Things to do before sleeping: Optimizing Your Sleep for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing

In our fast-paced world, healthy sleeping often feels elusive. However, by incorporating science-backed practices and time-honoured wisdom into your nightly routine, you can enhance your sleep hygiene and improve your sleep-wake cycle, ultimately leading to better sleep and mental health. The benefits of restful sleep extend beyond simply feeling refreshed — they influence mental well-being and overall neuroscience.

Here are some helpful pointers to help you optimize your sleep and train your body to rest better. Pick a few and build on them to create consistency:

Create a Consistent Sleep Routine

Science: The body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm, thrives on consistency. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day improves your sleep quality by reinforcing the sleep-wake cycle, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

Ancient Wisdom: Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine emphasise routines for optimal health, recommending consistent sleep schedules aligned with the natural cycles of day and night.

Key Takeaway: Stick to a regular bedtime, even on weekends. This helps your body recognise when it’s time to wind down, making it easier to fall asleep.

Helpful Tools & Techniques to Consider

There are various tools and techniques that can support your sleep journey. Some tools are perfect for daily use as part of your regular sleep hygiene, while others can be used as an SOS for sleep deprivation. By experimenting with different approaches, such as sleep meditation, you can develop a robust strategy that suits your unique needs.

Reduce Blue Light Exposure

Science: Exposure to blue light from screens (phones, computers, TVs) suppresses melatonin production, the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to fall asleep. Studies suggest avoiding screens at least 30–60 minutes before bed.

Ancient Wisdom: Historically, evening activities were aligned with the setting sun, and artificial light was limited. Many ancient cultures recommended disconnecting from mental stimulation before rest.

Key Takeaway: Turn off electronics an hour before bed, or use blue-light-blocking glasses. Engage in relaxing activities like reading or journaling to improve sleep and prepare for mental well-being.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

Science: Progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and meditation activate the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering heart rate and promoting relaxation. Sleep meditation is one of the best practices to calm the mind.

Ancient Wisdom: Practices like yoga, meditation, and breathwork have been used for centuries to prepare the body and mind for restful sleep.

Key Takeaway: Incorporate relaxation techniques like deep breathing or guided sleep meditation into your bedtime routine. An example is the scientifically backed simple and quick ‘Reset Breath’ which switches on the parasympathetic nervous system (the calming nervous system).

Write Down Your Thoughts

Science: Writing down worries or a to-do list before bed reduces mental rumination and helps “offload” stress, making it easier to fall asleep.

Ancient Wisdom: Stoicism and many spiritual traditions encouraged reflection and journaling as a way to clear the mind and process the day.

Key Takeaway: Spend 5–10 minutes journaling before bed. This practice will help you clear your mind and improve sleep hygiene, leading to more restful nights and better mental health and wellbeing.

Prepare Your Sleep Environment

Science: A cool, dark, and quiet environment promotes better sleep. Research shows that the ideal temperature for sleep is around 15-19°C or 60-67°F.

Ancient Wisdom: Feng Shui, a Chinese practice, emphasises the importance of a calm, balanced environment to enhance rest and rejuvenation.

Key Takeaway: Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary by lowering the temperature, dimming lights, and removing any noise or clutter that could disturb your sleep.

Limit Caffeine and Heavy Meals

Science: Caffeine is a stimulant that can stay in your system for up to 6 hours, disrupting your ability to fall asleep. Eating heavy or spicy meals close to bedtime can also cause discomfort, affecting sleep quality.

Ancient Wisdom: Ayurveda recommends light meals in the evening to promote better digestion and sleep. Herbal teas, like chamomile or valerian root, were used to soothe the body before bed.

Key Takeaway: Avoid caffeine and heavy meals in the late afternoon and evening. Instead, opt for a light, sleep-friendly snack like almonds or a calming tea an hour before bed.

Wind Down with a Sleep Ritual

Science: Following a calming bedtime ritual signals to the brain that it’s time to prepare for sleep. This can lower cortisol levels and enhance melatonin production.

Ancient Wisdom: Many cultures had nighttime rituals, from lighting candles to saying prayers, as a way to transition into rest.

Key Takeaway: Create a wind-down ritual that suits you. This could involve stretching, reading, or listening to calming music. Repeating the same activities each night reinforces the association with sleep.

Avoid Alcohol as a Sleep Aid

Science: While alcohol may make you feel drowsy, it disrupts REM sleep and causes fragmented sleep, leading to poor overall rest.

Ancient Wisdom: Many ancient healing systems discouraged substances that disturb the body’s natural rhythms and recommended teas or herbal remedies to aid sleep instead.

Key Takeaway: Avoid using alcohol to help you sleep. Opt for natural sleep aids like herbal teas or magnesium supplements to promote deeper, uninterrupted sleep.

Engage in Light Reading or Mindful Content

Science: Reading a book (preferably non-digital) or engaging in light, calming content can distract the brain from stressful thoughts, making it easier to fall asleep.

Ancient Wisdom: Many spiritual traditions, such as Taoism or Stoicism, suggest reading philosophy or wisdom texts to cultivate a peaceful mindset before bed.

Key Takeaway: Opt for a light, inspiring book to promote a peaceful mindset before bed. Avoid engaging with stimulating content that could make it harder to stay asleep.

Visualise Relaxation

Science: Visualisation, or guided imagery, can lower stress and anxiety by focusing the mind on peaceful, positive scenes, reducing mental chatter.

Ancient Wisdom: Visualisation has been used in various spiritual practices as a way to cultivate inner peace and prepare the mind for deep rest.

Key Takeaway: Before sleep, visualise a peaceful place—a beach, a forest, or any calming scene. Imagine all the sensory details to mentally transport yourself into a state of calm.

Last Takeaway: Small Changes for Better Sleep

Science & Ancient Wisdom: Both modern research and ancient wisdom agree: good sleep is built on intentional, consistent habits. With small changes, you can significantly improve your mental health and wellbeing and overcome insomnia or sleep deprivation.

Key Takeaway: Incorporating these techniques into your routine can help you overcome trouble staying asleep and improve your overall sleep hygiene. Whether it’s through sleep meditation, adjusting your environment, or sticking to a consistent routine, you’ll find ways to naturally enhance your sleep and wake up feeling rejuvenated.

Easiest practice I found to start → reducing screen time before bed, starting with mangeable device free time periods and increasing this over time. It feels hard to start but much easy when it’s just 15 minutes and then I built it upwards, to atleast 1 hour before bed.

Most beneficial practice I found → cultivating a sleep ritual over time, I noticed my body naturally beginning to relax and wind down which no doubt optimising circadian rhythm and neurochemicals.