Tips for Crafting Your Perfect Evening Routine for Better Sleep

After composing, Beethoven would often have some late-night soup and go to bed by 10 PM. (He once said, “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.” He must have sipped some good soup.)

After writing, Jane Austen would gather with her family to read what she’d written that day while drinking tea. (“Maybe Mr. Darcy needs to be less of a self-righteous jerk?” -Jane Austen’s mom, probably.)

After her queenly duties, Marie Antoinette had a comprehensive evening beauty routine, including the application of a pigeon-based facial cleanser called Eau Cosmetique de Pigeon. (Sephora seems to be sold out of pigeon-based products. Sorry, everyone.)

Better Sleep for a Better You

When I first started seeing Natalie, I was recovering from a chiropractic injury and was on sleep medication (Trazodone). I was determined to implement all her advice for nightly routine and wean off the medication. I’m so grateful to report that I am now completely off the medication and generally sleep much more easily. I’ll never take easy and good night's sleep for granted again.

My Evening Routine: An Organized Way to End the Day

In addition to my morning routine as recommended by Natalie, I take the following steps to improve sleep quality and wind down at night:

Blue-blocking Glasses Before Bedtime

My evening routine begins at 7 PM when I always put on my blue-blocking glasses from VivaRays. I recently upgraded to the two-in-one style, which I’m loving. I start wearing the orange-tinted ones at 7 PM, and then an hour or 2 hours before bed, I clip on the red lenses. The orange ones make it easier for me to do errands or even drive somewhere if need be.

Why wear blue-blocking glasses at night? The simple answer is that artificial light (aka blue light) at night from screens and light bulbs blocks the production of melatonin and raises cortisol levels, which prevents good, restful sleep. Exposure to blue light at night has potentially deleterious effects, such as higher risks of cancer, age-related macular degeneration, type 2 diabetes, sleep disorders, cognitive issues, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to blue light at night disrupts one’s circadian rhythm and sleep quality, and as Gretchen Wieners says in Mean Girls, that’s so not fetch.

While I avoid watching TV or movies before bed, if I do, I wear blue-blocking glasses. If you happen to be in the market for a new TV, I recommend OLED (we have one from the brand, LG), which stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. This technology is more health-conscious because it’s flicker-free and emits less blue light.

Reduce Flickering for the Best Evening Rest

Many screens and light bulbs (like commonly-used LEDs) frequently flicker, meaning one’s eyes have to constantly calibrate, resulting in eye strain, headaches, and the fight or flight response. Flickering leads to hormonal disruption, and in turn, bad quality sleep. Incandescent bulbs have less flicker, but they are no longer sold in the United States. Certain LEDs thankfully do have lower flicker. Sarah Kleiner, a circadian rhythm expert and podcaster, recommends the hooga Sleep Light Bulb, which is flicker-free and has very little blue light. Even with low flicker, I still turn off as many lights as possible once it’s dark outside.

As mentioned in my morning routine blog post, I also put my laptop and phone on red mode, so I am not exposed to any blue light even if I forget to put on the glasses. I use the Iris blue-blocking software on my laptop. For a free blue-blocking computer software option, I recommend f.lux.

Reducing EMFs for Better Sleep

I also make sure my sleeping environment is as low EMF as possible. EMFs stand for electromagnetic fields. EMFs are emitted from wireless devices, such as WiFi routers, cell phones, and Bluetooth. In my book, It’s Easy Being Green: How Ecopreneurs and Conscious Consumers Can Save the World, I explain the negative health repercussions of EMF exposure, such as headaches, sleep disturbances, insomnia, sperm quality and count reduction, and even cancer.

I write: “In 2016, the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) applied RF radiation to rats and mice equivalent to the amount of radiation a human would experience if he or she talked for thirty minutes a day on a cell phone for thirty-six years. The results? The RF-exposed rats had higher rates of two kinds of cancer, glioma and malignant schwannoma of the heart, than the control group.”

While the ubiquity of these technologies is disheartening, there are easy steps to reduce some of the negative consequences of EMFs, such as deactivating WiFi and using ethernet cables instead (or at least turning off the WiFi at night), putting cell phones in airplane mode as much as possible (especially when sleeping), and choosing wired devices over ones that rely on Bluetooth. Some devices sneakily emit EMFs 24/7, so make sure to check the heater, air filter, garage door opener, and other appliances, and deactivate if possible.

Mindful Evening Routine to Soothe Your Nervous System

My other steps for mindful evening routine: Right before bed, I do a guided meditation for full relaxation, and I make sure my room is as dark as possible by using blackout curtains. Regular meditation relaxes my mind and body after a long day and darkness signals to the body that it’s time for sleep. I also make sure my thermostat is set at the right temperature. Neuroscientist and podcaster, Dr. Andrew Huberman, reports that 65 degrees is the ideal temperature during the night.

Set Yourself Up for Success: What to Avoid and When

I avoid caffeine and exercise after 2 PM to avoid stimulating cortisol at night. I also eat dinner at least a few hours before bed, because eating shortly before bed can lead to indigestion and I want my body to focus on sleep. Studies have shown that regular sleep time regulates circadian rhythm, so I try to go to bed by a specific time, usually at 10 PM. As a former night owl, I resisted such an early bedtime at first, but eventually, it became second nature. It also helps to make sure you get enough sleep on a regular basis.

Make a To-Do List and Gratitude Journaling

There are a couple more evening habits that you can incorporate into your bedtime routine, and journaling is one of them. Your mind might be wandering and thinking of the next day, your to-do list, and plenty of other anxiety-provoking thoughts. One of the best ways to calm down is to spend a few minutes reflecting on the day and noting the things that come to mind.

Gratitude journaling is another great way to end the day. Write down at least three things that went well. If you'd like to take it further, explain why you're grateful. Gratitude is a powerful mindset tool that helps you reprogram your mind for a better and more positive outlook on life.

Mary Ruddick, Natalie’s nutritionist mentor and indigenous diet researcher, shares in a podcast interview how she practices gratitude. She says: “I write for about half an hour a day of what I’m appreciating and what I’m grateful for, because I really found when I was sick, I could have a beautiful life if I framed it differently and if I got my head in the right space.” Mary is one of my top inspirations because she healed from over a decade of severe chronic illness using nervous system practices and nutrition. No longer housebound, she now travels the world, visiting indigenous tribes to learn about their diets and how they live healthy and meaningful lives.

Finally, while I wash my face before bed, I checked, and there were no pigeon ingredients present in my night cream. Ms. Antoinette would be disappointed.