A wind-down hour that doesn't feel like homework

Search for a bedtime routine and you'll get a list of fifteen rules. No screens for two hours. A bath at a specific temperature. Journaling. Herbal tea. Stretching. Reading a paper book by a warm lamp. It's lovely in theory, and almost nobody does it for more than a week.

The idea underneath is sound, though. Your body doesn't switch from busy to asleep in a moment. It needs a run-up, and the same run-up every night becomes a cue that sleep is coming. So keep the idea and drop the homework.

Pick a time, not a list

The single most useful habit is a fairly consistent time to get up, weekends included. Your body clock anchors to that more than to bedtime. Once wake-up time is steady, the right bedtime tends to show itself: it's when you start getting properly sleepy.

Then set a reminder for about an hour before that. That's when the wind-down starts.

Three things, not fifteen

Choose three things you'd actually like to do, and do them in roughly the same order. For example:

1. Close the day. Check tomorrow's first thing, plug in the phone somewhere other than the bedside table, lock up, and set the alarm. Getting the "did I lock the gate?" thoughts out of the way before bed stops them showing up at midnight.
2. Lower the lights. Switch off the bright overheads and use lamps. It's a strong, easy signal that the day is ending.
3. Something slow. A shower, a book, a podcast, music, folding washing, a conversation. Anything that isn't a fast scroll through a feed.

That's it. If you miss a night, nothing breaks.

About screens

Screens aren't evil, but two things about them work against sleep. They're bright and close to your face, and the content is designed to keep you going. If you watch something, choose an episode rather than an autoplay feed, turn the brightness down, and stop when it ends. Night mode helps a little; the bigger win is stopping.

When you can't fall asleep

If you've been lying awake for what feels like twenty minutes or so, get up. Go somewhere dim, do something boring, and come back when you're sleepy. Lying in bed frustrated teaches your brain that bed is a place for lying awake. Don't check the time; it only adds pressure.

Caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine hangs around for hours. If you're struggling, try keeping coffee, tea and energy drinks to before lunch for a week and see what changes. Alcohol makes you sleepy but tends to break up sleep later in the night, so a nightcap often costs more than it gives.