WELLNESS / SLEEP
Simple Ways to Create a
Better Sleep Routine
Small rituals, thoughtful upgrades and a calmer way to end — and start — your day.
BY CHOOSE HAPPY · 8 MIN READ
01 — START IN THE MORNING
Make Your Bedroom Somewhere You Want to Come Back To
A better bedtime routine can actually start in the morning.
Open the curtains when you get up. Let some fresh air in for a few minutes and make your bed before you leave the room.
It takes almost no time, but coming back to fresh air, a made bed and a tidy bedroom at the end of the day feels completely different.
CHOOSE HAPPY HABIT
Open the curtains. Air the room. Make the bed. Three tiny things for your evening self.
02 — GET COMFORTABLE
Find Your Bedtime Uniform
There is something about changing out of the clothes you’ve worn all day and into something soft that tells you the day is winding down.
Find a pyjama set you genuinely look forward to putting on.
Soft cotton, breathable linen or modal all work beautifully. Add cozy socks when it’s cold, throw on a robe while you do your skincare and let getting ready for bed become part of the evening rather than something you rush through at the very end.
It doesn’t need to look perfect.
It just needs to feel good.
03 — LET THE LIGHT CHANGE WITH YOU
Let the Sun Set Indoors
TWe tend to think about alarm clocks as something that only matters in the morning.
But some sunrise alarm clocks can be part of both ends of your day.
Depending on the model, devices from Lumie and Hatch can gradually reduce their light in the evening to create a sunset-style wind-down, then slowly brighten again before your alarm in the morning.
That gradual change in light can help create a clearer distinction between daytime, winding down and waking up.
It also gives us another reason to love an actual alarm clock:
your phone doesn’t need to sleep next to you.
Choose Happy tip: Before deciding, watch a few real-life videos of both lamps in an actual bedroom. Seeing the sunset and sunrise transitions can be much more useful than looking at a product photo.
LUMIE Sunrise Alarm Clock
SHOP THE PICK →
HATCH Restore 3 Sunrise Alarm Clock
SHOP THE PICK →
04 — PUT THE SCREEN AWAY
Replace the Scroll With Something Slower
You know the I’ll just check one thing moment. Suddenly, it’s 30 minutes later.
Try giving the last 10–15 minutes of your evening to something slower instead.
Read a few pages. Do a crossword or sudoku. Or write down three things you were grateful for that day.
Good coffee. Fresh sheets. Someone making you laugh.
The little things count too.
FREE FROM CHOOSE HAPPY
The Daily Gratitude Journal
A simple place for the little things.
05 — WIND DOWN
Create a Tiny Closing Routine
Forget the elaborate nighttime routine you know you’ll stop doing after three days.
Pick a few things you can repeat.
Maybe yours looks like this:
Phone away → skincare → prepare for tomorrow → gratitude → read → lights out.
While you’re doing it, turn off the bright ceiling lights. Use a bedside lamp instead. Let the room gradually become quieter and softer too.
Your nightime routine doesn’t need to be impressive.
It needs to be repeatable.
And, of course, always extinguish candles before going to sleep.
06 — CLEAR YOUR MIND
Give Tomorrow Somewhere Else to Live
It’s amazing how many things suddenly seem important the second your head touches the pillow.
Remember to send that email. We’re almost out of milk. Don’t forget that appointment.
Keep a small notebook nearby and write it down. You’re not starting tomorrow’s work —
you’re simply giving the thought somewhere else to live for the night.
Tomorrow can wait until tomorrow.
07 — LET IT BE DARK
Make Darkness Part of the Routine
When it’s finally time to sleep, let the room become properly dark.
Curtains or blackout blinds can help if streetlights or early mornings brighten your bedroom.
A comfortable sleep mask is another simple option, particularly when you’re travelling, sharing a room with someone who stays awake later or can’t completely control the light around you.
And because it’s small enough to take anywhere, it’s one of the easiest sleep accessories to keep with you.
08 — GOOD MORNING
A Better Night Can Start the Next Morning
When morning comes, let your room change again.
Open the curtains. Get some natural daylight when you can. Step outside for a little while if possible — even if you’re not going on a full morning walk.
Morning light is one of the environmental cues that helps keep our circadian rhythm aligned with day and night.
During darker months, especially in places where winter mornings stay dark for a long time, a proper light-therapy lamp can be a useful option for some people.
A light-therapy lamp isn’t the same thing as an ordinary bright bedside lamp, so choose a device designed for that purpose and follow its instructions.
Start With One Thing
You don’t need to change your entire evening tonight.
Choose the thing that would make the biggest difference to yours.
Maybe it’s finally moving your phone away from the bed.
Maybe it’s making your bedroom feel a little more inviting.
Maybe it’s putting on your favorite pyjamas, turning down the lights and reading instead of scrolling.
Start there.
A good routine isn’t about doing everything perfectly.
It’s about creating little habits that make ordinary life feel a little better.
A LITTLE EXTRA TIP
Love Your Coffee? You Don’t Have to Give It Up.
If falling asleep is difficult, it may be worth paying attention to when you’re having your last coffee of the day.
Caffeine can stay in your system for hours, and some people are more sensitive to it than others.
Instead of giving up something you enjoy, try moving your last caffeinated drink a little earlier for a while and see if you notice a difference.
Your morning coffee can stay. We wouldn’t take that away from you.
THE CHOOSE HAPPY SLEEP
Thoughtful little upgrades for softer evenings and brighter mornings.
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