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Sleep Hygiene: 19 Nighttime Rituals for Better Sleep

By Ethan Boldt

March 1, 2025

Part of our Sunday Recharge series, your go-to guide for starting the week feeling refreshed, balanced, and ready to take on whatever comes your way.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, one in three Americans report frequently not getting enough sleep. Around 35 percent of Americans get less than 7 hours of sleep a night, when 7 to 9 hours is recommended by most healthcare professionals.

Meanwhile, whether or not you belong to that 35 percent, there are many of us who just occasionally have a poor night of rest. Sometimes we can pinpoint the reason, but oftentimes not.

There are many reasons why we sometimes or frequently may have difficulty sleeping. Perhaps it’s stress, a noisy home, bad habits (such as watching TV until late), an early or late work schedule, etc.

Some solutions may be found by improving your so-called sleep hygiene, including adding some nighttime rituals that can hopefully lead to better rest.

You should always consult your healthcare professional prior to beginning any new dietary or lifestyle regimen.

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene describes a set of practices and habits that are created in order to promote good, restful sleep. The goal is to improve both the quality and duration of sleep, as well as lowering the likelihood of sleep disturbances.

Designing a bedtime routine, for example, is typically a main part of sleep hygiene. Creating a pre-sleep routine that you repeat can signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and sleep for a while. For some, it’s as simple as reading a book right before bed, around the same time each evening.

Sleep is important for many reasons. First, it allows for your body to recover and repair, which includes your muscles as well as many other parts of the body that need the rest. To function properly and even perform at a high level the next day, the brain, heart, immune system, hormones and more require good sleep.

19 nighttime rituals for better sleep

1. Stop caffeine consumption after mid-afternoon

Caffeine after 2 or 3 p.m. can get in the way of a good night’s rest. It may prevent you from falling asleep in the first place, cause you to sleep more lightly than usual, and see you wake more fatigued the next morning.

Most people sleep better if they limit caffeine during the afternoon and evening. Try to limit caffeine after 2 p.m. a few nights a week and see if that helps

2. Limit daytime naps

While the afternoon power nap (around 20 minutes) can be effective, longer naps are counterproductive to a sound nighttime sleep. If you’re really dragging in the afternoon, do the power nap but don’t go over 30 minutes. If you’re super tired in the early evening, just hit the sack early.

3. Have an early dinner but one that fills you

It’s a good idea to finish your meal around three hours or more before bedtime. Eating closer to your bedtime can cause reflux or sleep disturbances.

That being said, make sure it’s a filling dinner so you don’t go to bed hungry. While you don’t want to stuff yourself, simply try to have a balanced macronutrient dinner and maybe a little dessert afterwards so you will be satiated and happy.

Best foods that help you sleep? Turkey, chicken and fish are a good main dish paired with sprouted grains like brown rice, quinoa and oats, as well as some leafy greens.

4. Have a sleep supplement with that meal

There isn’t just one supplement that’s the magic formula for sleeping better. Instead, a combination of healthy lifestyle habits and sleep-supporting supplements can often support a more restful sleep.

There are three to consider:

• Ancient Herbals Sleep — Ancient Nutrition’s Stress and Sleep Support formula can help you to sleep more restfully due to its ability to support how your body adapts to stress. Its ingredients promote mental relaxation, help reduce stress, support healthy energy levels, and promote mental clarity and concentration. Adults can take two capsules daily.

• Multi Collagen Protein Beauty + Sleep — Ancient Nutrition MCP Beauty + Sleep formula features 10 types of collagen protein along with botanicals including organic ashwagandha and astragalus root for restful sleep support. Ashwagandha can help alleviate the effects of stress and tension. Add one scoop to warm water or nut milk. You can also try Collagen Beauty + Sleep capsules that can be taken with water at mealtime.

• Ashwagandha — Ashwagandha has been widely known for centuries in Ayurvedic traditions to promote better sleep, help reduce stress and promote a positive mindset. Ancient Nutrition’s USDA Certified Organic Ashwagandha can be taken in a convenient once daily tablet, such as with water or your favorite beverage.

5. Don’t have alcohol

While many people use alcohol to help them sleep, it actually can disturb the quality of your sleep, particularly by reducing REM sleep, increasing dreaming and causing urination frequency.

6. Avoid exercise before bed

While some people suggest exercising in the evening for a sound sleep at night, you don’t want to work out too close to bedtime. Why? Well, it will ramp up hormones in the body and potentially make it difficult for you to fall asleep.

7. Avoid screen time at least two hours before bedtime

A common nighttime ritual for better sleep is hitting the “off” button on your TV remote or smartphone. (Or just put it to sleep.) Blue light from these devices can interfere with melatonin production and trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime.

If two hours before bedtime seems unreasonable, make it at least one hour but make sure that you’ve activated the red-light filter so the blue light doesn’t jolt your brain awake.

