# Bedtime Routine Checklist for Better Sleep

Good sleep is less about one big change and more about a repeatable routine — the same cues, in the same order, every night, until your brain learns that the routine means sleep. This twenty-point checklist builds that routine: light and screens, bedroom temperature, wind-down activities, and the habits that keep racing thoughts off the pillow. It is written for anyone who lies awake too long, wakes groggy, or knows their evenings work against their mornings.

## Resource

1. Set a fixed bedtime and keep it within 30 minutes daily
2. Dim lights in the house one hour before bed
3. Stop screens 30–60 minutes before bed, or use a blue-light filter
4. Keep the bedroom cool (around 18°C / 65°F)
5. Shower or wash your face as a wind-down cue
6. Brush teeth and do skincare at the same time nightly
7. Lay out tomorrow's clothes to cut morning decisions
8. Write tomorrow's top 3 tasks on paper, then stop thinking about them
9. Read a physical book for 10–20 minutes
10. Avoid caffeine after 2pm
11. Avoid heavy meals within 3 hours of bed
12. Keep the phone charging outside the bedroom
13. Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask
14. Use earplugs or white noise if the house is noisy
15. Stretch gently for 5 minutes
16. Practice slow breathing: 4 seconds in, 6 seconds out, 5 rounds
17. Keep a notepad by the bed for racing thoughts
18. No news or work email after the wind-down starts
19. If awake after 20 minutes, get up and read until drowsy
20. Wake at the same time every day, even weekends

## How to use

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