The Bedtime Shift: Turning Your Evenings Into a Ritual for Health

When we think about our health, diet and exercise are often the first things that come to mind. When people desire to make a shift in their health, the first things they often cross off the list are getting a gym membership, cleaning up their fridge, and researching supplements. But there’s another pillar of wellness that’s frequently ignored and forgotten about: sleep. 

In our hustle culture, rest is often treated like a luxury rather than a necessity. Between work deadlines, caring for others, and attempting to have a social life (let alone a few minutes to ourselves), sleep tends to get shuffled to the bottom of the priority list. 

Still, we all know the cycle: you scroll on your phone a little too long, start one more Netflix episode than planned, fall asleep later than you should, and wake up groggy, hitting snooze more times than you’d like to admit. That sluggish, irritable feeling the next morning? It’s not just bad luck; it’s poor preparation. 

One of the most impactful mindset shifts is to stop viewing sleep as wasted time. Instead, frame it as one of the most productive and health-affirming things you can do. Sleep isn’t a chore—it’s a form of self-respect. When you nurture your rest, you're investing in every part of your life: your mood, your focus, your relationships, your energy. 

Sleep is far from passive; it’s an active, vital process. It supports brain function, hormone regulation, immune health, emotional resilience, and even your metabolism. According to the CDC, adults need at least 7–9 hours of sleep each night for optimal functioning, yet one in three Americans don’t meet this basic requirement (CDC, 2017). 

As an occupational therapist would define it, sleep is more than rest; it's a vital occupation, a meaningful and necessary activity that directly impacts your capacity to perform every other task in your life. When we sleep well, we're more likely to move our bodies, make thoughtful food choices, show up for our relationships, and remain emotionally steady throughout the day. When you start prioritizing rest, you’ll likely notice a domino effect: improved mornings, sharper thinking, better choices, and a stronger sense of emotional stability. It all starts the night before. 

So why do we keep sabotaging our sleep? 

Everyone’s barriers are different. For some, it’s anxiety and racing thoughts that leaves them awake or avoidant of sleep, finding some other way to numb. For others, it’s screen time, chronic pain, parenting demands, or a packed schedule that doesn’t leave room to unwind. Regardless of the cause, what most of us lack is structure. That’s where a bedtime routine comes in. 

Crafting a consistent evening routine can be the game-changer you didn’t know you needed. The key is to create a wind-down ritual that sends clear signals to your brain and body: “Hey,

body. The day is over now. It’s time to rest.” If you don’t have a consistent evening routine in place, here’s a simple framework to guide you, using the acronym B.E.D.: 

B – Brace for Tomorrow 

Prepare for the next day before bed to ease mental clutter. 

● Pack lunches, prep your outfit, and get your workspace in order. 

● Make a short list of the next day’s top 3–5 tasks. 

● If anxiety kicks in at night, journaling or writing a to-do list can be surprisingly calming; it externalizes your thoughts and helps you feel more in control (Harvard Health, 2011). 

E – Set Your Environment 

Your surroundings matter more than you think. Creating a sleep-conducive environment is essential. 

● Dim the lights an hour before bed to cue your brain that sleep is coming.

● Set the thermostat between 60–67°F for optimal rest (NIH, 2020). 

● Turn off or silence screens and try using blue light filters if electronics are unavoidable.

● Consider white noise, blackout curtains, and aromatherapy like lavender or chamomile, which have been shown to promote relaxation (Koulivand et al., 2013). 

D – Downtime 

This is your permission to slow down and take care of you. 

● Engage in relaxing self-care: skincare, a warm bath, stretching, or putting on cozy pajamas. 

● Avoid stimulating activities, like staring at a screen for hours. Instead, read, sip herbal tea, meditate, pray, or journal. Do whatever helps you transition from doing to simply being. 

If you want this routine to stick and lead to success, remember that consistency matters more than perfection. Choose just one or two things to add at first into your new routine, like setting a sleep timer or dimming the lights at 9:30 PM, and build from there. It might require skipping that extra episode or ending a conversation early, but the reward is worth it. 

Once a behavior is repeated over time, it becomes habitual, and that’s the goal. Stick to your routine even on weekends when possible. If needed, write your routine down and place it somewhere visible to give yourself reminders to walk through the routine each evening in the same way. Eventually, after repeating it so many times, you’ll no longer think about it. It’ll become second nature.

At IVY Integrative, you can work with one practitioner or build your own team of holistic practitioners! Reach your optimum health in-person or online. Check out our Get Started page to learn how to work with us!

Author: Dr. Katherine Lewis, OTD, OTR/L  

References:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2017). 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep. https://www.cdc.gov/sleep 

2. Harvard Health Publishing. (2011). Clearing the mind for sleep. https://www.health.harvard.edu National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2020). Why sleep matters. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov 

3. Koulivand, P.H., Khaleghi Ghadiri, M., & Gorji, A. (2013). Lavender and the nervous system. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/681304

   
   

Disclaimer:

This information is generalized and intended for educational purposes only. Due to potential individual contraindications, please see your primary care provider before implementing any strategies in these posts.