Everyone keeps telling you how important sleep is.

Get enough sleep. Prioritize sleep. Go to bed earlier. Stop looking at your phone two hours before bed. The list of tips is endless.

And yes, sleep matters enormously for your physical and mental health.

But when you’re trying to figure out how to sleep better, something is missing from a lot of the advice:

Not getting enough sleep doesn’t mean you’re not trying.

You may already go to bed hoping this will be the night you sleep through. You may be exhausted and still find yourself wide awake. If you often feel tired but your mind won’t switch off, I wrote more about that wired-but-tired feeling in midlife here.

You may have tried going to bed earlier, putting your phone away, skipping that afternoon coffee, or wondering why something that seems so natural can suddenly feel so difficult.

You can’t force yourself to sleep. In fact, trying harder can make your sleep issues worse.

But you can experiment with creating conditions that make it a little easier for your body and mind to settle.

And that doesn’t mean you need a perfect two-hour evening routine.

I’m not a sleep specialist, and these aren’t rules for the perfect night’s sleep. They’re simply practical things that have helped me wind down, especially in midlife, when sleep can sometimes feel less predictable than it once did.

Think of them as ideas to experiment with. Pick what appeals to you, notice what helps, and leave the rest.

The goal isn’t to become better at bedtime. It’s to discover what helps you wind down.

8 Simple Ways to Help You Sleep Better and Wind Down

1. Keep a Regular Bedtime for Better Sleep

Your bedtime doesn’t have to be exactly the same every night. But going to bed at around the same time most nights can give your body a more predictable rhythm.

Instead of deciding you should be in bed by 10 because that’s what someone else’s evening routine looks like, pay attention to when you naturally start to feel tired.

What bedtime works well for you? And how often do you push past it?

Sometimes the first step towards better sleep isn’t adding anything at all. It’s noticing when your body is already telling you it’s ready for bed.

2. Give Your Phone a Bedtime Too

Your phone may be one of the easiest places to create a little more quiet.

You could set Sleep or Do Not Disturb mode to come on automatically at 9 p.m., for example. Messages and notifications can wait until morning, and because you’ve set it in advance, you don’t have to make that decision every night.

This doesn’t mean your phone has to disappear into another room at 9 p.m. You’re simply creating a little less opportunity for the outside world to keep demanding your attention.

3. Create a Small Ritual to Help You Wind Down

Think less perfect nighttime routine and more something that signals that the day is coming to an end.

Take a warm shower and massage your favorite body lotion into your skin instead of rushing through it. Run a warm bath, add a calming scent you enjoy, light a candle, and give yourself permission to stay there for a while. Dim the lights and put on some music that helps you relax.

Or try a few gentle evening stretches. You might spend a few minutes with your legs resting against the wall, letting your body settle after a busy day.

You don’t need to do any of these. They’re simply ideas you can try.

Choose what feels good to you and ask yourself: What helps me shift from doing to resting?

It doesn’t have to take long. You’re simply creating a little transition between being “on” all day and going to bed.

4. Make Yourself a Soothing Tea

Making tea can become a ritual in itself.

Put the kettle on, choose a caffeine-free tea you enjoy, pick your favorite mug, and sit down in your favorite spot to drink it.

The tea itself may not even be the most important part. Maybe it’s those ten quiet minutes when you’re no longer answering messages, tidying the kitchen, thinking about tomorrow, or doing something for someone else.

5. Create a Bedroom That Supports Rest and Sleep

Think about how your bedroom feels when you walk into it at the end of the day.

Small details can make it feel more inviting: bed linen you love, colors that make the room feel calm, softer lighting in the evening, or simply keeping the space around your bed relatively uncluttered.

Even what you wear can become part of the transition. A nightgown or pair of pajamas that feels comfortable and beautiful can be another small signal that the working part of your day is over.

You don’t need to redecorate your bedroom or buy anything new. Start with what you already have and notice what makes the space feel good to you.

What would make your bedroom feel more like a place you can retreat to at the end of the day?

