6 Healthy Nighttime Routines to Establish for Better Sleep

We hear it everywhere, right? We should try reducing our screen time as much as possible, but especially before bed. Even with the best of intentions, it can be so difficult to voluntarily deprive ourselves of our nightly dose of Instagram scrolling before falling unconscious, phone in hand. I get it. But there’s just no denying all the research sprouting up in recent years about the effect of blue light on sleep, not to mention the correlation between social media use and anxiety.

Using screens at night disturbs our body’s natural process (called circadian rhythm), which is why we sometimes feel unrested after a night’s sleep or wake frequently throughout the night. If decreasing your phone use at night is something you’d like to attempt, consider charging your phone out of your room at night, using a good old-fashioned alarm clock to wake up in the morning, and avoiding the late-night scrolling itch. It can be difficult quitting anything without a healthier replacement, so in this case, consider reading a book or journaling at night when you’d normally find yourself doom scrolling. Studies show it takes a least two weeks before new routines become a habit, so try to persevere for at least half a month before giving up!

I think we sometimes resist turning the TV off at night or prying our fingers from our phones because, deep down, there’s a silent, pervasive feeling of restlessness that sometimes can’t be named or sourced. This is where Psalms 139:5- 6 can help. In this verse, David says of the Lord, “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” (NIV) In this context, “hem me in” means that God surrounds and protects his people. The phrase comes from the Hebrew word tsuwr, which is often used to describe a military siege or fortification. implies that God is protecting something valuable to him, such as his people.

Meditating on this visual will surely dilute worry, no matter how big or small our stressors are. God is strong enough and loving enough to cover relationships, jobs, our kids, our health concerns—all of it. We need to stop ignoring our stress and proactively give our worries over to him every morning and every night to feel more balanced and settled.

It may feel unnatural at first, but it is really to get into the routine of actively acknowledging these feelings (even if they’re subtle) and handing over your worries to God before going to bed. This doesn’t have to be a long, formal prayer time but just a mental act of inviting the Holy Spirit into the atmosphere at night. It makes all the difference.

Photo Credit:©GettyImages/Denis Mamin

I have a friend whose kids stay up until 10 p.m. every night. She and her husband have zero alone time before collapsing onto their pillows as soon as their kids are down, and then they wonder why they feel on edge and not rested.

The hour or two before bed should feel relaxing, not chaotic. It’s healthy to have some kind of order and provision for a mental wind down before crashing for the night. For married couples, this might mean ensuring you have 30 minutes of quality time together before hitting the hay. This could be anything—making a fire, watching a show together, going for a walk, etc. If you’re a single parent in dire need of a healthier nighttime routine, consider making some boundaries for yourself, establishing earlier bedtimes for younger kids, or letting your teens know you’re out of commission from 9 pm on.

Aside from prayer and medication, another practical way to lessen your anxiety and create a sense of order at night is by envisioning the day ahead. Mentally walk yourself through whatever you know tomorrow holds, to lessen feelings of worry over the unknown. Some people find making a to do list for the next day helps them to relax much easier at bedtime. This might be a good time to get into the habit of journaling. Consider making a list of all the moments that stood out to you during the day, both negative and positive, and get into the practice of naming the emotion felt behind each of those experiences.

This habit can help us process feelings and emotions we might normally not acknowledge and allow ourselves to process, either out of a need to escape pain or the fact that we’re too busy.

One of the best practices to do before going to bed is to embrace the spirit of gratefulness. This can be as simple as thinking about the day, thanking God for all the small things that went right, or surprise blessings you may have even forgotten about. When we take the time to thank God for “little things” like our kids getting along that day, or the fact that you were able to bite the lip and apologize to your spouse before things got out of hand, we feel a greater sense of peace and contentedness at night. I honestly believe that every day, God intervenes dozens of times on our behalf, and we’re simply too busy, distracted or numbed out to realize or appreciate them.

Ultimately, bedtime should feel like a warm return to connection with God after working and serving for the past 12 hours. Wouldn’t we all love nighttime routines to feel celebratory and peaceful instead of an emergency landing on the tarmac after surviving a day of stress and chaos? The key is connecting with Him. Sweet dreams.

Related Resource:

A great way to wind down and experience peace for a good night of sleep is with Your Nightly Prayer. Get a bedtime prayer in your inbox every night to help you focus on God's love and protection.