Last updated: October 2026
A good bedtime routine for adults is the same few calming steps, in the same order, over the last 30 to 60 minutes before bed. Dim the lights, put screens away, do something relaxing such as reading, a warm shower or a breathing exercise, and keep a consistent bedtime and wake time, even at weekends.
Below: a step-by-step 60-minute wind-down with the evidence for each step, a three-step quick version, routines for late shifts, ADHD and insomnia, a checklist you can screenshot, and the common mistakes that keep you awake. This guide is for adults; children’s bedtime routines are a different subject.
Why a bedtime routine works
Your brain learns from patterns. Do the same quiet things in the same order every night and they become a cue that the day is over. The NHS says going to bed and getting up at similar times each day helps your body know when it’s time to sleep, and that this applies on days off too.
It’s the practical, nightly side of sleep hygiene: the habits are the “what”, the routine is the “when” and “in what order”. Regular evenings also keep your circadian rhythm steady. Start by fixing your wake time, then work back to find your bedtime; our sleep calculator does the maths. Your evening routine for better sleep starts an hour before that.
The 60-minute bedtime routine, step by step
The table assumes lights out at 11pm; shift the times to suit you. The wind-down itself is the last hour.
| When | What to do | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| By 5pm (6 hours before bed) | Last coffee, tea, cola or energy drink | In a sleep study, a large dose of caffeine (400mg) taken 6 hours before bed still disrupted sleep. The NHS insomnia advice is no tea or coffee for at least 6 hours before bed. |
| 8pm to 9pm | Finish your main meal; keep alcohol light or skip it | The NHS says large meals close to bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep, and that alcohol disrupts sleep. Drinkaware notes alcohol interrupts the sleep pattern your body needs to repair itself. |
| 9.30pm (90 minutes) | A warm bath or shower, 10 minutes or more. Like a soak? See Epsom salt baths | A 2019 review of 17 studies found a warm bath or shower (40 to 42.5°C) 1 to 2 hours before bed was linked to falling asleep faster and better rated sleep. Warming up helps your body cool down afterwards, which is part of falling asleep. |
| 10pm (60 minutes) | Screens away, main lights off, lamps on | The NHS suggests not using phones, tablets or computers for an hour before bed. In a lab study, ordinary room light before bed delayed the release of melatonin, the hormone that signals night, in 99% of people. |
| 10.10pm (50 minutes) | Write tomorrow’s to-do list for 5 minutes | In a sleep lab trial, people who wrote a specific to-do list fell asleep faster than those who wrote about tasks they’d already done. |
| 10.15pm (45 minutes) | Tidy up, set out tomorrow’s things, make a warm caffeine-free drink | Fewer loose ends to think about, and a simple, repeatable cue. |
| 10.30pm (30 minutes) | Something calm: a paper book, music, a podcast, gentle stretching | The NHS lists reading, calming music, podcasts and breathing exercises as good ways to relax. Readers of a light-emitting e-reader took longer to fall asleep than readers of a printed book. |
| 10.50pm (10 minutes) | Teeth, bathroom, into a cool, dark, quiet bedroom | The NHS advises a quiet, dark, cool room, with clocks hidden and your phone on silent and face down. |
| 11pm | Lights out; a breathing or relaxation exercise if your mind is busy | Try 4-7-8 breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. If you like background sound, see brown noise vs white noise. |
You don’t need every step. Pick the ones that fit your evening, keep the order the same, and give it two to three weeks before judging it.
The warm drink step
A warm, caffeine-free drink is one of the easiest anchors for a night routine. The NHS suggests a warm milky drink or herbal tea instead of tea or coffee; see our best tea for sleep.
If you want a supplement as part of your routine, our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a berry-flavoured powder you stir into water, made with magnesium bisglycinate and citrate, glycine, L-theanine and chamomile. Magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal psychological function. More on forms and timing in magnesium for sleep.
Our Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex is a reishi hot chocolate made with cacao, so it contains a little natural caffeine. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, have it earlier in the evening, for example after dinner, rather than as your last drink before bed.
Some people also add our Sleep CBD Oil, which pairs broad spectrum CBD with passion flower and a myrcene-led terpene blend, to their evening. CBD isn’t a treatment for sleep problems, and it’s no substitute for the habits in this guide. Read what the research does and doesn’t show in CBD for sleep.
The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.
Our products are for adults only, and we don’t recommend them during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
If you only do three things
Busy evening or a late finish? This short version covers the essentials.
- Same wake time every day, weekends included. It anchors everything else.
- Phone out of reach for the last hour. Charge it in another room or across the bedroom and use a basic alarm clock.
- One calming cue in the same order each night, such as a warm shower, then a few pages of a book with the main light off.
If you tend to stay up late just to get some time to yourself, that’s a pattern with a name: revenge bedtime procrastination. Building some time for yourself into the early evening makes the wind-down easier to stick to.
Routines for shifts, ADHD and insomnia
After a late or night shift
The HSE suggests shift workers follow a routine similar to the one they’d use before a normal night’s sleep: a short walk, a book, music or a hot bath, no caffeine for a few hours beforehand, a light snack rather than a heavy meal, and no alcohol, as it lowers the quality of sleep. Use blackout blinds or an eye mask, and earplugs or white noise for daytime sounds. Keep it to 20 to 30 minutes so you’re not up for hours after getting home. More in shift work and sleep.
With ADHD
Finding it hard to organise your time is one of the signs of ADHD the NHS lists in adults, and that can make “start winding down at 10pm” easy to miss. The NHS advises people with ADHD that a regular bedtime and a quiet, dark bedroom can help, and to avoid screens, caffeine, sugar and alcohol close to bedtime. Practical ideas that make a routine easier to follow:
- Set an alarm for the start of your wind-down, not just for bedtime.