8. Limit liquids before bedtime

A common nighttime ritual is a cup of herbal tea. While this is fine a couple of hours before bed, it’s not recommended after that because it can trigger the need to urinate in the middle of the night.

This also applies to that glass of water that so many people fill the urge to down before they head to bed. Instead, simply make sure you’ve been well hydrated two hours before bedtime, including during the day rather than suddenly having a lot of liquids in the evening.

9. Stick to a consistent bedtime

Did you hear the term “lights out” when you grew up? Well, as an adult, it’s important that you have a reasonable lights out time for your bedtime and stick to it.

Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can regulate your body’s natural sleep cycle and promote better sleep, including making it easier to both fall asleep at your chosen time and wake up 7 to 9 hours later. It'll also help turn you into a morning person.

10. Take a warm bath or shower

A warm bath or shower can be an effective relaxing routine an hour or so before bedtime. The warm water helps calm your mind and muscles, while afterwards your body temperature drops and may help you sleep sooner than usual.

Studies indicate that mimicking a nighttime drop in body temperature via a warm bath can cause a sleepy response.

11. Dim the lights early

Just like your body’s internal clock is helped by going to bed at the same time each night, it also takes cues from both light and darkness. This system is termed our circadian rhythm, which is a 24-hour cycle.

When it’s dark outside, our clock tells our body to produce melatonin and help us get ready to sleep. Dimming the lights around the house, especially in your bedroom and bathroom where you get ready for bed, can help cue your brain to get ready to sleep.

12. Keep a clean, organized bedroom

A messy bedroom can mean a messy mind, which is not what you want before you try to sleep. Overall, you want to try to have an orderly bedroom, even if the rest of the house isn’t quite as organized. An organized, neat bedroom will help calm you when you enter it each evening before bed.

So do your best to keep that bedroom together. Maybe even turn it into a sleep sanctuary. And before bed, maybe a quick tidy up before your final nighttime rituals are followed.

13. Make sure your bedding is season appropriate, clean and made

Similar to the bedroom being organized and clean, it’s the same story with your bedding. If you’re warm or cold, you’re not going to sleep as well. So make sure you have the right type of sheets and weight of duvets, for example.

Of course, there’s nothing like clean sheets when going to bed. They made you feel like luxuriating in bed, which is far preferable to climbing into dirty sheets.

Contrary to what most people do, you ideally wash your sheets weekly, as they can accumulate skin flakes, sweat and dust mites over the nights relatively quickly. If you have pets that sleep on the bed, every four days is suggested.

14. Make your sleep environment comfortable in terms of temperature, sound, scents and light

Making your sleep environment as comfortable as possible can pay major sleep dividends. First, make sure the bedroom temperature is cool enough to allow for a sounder sleep. Setting the thermostat to around 65 degrees is about right. Some people like it colder in wintertime to save on heating costs and also use their warm blankets, and it can be the reverse in summertime.

You also want your bedroom to be quiet, so if you have roommates or family in other bedrooms, make sure they respect your bedtime. If you’re in a noisy part of the city, consider using thick curtains to muffle some of the outdoor sounds. A good pair of earplugs may also work well.

Consider using an aromatherapy diffuser for essential oils dropped into the water. Lavender and cedar wood are two essential oils that are well suited for bedtime.

Lastly, keep your bedroom relatively dark until the time you wake up. Get semi-blackout curtains that can block outdoor lights but also sunshine that may wake you up too early otherwise.

15. Wash your face and brush your teeth

Okay, most of us brush our teeth before bed, right? But too many folks skip the washing the face ritual. Ideally this is part of your daily skincare routine for better skin, plus the ritual will calm your mind.

For some, putting on their pajamas, then washing their face and brushing their teeth are the last three things they do before climbing into bed. It works!

16. Keep it in the bedroom

Ideally, the bedroom is for sleeping, reading and intimacy, nothing else. Don’t binge your favorite TV show on your tablet, work on your laptop or doomscroll on your phone in bed.

17. Calm your mind

Worried about tomorrow? Had a rough day? Try meditation before bed, such as mindfulness meditation by simply closing your eyes and focusing on your thoughts and feelings. Don’t judge your thoughts, just observe them.

You can also practice visualization and keep breathing as part of meditation. You may also try some light yoga stretches next to your bed to help your body and mind relax. Try the child’s pose, legs up the wall, cat-cow pose and happy baby pose.

18. Journal or jot down a quick to-do list

Still not calm enough to be ready to sleep? Consider journaling a little bit or jotting down a quick to-do list for tomorrow. It can be restorative and help settle your worries.

One study noted that a simple to-do list of action items for the next few days helped speed up sleep onset for most participants.

19. Read a chapter of a book

Last but not least, reading can help promote sleep for many people. For some, it harkens back to childhood. This doesn’t mean an ebook but an old-fashioned book and ideally not one that is disturbing or suspenseful. Make sure your bedside lamp uses a soft, amber light.