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Get better sleep: your bedtime routine
Get better sleep: your bedtime routine

Tips and habit changes to improve sleep

Robert Higdon avatar
Written by Robert Higdon
Updated over a week ago

Many things affect your sleep. Some, like irregular work schedules, aren’t within your control, but others are. 

To help you gradually reduce your fatigue and improve your well-being, tips for getting better sleep can be divided into two categories: bedtime routine, and sleep environment. This email focuses on your bedtime routine.
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Your bedtime routine starts earlier than you think

5 hours before bed: no more caffeine 

Caffeine can make it hard to fall asleep and to stay asleep. This includes coffee, most teas (black, ‘breakfast tea’, and green), energy drinks, some soft drinks, and chocolate.
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3 hours before bed: finish exercising & eating

Regular exercise is key to your well-being and will help you sleep, however, doing it close to bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep. If possible, the best time for strenuous exercise is within a few hours of waking.

Your digestion is influenced by your body clock and eating too close to bedtime may keep you up.
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2 hours before bed: limit fluid intake

Stay well hydrated throughout your waking hours, so you can limit fluids before turning in and strive to go to sleep with an empty bladder.
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1 hour before bed: turn off electronic devices and dim your lights

The light from TVs, tablets and smartphones slow your body’s melatonin release, a key promoter of sleepiness.
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30 minutes before bed: relax

We recommend a warm shower followed by relaxing music, reading or listening to an audio book or podcast. This is also a great time to meditate.
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One more thing

If you don’t need to nap during the day to make up for little sleep, try to avoid it. This will make it easier for you to fall asleep when it’s time.

If you’re a shift worker, try having naps to boost your ReadiScore. Prioritize having a longer nap the day you transition to night shifts. Since variable work schedules can make getting good sleep a struggle, starting your night shifts with a boosted ReadiScore will help with your fatigue levels.
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Now what?

Make some adjustments to your routine based on the above tips. Stick with it for a few weeks and track any improvements to your sleep and ReadiScore.

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