Sometimes winding down isn’t only about what you do. It’s also about the environment you create around yourself.

6. Put What’s in Your Head Onto Paper

Sometimes your body is in bed while your mind is still very much in the middle of the day.

Tomorrow’s meeting. Something you forgot to do. A conversation you had three days ago. The email you need to send in the morning.

If this sounds familiar, try putting some of it onto paper before you go to bed.

You don’t need to write three pages or keep a beautiful journal. A few lines or bullet points may be enough.

Ask yourself: What is still taking up space in my head? What can wait until tomorrow?

Sometimes writing something down is simply a way of telling yourself: I don’t need to hold onto this tonight.

7. Try Gratitude or Meditation — If They Actually Calm You

A short meditation, a few slow breaths, or listing three things you’re grateful for can be lovely ways to end the day.

But you don’t need them for a good night’s sleep.

If meditation makes you restless or gratitude journaling starts to feel like another task you need to complete, choose something else. Maybe you’d rather doodle for a few minutes.

A practice is only calming if it actually feels calming to you.

8. Read a Chapter of a Book You Love

Reading can create a lovely boundary between the day’s activities and sleep.

And it doesn’t have to be educational, productive, or useful. Read because you enjoy reading. Pick a book that captivates you.

Maybe one chapter is enough. Maybe it’s five pages before your eyes start closing.

Let that be enough too.

Winding Down Doesn’t Have to Start at Bedtime

Sometimes what makes it difficult to settle at night isn’t the last hour of your day. It’s everything you’ve carried with you through the hours before it.

That’s one reason I like creating small moments to pause during the day too. You don’t have to wait until bedtime to notice how you’re feeling or give yourself a few minutes to settle.

If you’d like to experiment with that, my free 3-Minute Morning Reset is a simple place to start. It’s a short guided audio you can use at the beginning of your day to pause, check in with yourself, and start from a calmer place.

Try the free 3-Minute Morning Reset →

It won’t guarantee a better night’s sleep. But creating short pauses and moments of calm throughout your day may be worth exploring alongside what you do in the evening.

What If You’re Sleeping Enough but Still Wake Up Tired?

One more thing is worth paying attention to.

If you’re getting enough sleep and still regularly wake up feeling exhausted or unrefreshed, don’t assume you simply need a better nighttime routine. It may be worth talking to your doctor.

Depending on your symptoms, they can help you decide whether something else could be contributing to your tiredness and whether further checks make sense.

Sometimes the answer isn’t another sleep tip; it’s finding out what your body might be trying to tell you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sleeping Better

What can I do before bed to help me sleep better?

No single nighttime routine works for everyone. You might experiment with going to bed at roughly the same time, reducing notifications in the evening, taking a warm bath or shower, reading, journaling, gentle stretching, or creating a bedroom that feels calming and inviting. Pick one or two things that appeal to you and notice what actually helps you wind down.

How can I wind down before bed?

Start by noticing what helps you shift from doing to resting. That might be dimming the lights, putting your phone into Sleep mode, listening to calming music, making tea, reading, or simply sitting quietly for a few minutes. You don’t need an elaborate nighttime routine for it to count.

Why do I still feel tired after getting enough sleep?

If you’re getting enough sleep but still regularly wake up feeling exhausted or unrefreshed, it’s worth discussing it with your doctor. They can help you explore whether something other than your bedtime habits could be contributing.

One Last Thing: You Don’t Need to Do All Eight

In fact, please don’t turn this list into another eight things you think you should be doing.

Pick and choose.

Maybe tonight you put your phone into Sleep mode and read for ten minutes. Tomorrow you might want a long shower and an early night. Another evening, you might need tea and a few minutes of quiet.

Different days may need different things.

Instead of asking, What should my nighttime routine look like?, try asking:

What would help me wind down tonight?

Then notice what happens.

You may discover one or two small things that consistently help you move from day to night.

And that’s really what you’re looking for.

You don’t need another routine to get right, but a few ways to make it a little easier to rest.