Before screens were a thing, people relied on daylight to wake up and nightfall to go to sleep.
Yes, that opener sounds almost so obvious that it belongs in a children’s book on the circadian rhythm—but it’s true. Screen time before bed can destroy your sleep quantity, keeping you up well into the wee hours of the morning, and deteriorate sleep quality, AKA your ability to have a functioning circadian rhythm.
Unfortunately, these days, it’s virtually impossible to be a functioning adult without various screens, whether it’s a laptop for work, a TV for entertainment, or a phone for pleasure. OK, the last thing on that list might be a bit skewed: while it can seem pleasurable to prop yourself in bed with your phone in your hand, scrolling through various ASMR videos, recipe videos, or whatever else it is you secretly tune into before you hit the hay, it’s likely that switching through your various apps might be the thing that’s keeping you up at night.
Listen, even the best of us refresh our feeds, inboxes, or midnight shop while we should be getting our beauty sleep—so don’t feel too bad about tuning into your phone before sleep. In an effort to stop the pre-bed doom scroll for everyone, we’ve created a list of electronic-free things you can do before bed.
Clock Out of Work…Everywhere
Sometimes simply closing your laptop after you officially clock out may not be enough to stop you from checking on projects right as you’re falling asleep. If you find that you hit refresh on your Gmail app as much as you do your IG feed (no matter how late it is), you may want to set firm boundaries with yourself to avoid logging back on after hours. (Pro tip: I like to make my “for me” clock-out time before dinner so that I can actually enjoy my evening. I always have a notepad and a pen around, though, in case I have any creative work ideas that I want to jot down.)
Enjoy an Early Dinner
The circadian rhythm, while often associated with your internal sleep schedule, actually works around the clock—it governs both your sleep and your time for meals, which is why you become either hungry or tired around the same time each day. Eating too close to bedtime can disrupt your body’s natural flow and put you in a digestion mindset when you should be getting ready to wind down for the evening. Make sure to eat dinner about three hours before you plan on going to sleep to give yourself enough time to digest and get into sleep mode.
Get Moving
If you find that you have a burst of energy after dinner, one of the best ways to exhaust yourself is to sweat it out. You can try going for a brisk walk, tapping into an at-home yoga or Pilates session, or even trying out pre-bed fascia flossing (made popular by Bonnie Crotzer from Sky Ting Yoga in NYC) to release tension from your muscles and help soothe you to sleep.
Read a Book
Yes, like an actual book. It’s the best way to avoid blue light stimulation, plus it can act as chic décor on your nightstand. Our tip is to purchase some vintage books—they’re cheaper, have a bit of history to them, and come in those gorgeous fonts and colors that make you say, they really don’t make them like they used to. (Oh, and the stories inside are great, too.)
Have a Salt Soak
If you find that you have difficulty heading to bed because of tight muscles from either your workout or your WFH posture, magnesium-enriched salt soaks are your best friend. Consider bathing for about twenty to thirty minutes, and don’t forget to make it a little oasis—light a candle, bring a book, and why not pop a bottle of some bubbly?
Do an Activity
There’s a chance that you might doom scroll because, well, you’re bored on a typical weeknight. Instead of binging your latest show or scrolling through TikTok, consider taking up any hobby that’s easy to do from home and feels fun for you. So, if it’s as random as doing a puzzle or as sensical as doing your skincare routine, pick something that you’ll look forward to doing every night before bed.
Buy an Alarm Clock
You can always go the old school route with this, but there are tons of alarm clocks on the market that have wind down and wake up features to help you head to bed quick. I rely pretty heavily on my Hatch sound machine since I can keep my phone out of sight, push my alarm on, and have a wind-down and wake up routine that’s tailored to my circadian rhythm.
Take Sleep Supplements/Tea
And if all else fails, don’t be afraid to tap into the apothecary side of things. Magnesium is a highly-regarded supplement to help soothe you to sleep, but you can also rely on chamomile or lavender tea, functional mushrooms that support sleep, and products that include CBN, which is like CBD’s sleep-promoting sister