bed.