The Ultimate Guide To Better Sleep: Upgrading Your Bedtime Routine

Updated February 3, 2026.

Our bedtime routine helps get us in the groove for sleep.

Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is a powerful tool for improving sleep quality and overall well-being. By creating a series of relaxing activities that you perform each night before bed, you gently signal to your body and mind that it’s time to wind down and prepare for rest. This routine helps regulate your body’s internal clock, softens stress and anxiety, and creates a transition period between the pace of the day and the quiet of sleep. Over time, a well-crafted bedtime routine can lead to falling asleep more easily, experiencing deeper and more restorative sleep, and waking up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

In this blog, we’ll explore how a thoughtful bedtime routine can support a good night’s sleep. From counting sheep to drifting off to la la land- our pre-bed ritual can help shape how we drift into slumber.

Bedtime Rituals to Support Better Sleep:

1. Evening Movement & Nervous System Care

More invigorating exercise is best saved for the early part of the day. However, gentle stretching and restorative yoga can have a beneficial and calming effect when done at night. Slow and gentle movement can communicate to our nervous system that we are winding down from the day, as well as releasing tension we may not realize we are holding.

2. Breathing, Stillness & Letting Go

Breathing exercises can help shift the body into the parasympathetic system, or the rest-and-digest mode. Sometimes this is as simple as taking five-ten slow, intentional breathes to downshift our nervous system, and step out of stress and into rest.

A simple breathing practice to try:

• Place one hand on your belly, and breathe slowly into it, noticing the gentle rise and fall with each breathe.
• Make sure your exhales are generally twice as long as your inhales.
• An easy rule of thumb is: a five-count inhale, a brief pause, and a ten-count exhale.
• Repeat 5-10 times.

There are many apps available that have user-friendly guided breathing and meditation when the mind feels busy.

3. Creating A Sensory Wind-Down

Taking a warm bath or shower before bed, can be a great way to soothe the nervous system. Adding magnesium salts (such as Deep Sea Minerals by LA Salt Co) to a bath can provide additional relief, calming muscles- as well as having the benefit of detoxification. Adding clays and essential oils can really enhance the sensory experience, creating calm for the senses. We love Osea’s Vagus Nerve Bath Oil. A splash of this aromatic soother to a bath, provides a direct line to relaxation through the body’s vagus nerve. A system increasingly recognized for its role in regulating stress and calm states. After a bath, try Kate McLeod’s Sleep Stone– for a deeply moisturizing, herbal blend of soothing lavender and warm chamomile providing an instant dose of calm.

4. Journaling & Practicing Gratitude

Keeping a journal can be helpful for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s a brain dump of to-dos from the day, solutions-based writing, or support for emotional processing. Writing it out can help clear your mind and prevent racing thoughts at bedtime. A practice of keeping a gratitude journal can help foster a sense of well-being and relaxation. Focusing on the positive, no matter how small- can help us have a better outlook.

We gush over how cute and functional these journals are by Papier.

4. Reading To Reduce Screen Time

We’ve arrived at the point that it’s necessary to differentiate between a REAL book and its blue-lite cousin. Getting into the habit of reading a (paper) book at bedtime can be a great way for us to put down the devices. Plus, it’s a trade-off from what can become an endless scroll at bedtime. (Guilty.) You’ll receive sleep-hygiene-bonus-points if you can keep the devices out of the bedroom altogether.

5. When Supplementation May be Helpful

Some of us may need additional support to achieve a solid night’s sleep. There are many natural supplements that one can experiment with. Magnesium is a great place to start. Magnesium its various forms, from ingestible to topical- has a calming effect on our minds and body. Additionally, many people are inherently deficient, which can lead to muscle spasms, anxiety, and headaches. [1]

There are also many other natural sleep supplements that take a comprehensive approach and include ingredients like L-theanine, GABA, and Valerian Root. Melatonin supplementation varies greatly by individual experience. Some have a melatonin “hangover” the next day. We carry Moon Juice’s Sleepy Magnesium-Om that has a micro dose of plant-based melatonin- that keeps it reliably in the natural range of our own melatonin production.

Momentous makes an effective Sleep supplement as well that features Magnesium L-Threonate-proven to cross the blood-brain-barrier, L-Theanine, and Apigenin: to calm the mind and reduce night-time waking.

Final Thoughts

Optimizing your bedtime routine is less about perfection, and more about consistency and care. Experiment with different activities and find what works best for you. With time, dedication, and curiousity your bedtime routine can become a natural and enjoyable part of your day, paving the way for restorative sleep and better mornings.

*Not medical advice, please follow-up with your preferred provider for personalized guidance

Check out our other sleep-centric blogs:
Better Health Starts with Sleep: What Science is Discovering
Creating A Sleep Sanctuary
Setting Yourself Up for Success Throughout the Day