Evening Ritual

The Deep Sleep Checklist

A printable guide to the small choices that shape how you sleep and feel tomorrow.

BY 7 PM

Wind Down Starts Here

Eat your last large meal — give your body at least 2 hours before bed to digest
Avoid alcohol — it fragments sleep architecture and suppresses melatonin
Reduce intense exercise after this time if you're sensitive to evening cortisol spikes

1–2 Hours Before Bed

Dim the lights in your home
Switch screens to night mode or warm tone
Blue light blocking glasses on if screens are unavoidable
Stop checking email and social media — cortisol spikes from stress can delay sleep onset
Set your bedroom temperature between 65–68°F, if that's too cold for you, increase the temperature to your comfort
Take a warm shower or bath (core temp drop after warming signals sleep onset)
Consider Magnesium glycinate: 200–400mg (supports GABA, muscle relaxation, melatonin production)
Herbal support if needed: ashwagandha, L-theanine, or passionflower tea

30 Minutes Before Bed

Gratitude journaling: write 3 things you are grateful for today, or use the nighttime prompt in your gratitude journal (shifts brain from threat mode to safety mode)
Brain dump: write tomorrow's top 3 priorities on a notepad so your brain stops looping, it's ok if you need to write more than 3
Deep breathing: 4-7-8 pattern or Box Breathing for 4 cycles
Light stretching for 7-15 minutes (activates parasympathetic nervous system and promotes rest and relaxation)
No problem-solving or hard conversations after this point
Dim phone screen to minimum brightness or switch to airplane mode

At Bedtime

Room is dark (blackout curtains or sleep mask)
Room is cool (65–68°F, ok to adjust higher for comfort, it will be harder to sleep if you are too cold)
White noise or silence — no TV on in background
Phone face-down or out of the room
No clock-watching — turn the clock away or remove it from the bedroom