- Keep a short visual checklist by the bed or on the bathroom mirror.
- Make the first step easy and automatic, such as putting your phone on its charger outside the bedroom.
- If you take ADHD medicine and sleep is a problem, talk to your prescriber about timing rather than changing it yourself.
With insomnia
A routine is a good foundation, but if you’ve had trouble sleeping for months, or changing your habits hasn’t helped, the NHS says to see a GP. The first recommended treatment for long-term insomnia is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which helps you change the thoughts and habits that keep you awake. NICE recommends the digital CBT-I programme Sleepio in primary care, and a GP can tell you what’s available locally. Sleeping pills are rarely prescribed, and only for short periods.
Two NHS tips matter even more if you have insomnia: only go to bed when you feel sleepy, and get up at the same time every day, even after a bad night. Read more in our insomnia guide.
Your bedtime routine checklist
Screenshot this or print it and keep it by your bed.
- ☐ Last caffeine at least 6 hours before bed
- ☐ Main meal finished well before bed, not last thing
- ☐ Warm bath or shower 1 to 2 hours before bed (optional)
- ☐ Screens away and main lights off 60 minutes before bed
- ☐ Tomorrow’s to-do list written down
- ☐ Clothes, bag and keys ready for the morning
- ☐ Warm caffeine-free drink
- ☐ 20 to 30 minutes of something calm: book, music, stretching
- ☐ Bedroom cool, dark and quiet; phone on silent and out of reach
- ☐ Lights out at the same time; breathing exercise if needed
- ☐ Alarm set for the same wake time as every other day
Common mistakes
- Lying in bed awake for ages. The NHS says if you’re still awake after about 20 minutes, get up, sit somewhere comfortable and do something calm, then go back to bed when you feel sleepy. See how to fall asleep fast.
- Big weekend lie-ins. The NHS advice is to keep similar bed and wake times even on days you’re not working, so your body clock doesn’t drift.
- A nightcap. Alcohol may make you drowsy, but Drinkaware notes it interrupts the sleep pattern your body needs.
- “Just one more” scroll or episode. Fast, endless content keeps your brain switched on. See doomscrolling.
- Watching the clock. Turn it away from you so you’re not counting the hours.
- Hard exercise late at night. The NHS insomnia advice is no exercise in the 4 hours before bed; if late workouts affect your sleep, move them earlier.
- Making it too complicated. A 12-step routine you skip is worse than three steps you do every night.
Related guides
- If you’re regularly sleeping much more than 9 hours, read is oversleeping bad for you?
- Adding bath flakes? See magnesium flakes for the bath for amounts and timing.
- A scent can become a bedtime cue: see how to use lavender for sleep.
- Thinking of adding the TikTok lettuce drink to your routine? Read does lettuce water work?
- A calm, regular routine is also the first step for preventing night terrors.
- Living with ringing ears? See how to sleep with tinnitus.
- If worry about sleep itself keeps you awake, see our guide to sleep anxiety and anxiety at night.
- Not sure when to start winding down? Read the best time to sleep for adults.
- ADHD and sleep for why it’s hard to switch off and more tips.
- For the last step of your wind-down, follow our meditation for sleep script.
- A body scan for sleep is an easy way to finish your wind-down once the lights are off.
- How to fix feeling tired but wired at night.
- For a light bedtime snack with some research behind it, see kiwi for sleep.
- See also our guide to sleep masks, including how to choose one and keep it clean.
- How to use ASMR as part of your wind-down.
- Slow music can be a calming part of your wind-down: see does music help you sleep?
- Can’t sleep even with a good routine? See why can’t I sleep to find the likely cause.
FAQs
What is a good bedtime routine for adults?
The same few calming steps, in the same order, over the last 30 to 60 minutes before bed: dim the lights, put screens away, have a warm caffeine-free drink, read or listen to something calm, and go to bed and get up at consistent times.
How long should a bedtime routine be?
Around 30 to 60 minutes works for most adults. The NHS suggests relaxing for at least an hour before bed. On busy nights, even 15 minutes of the same steps is better than none.
What time should adults go to bed?
Work back from the time you need to get up. If you wake at 7am and want about 8 hours in bed, aim for lights out around 11pm and start your wind-down at 10pm.
Is it better to shower at night or in the morning for sleep?
For sleep, evening is better. A 2019 review found a warm bath or shower 1 to 2 hours before bed was linked to falling asleep faster, even when it lasted only around 10 minutes.
Is watching TV before bed bad for sleep?
Bright screens and gripping content can keep you alert. The NHS suggests avoiding phones, tablets and computers for an hour before bed. If you watch TV, choose something gentle and switch off before your wind-down.
What should I do if I can’t sleep after going to bed?
If you’re still awake after about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm in dim light, such as reading, then go back to bed when you feel sleepy. If it keeps happening for months, see a GP.
Sources
- NHS Every Mind Matters. How to fall asleep faster and sleep better.
- NHS. Insomnia.
- NHS. ADHD in adults.
- NICE. Sleepio to treat insomnia and insomnia symptoms (HTG624, formerly MTG70).
- Health and Safety Executive. Hints and tips for shift workers.
- Drinkaware. Health benefits of drink-free days.
- Haghayegh S, et al. Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev, 2019.
- Drake C, et al. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. J Clin Sleep Med, 2013.
- Gooley JJ, et al. Exposure to room light before bedtime suppresses melatonin onset and shortens melatonin duration in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2011.
- Chang AM, et al. Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. PNAS, 2015.
- Scullin MK, et al. The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: a polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. J Exp Psychol Gen, 2018.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex, Sleep CBD Oil and Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex.
