After spending your days ticking tasks off your to-do list, it’s tempting to crash at the end of the night. (Re: Scroll through a million pieces of content on your social media vice of choice.) But the nights I set aside time for a nourishing nighttime routine always help me get out of bed energized and refreshed. There’s something deeply powerful about crafting an evening ritual that lets you decompress, reflect, and prepare for restorative rest. While many of us pour our energy into maximizing those precious morning hours, it’s our nighttime habits that set the stage for tomorrow’s success. Think of your evening routine not as something simply to check off, but as a gentle transition from one day into the next.
While we might default to mindlessly scrolling or watching just one more episode of our favorite cozy show, these choices often leave us feeling depleted rather than refreshed. Creating an intentional evening practice isn’t about perfection—it’s about giving your body and mind the space to naturally wind down from the day. Read on to learn how to craft a nighttime routine that lets you do exactly that.
Featured image from our interview with Roti Brown by Michelle Nash.
The Benefits of a Nighttime Routine
Romanticizing your nighttime routine can make you excited about building healthy habits. Transforming necessary routines into cherished rituals can help you find satisfaction in the small moments—a mindset you can carry with you into the next day.
Your routine can evolve with you, adapting to different seasons of life while still providing the structure and comfort you need to thrive.
A well-crafted nighttime routine does more than prepare you for sleep—it’s a form of self-care. When we take time to properly close out our day, we set ourselves up for better sleep. A restful snooze supports hormonal balance, reduces cortisol levels, and gives our bodies the time they need to repair and rejuvenate for longevity.
How to Design Your Ideal Nighttime Routine
Two words: start small. Incorporate just one or two new habits at a time. Slow and steady is the way to sustainable lifestyle change. Listen to your body, adjust as needed, and celebrate the victories along the way as you create an evening practice that truly serves you.
Things to consider as you design your nighttime routine:
- Audit your current routine. If your current nighttime routine isn’t serving you, determine your stagnant areas. Which habits are contributing to how you want to feel? Which ones detract from your ultimate goals of rest and rejuvenation?
- Reflect on your dream nighttime routine. How would your highest self approach your nighttime routine?
- Reflect on how you want to feel. How do you want to feel at the end of the day? How do you want to feel in the morning? These questions will help shape what you include in your routine
- Try to save the day. If you always go to bed thinking you could have done more, explore the power of a dopamine menu, or determine one thing that could make the day a success. Maybe it’s making a to-do list for tomorrow, or addressing something you’ve been putting off. If one last task can relieve your anxiety, go for it.
- Slow down. Winding down means slowing down. Make sure to create space to be present and gentle with yourself.
A Sample Nighttime Routine
Everybody’s nighttime routine will look different. Depending on where you live, who you live with, and what other responsibilities you have, your nighttime routine should balance what you have to do (discipline is a form of self-care) with what you want to do. Remember: a nighttime routine should feel good. Here’s some inspiration.
6:00 pm: Have a nourishing dinner
Whatever dinner time looks like in your home—a sit-down affair with a partner and kids or a glorified charcuterie board of leftovers—do yourself a favor and treat it like a real meal time. Sit down, chew slowly, and savor every bite. I like to think of dinner as a punctuation point. Savor the moment, and set yourself up for success.
7:30 pm: Wind down with movement
Incorporating some gentle movement into your nighttime routine can help get you out of your head and back into your body. Whether you try exercise snacking or cozy cardio, there are plenty of low-impact ways to make movement a habit you don’t dread.
Gentle movement after food can also help with digestion and prevent glucose spikes. Just a lap around the block between dinner and bed can transform your evening. Do this earlier in your nighttime routine. Too much adrenaline before bed can disrupt your sleep rather than encourage rest.
8:15 pm: Do your beauty routine
Shower off the grime of the day, but make sure you take the extra step to pamper yourself. Sometimes, the shower is the only alone time I get, so I like to take some deep breaths and try micro-meditation. Being present for a moment with my hands on my heart and diaphragm helps pull me back into my body and makes me more mindful about how I want the rest of my night to go.
My nighttime beauty routine is no casual affair. If you’re like me, you have a 15-step beauty sleep routine that necessitates mouth tape and a silk bonnet. Or maybe you’re good with lip balm and moisturizer. Either way, don’t neglect your habits. Your skin regenerates overnight—whatever you feed it, it will thank you.
8:45 pm: Put away your screens
Putting your screens away an hour or two before bed has multiple benefits: reducing your blue-light exposure before bed for better sleep, signaling to your brain that it’s time to wind down, supporting your natural rhythms, and lowering your screen time.
Get a physical alarm clock and put your phone on the other side of a room or in another room completely before bed.
9:00 pm: Do the closing shift
The internet has influenced me. Now, I like to think of my last-minute chores as the “closing shift.” I wipe down surfaces, run the dishwasher, put small things away, and tidy to make a space I’m excited to wake up to.
9:30 pm: Practice gratitude
Instead of keeping my phone at my bedside, in my perfect nighttime routine, I have a journal where I do a nighttime writing prompt or jot down three things I am grateful for. Processing the day on paper can reduce anxiety by moving your mental load to the page. I also like to write some intentions for the morning so I can wake up focused and excited about the day ahead.
9:45pm: Read a few pages
Replace your nightly scroll with reading. Once you start a few pages, you’ll end up reading more than you expected while tiring yourself out for sleep.
10:00 pm: Bedtime!
Cold room? Check. Alarm set? Check. Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night (at least!) for your best, most restorative rest.
Don’t Underestimate Your Nighttime Routine
A nighttime routine is super underrated. We love to talk about morning routines, but don’t neglect your nighttime routine. This gentle way of easing yourself to sleep can be a powerful tool in a healthy, nourished life. After all, I’m the worst me when I’m sleepy. To bring my best self to every day, I need quality sleep. And you probably do, too. So don’t cheat yourself—take your rest as seriously as everything else.
