Sleep wind-down
Chained tools for an easy transition
- 🌙
1. Dim the lights
Lower screen brightness, turn off main lights. Lets melatonin rise.
Why a wind-down routine works
Faster to sleep
A predictable cue tells your brain the day is over — sleep latency drops within a week.
Lower resting HR
Slow breathing and dim light shift you into parasympathetic mode.
Less rumination
A short body scan interrupts the mental chatter that keeps you awake.
Steadier mornings
Deeper sleep stages mean fewer 3 a.m. wake-ups and clearer thinking at dawn.
The science, briefly
Melatonin naturally rises about 2 hours before your usual bedtime, but bright light suppresses it. Dimming screens and lamps, combined with a 4-7-8 breath and a short body scan, activates the vagus nerve and pushes heart-rate variability up — the two most reliable physiological signals of deep, restorative sleep.
How to run this routine
- 1
About 30 minutes before bed, dim overhead lights and switch devices to warm/night mode.
- 2
Sit up in bed and run 4 rounds of 4-7-8 breathing to settle your nervous system.
- 3
Lie down and follow a 5-minute body scan from feet to face.
- 4
Start a low-volume soundscape — rain, brown noise, or slow tones — and let sleep come.
Small tweaks that help
- ✦Keep the bedroom cool (18–20°C / 65–68°F).
- ✦No caffeine after 2 p.m.; caffeine's half-life is ~5 hours.
- ✦If your mind is racing, park worries in the Worry Postponement tool and return to the scan.
- ✦Consistency beats duration — a 10-minute routine every night outperforms a 45-minute one on weekends.
Common questions
What if I can't fall asleep after the routine?+
Don't fight it. Get up, sit in low light, and re-run the breathing until you feel drowsy. Staying in bed frustrated conditions your brain to associate the bed with wakefulness.
Should I use headphones for the soundscape?+
A small bedside speaker is usually better — headphones can be uncomfortable and interrupt sleep if they shift.
How long until I see results?+
Most people notice easier onset within 5–7 nights of consistent practice. Deeper structural changes to sleep quality show up around week 3.