Why is your evening routine more important than the number of hours?
Because the last hour determines how quickly you fall asleep and how restful your night will be. Your body needs a winding-down period, and you can guide that process. More hours in bed won't replace it.
Someone who works until the last minute and then turns off the light asks their body to make a transition it cannot easily make. A routine is simply making that transition predictable.
What does your body do in that last hour?
It winds down. Your body temperature drops, your melatonin production starts, and your attention becomes less sharp. Anything that interrupts this process postpones the moment of falling asleep.
Bright light is the most well-known disruptor, but not the only one. A heated discussion, work email, or news does the same through a different route. How these two interact is explained in why you have trouble falling asleep after screen use.
What does a workable evening routine look like?
In three steps, from bright and active to soft and predictable. What you do specifically is less important than that the sequence is the same every evening.
| Moment | Light | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Two hours before bed | Main lights off, accent lighting on | Finish work, no new tasks |
| One hour before bed | Soft and warm light | Calm content, no news or work email |
| Last twenty minutes | As little as possible | Something predictable, the same every evening |
Do you have to put away screens entirely?
No, and for most people, that's not realistic either. It's about the type of content and the amount of light, not the device itself.
Watching a series from a distance demands less of you than scrolling with your phone twenty centimeters away. If you are behind a screen, our SLEEP dampens the part of the light that inhibits your melatonin.
How long does it take before you notice a difference?
A routine works through repetition, so count on a week or two before your body recognizes the sequence. A single good evening means little.
Does one person react more strongly than another? Yes, and that's normal. The reason for this difference is explained in why not everyone reacts the same.
This article is intended as an explanation, not as medical advice. For persistent sleep problems, consult a general practitioner.
