Creating a Relaxing Bedtime Routine for Better Sleep

Some nights, getting into bed is the easy part.

Actually switching your brain off? Not so much.

You might be physically exhausted while your mind has suddenly decided that 11:47pm is the perfect time to revisit something embarrassing you said in 2018, think about tomorrow's to-do list, and wonder whether you ever replied to that email.

If that sounds familiar, creating a relaxing bedtime routine can help make the transition from a busy day to bedtime feel a little easier.

It doesn't need to involve a complicated 12-step wellness ritual, expensive gadgets, or going to bed at 8pm. A good bedtime routine can be simple: lower the stimulation, make yourself comfortable, and give your body and mind some time to wind down.

Here are a few ideas for building one that you'll actually want to stick to.

Why Have a Bedtime Routine?

Our bodies don't instantly switch from busy to asleep just because we've climbed under the duvet.

Light, activity and our everyday routines all help influence when we feel awake and when we start feeling sleepy. Doing similar calming things before bed each night can also create a familiar transition between daytime and sleep.

The important word here is calming.

Answering work emails from underneath the duvet probably doesn't count.

Neither does telling yourself you'll watch one TikTok and resurfacing 47 minutes later knowing everything about a stranger's kitchen renovation.

Instead, try giving yourself around 30 minutes before bed where nothing particularly exciting is expected of you.

A Simple 30-Minute Bedtime Routine

There isn't one perfect routine that works for everybody. If you already know that meditation makes you impatient or that you'll never consistently do 20 minutes of bedtime yoga, you don't have to.

The best bedtime routine is probably the one you'll actually keep doing.

Here's an easy place to start.

Minutes 0–10: Make Your Bedroom Feel Like Bedtime

Start by changing the environment around you.

Put your phone down. If possible, charge it somewhere you won't automatically reach for it. You don't necessarily need to banish every screen from your life at sunset, but reducing bright light and stimulating content before bed may make winding down easier.

Lower the lights. Swap bright overhead lighting for softer lamps if you can.

Keep things comfortable. A bedroom that is dark, quiet and comfortably cool generally makes for a more sleep-friendly environment.

You don't need to transform your bedroom into a Scandinavian spa every evening. You're simply giving your brain fewer reasons to stay switched on.

Minutes 10–20: Let Your Body Wind Down

Next, do something physically relaxing.

A warm shower or bath can be a lovely part of a bedtime routine. Gentle stretching can also help if you've spent the day sitting at a desk, driving, standing or generally existing in a body that now seems to have developed approximately 14 new aches.

Keep it gentle.

This isn't the time to attempt a personal best.

Try a few comfortable stretches, change into your favourite pyjamas, wash your face, brush your teeth and start making everything feel unmistakably like the day is ending.

Minutes 20–30: Give Your Brain Something Quiet to Do

This is often the difficult bit.

Your body is in bed.

Your brain has other plans.

If tomorrow's jobs are circling around your head, try writing them down. A notebook beside the bed gives you somewhere to put a thought without needing to keep mentally rehearsing it.

Then choose something deliberately low-key.

Read a few pages of a book. Listen to something calming. Cuddle something soft. Do some slow breathing. Lie there and enjoy the revolutionary experience of not doing anything productive for ten minutes.

If breathing exercises work for you, you could try simply breathing in slowly and making your exhale a little longer than your inhale. There's no need to turn relaxation into another thing you have to perform perfectly.

Make Comfort Part of the Routine

There's a reason many of us have particular blankets, pillows or ridiculously old soft toys that we're reluctant to part with.

Comfort matters.

Creating a relaxing bedtime routine isn't only about removing things like screens and bright lights. It's also about adding things that make bedtime feel safe, familiar and cosy.

That might mean:

• your favourite blanket;
• comfortable pyjamas;
• a warm drink without caffeine;
• a book you've been enjoying;
• a familiar scent;
• or something soft and comforting to cuddle.

And yes, this is the part where the cows come in.

A weighted plush like McCuddle can provide a reassuring combination of softness, weight and something wonderfully cow-shaped to hold while you're settling down for the night.

We're not going to tell you that cuddling a cow will magically cure insomnia.

We are going to tell you that cuddling a cow is considerably nicer than cuddling your phone.

We consider that progress.

Don't Try to Make Your Bedtime Routine Perfect

This is probably the most important part.

If your bedtime routine becomes another rigid list of things you're supposed to achieve every evening, you've rather defeated the point.

You don't need:

8:31pm: herbal tea
8:37pm: gratitude journal
8:43pm: seventeen stretches
8:51pm: become spiritually enlightened
9:00pm: immediately unconscious

Some evenings you'll manage the whole routine.

Some evenings you'll brush your teeth, put your phone down and read for ten minutes.

That's still a routine.

Consistency is more useful than perfection.

What If You Still Can't Sleep?

Even with a lovely bedtime routine, there will occasionally be nights when sleep simply isn't happening.

Try not to turn it into a battle.

If you've been lying awake for a while and you're becoming frustrated, getting out of bed and doing something quiet in dim light until you feel sleepy again can be more helpful than spending hours staring angrily at the ceiling.

Keep things boring and relaxing rather than returning to work, scrolling through your phone or starting an episode of something you'll inevitably need to finish.

Then head back to bed when you begin feeling sleepy.

If difficulty sleeping is persistent, significantly affecting your life, or you're concerned about your sleep, it's worth speaking to a healthcare professional rather than relying solely on lifestyle changes.

Building a Bedtime Routine You'll Actually Enjoy

Ultimately, creating a relaxing bedtime routine isn't about finding a magical formula for perfect sleep.

It's about making the end of your day quieter.

Put some distance between yourself and the notifications. Lower the lights. Get comfortable. Write down whatever your brain is refusing to let go of. Read something. Breathe. Give yourself permission to stop doing things for a little while.

And, if you happen to do all of that while cuddling a very soft weighted cow?

Well.

We might know where you can find one.