Much of adulthood is spent relearning the habits your parents tried to teach you as a child (sorry, Mom and Dad!). Slowly you will find that you Do You’ll feel better when you do these simple things: Stay hydrated, eat enough protein, and prepare for the day the night before. Whenever I get back into the habit of creating a nightly routine, I’m always surprised to find that a productive morning actually starts the night before. However, it’s easy to neglect this habit and wake up feeling like you’ve fallen behind.
That’s why I’ve developed a simple but effective nightly ritual that I actually stick to. Read on to learn how to create a nightly routine by creating a soothing environment, setting boundaries, and prioritizing self-care.
Featured image by Riley Reed.
The science of nighttime routine
Our bodies crave routine. Our circadian rhythm synchronizes our sleep-wake cycles with the sun. And, once it gets dark, our bodies naturally produce melatonin, the sleep hormone. That’s why in the winter, when it gets dark faster, you may feel like you need to wind down earlier. But our natural sleep signals are often suppressed due to caffeine and artificial light. Our bodies hate unpredictability—which is why losing rhythm often leads to an increase in cortisol. However, developing consistent habits can help your body remember when to wind down, making mornings easier.
It’s no secret that we here at Camille Styles enjoy our beauty sleep. Creating a nightly routine is not only about making sleep something to look forward to, but also about maximizing rest and getting the most out of your sleep. Research shows that an impressive 76% of people who follow a nightly routine report that their sleep quality is very high. Over time, good sleep leads to improved mood, better concentration, and improved overall health.
Create the perfect nighttime routine
Step One: Start with Intention
The thing about nightly routines is this: they don’t need to be complicated, but they do need to be intentional. If it’s been a while since you’ve had a consistent nightly schedule, start by asking yourself to define some goals. Do you want to improve your sleep score on Oura Ring? Minimizing brain fog? Wake up looking refreshed, not bloated? Building consistent habits depends on having a clear reason for following through.
Once your goals are clear, the best way to achieve them is to break them down into small tasks. Don’t try to do too much too fast – we’ve all promised ourselves that we’d make a huge difference, only to fail to deliver. Instead, look for small but important shifts that make a difference. This might mean skipping that afternoon cup of coffee or skipping that late-night scroll. This might mean setting a “wind down” time before bed, or eating dinner a little earlier than usual. Remember, these changes will add up.
Step Two: Create a Soothing Environment
The first step to waking up in a vibrant environment is making sure your physical space doesn’t hold you back. Research shows that all those “unfinished projects” and clutter in your home can make you feel tired more easily. So a little tidying up can be helpful. Can’t commit to a nightly deep clean? You don’t have to do this. I like to set a timer for 15 minutes and do my best to clear out as much stuff as possible during that time. I also use baskets to store clutter during my nightly cleaning and tidy up once a week.
Once you have a clean space, you can also use sensory items to make it calmer. Stimulating all your senses helps give your body more cues when it needs to relax. Maybe you light a candle two hours before bed. Plus, aromatherapy can help you relax while signaling that it’s time to enter sleep mode. Lighting is also a huge sensory cue—nothing will make you want to jump into bed and relax more than that. I’ve never been one to leave the headlights on. But especially when it’s time to start my nightly routine. Instead, I opted for lamps and taper candles.
Step Three: Prioritize Self-Care
If you do one thing for yourself throughout the day, make it a moment of self-care before bed. Too often, from the moment we open our eyes, we ignore our needs all day long. I’m definitely guilty of checking email when I wake up and then whipping out my laptop to rush through a task before I’ve had breakfast. Then the day suddenly ended without me taking a second to check in with myself.
Self-care can be a five-minute stretch, a quick journal prompt, or an extra step in your bedtime routine. Whatever works just for you.
Step 4: Use technology to set boundaries
My worst habit is going to bed at the right time…and then scrolling on my phone until it’s really late (I know I’m not alone). The blue light emitted by screens suppresses the production of natural melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep. Also, sleeping next to my phone makes me more likely to scroll first thing in the morning, which is also common. Playing on your phone before you’re fully awake can affect the way your brain works throughout the day and flood your body with dopamine, making it harder to move on to other activities throughout the day.
Based on your intentions, set boundaries that make sense to you. One big change is using a real alarm clock instead of your phone. Or, if you’re using your phone as an alarm clock, put it in another room so you have to get up to turn it off so you can start your day and resist the temptation to roll in. You can also use blue light blockers to prevent it from affecting your sleep (if you can’t take breaks to talk on the phone). I also use an app that starts blocking my social media an hour before my target bedtime.
Step Five: Mindful Transition
Getting motivated to start a nightly routine is half the battle. This is why it is important to consciously transition into this state.
Unwinding your daily routine might look like starting with the most enjoyable parts—a self-care ritual like stretching—or introducing calming activities like deep breathing, meditation, or journaling. I personally like to relax my nightly routine by reflecting on the day before. Sometimes I write down a memorable event from the day. Review these little things every day, and they add up over time.
A glimpse into a real-life nighttime routine
Studying the nightly routines of admirable women can be another way to get excited about starting (or restarting) the habit. Here are some of my favorite examples of how inspiring women end their day to give you some ideas:
- Molly Sims: Entrepreneur, supermodel
- Do a 20-minute red light therapy mask before going to bed
- Drink a glass of Magnesi-om moon juice.
- Claire Weaver：Clare V founder and designer
- Night Skin Care with Shani Darden Products
- Packed the next day
- Go to bed and read.
- Stella Simone: Founder and Creator
- Light a candle and have a cup of tea
- Tidying up her bedroom
- Bath and beauty routine
- Tiffany Paul: Founder and Podcast Host
- Clean up and put the kids down
- Tea or CBD drink
- Look at your schedule for tomorrow and make a to-do list
- Listen to Podcast
- Evening stretches
- Sleep with a satin eye mask
A nightly routine can be anything you need it to be – it just needs to set you up for what defines success!
Troubleshooting Common Nighttime Routine Obstacles
Let’s be honest: life happens. Kids need attention, work deadlines are looming, and sometimes Netflix is just too tempting. Don’t abandon your day job entirely, but think of it as a flexible framework. On a challenging night, focus on a few simple essentials—maybe just a kitchen reset and five minutes of stretching. Remember, something is always better than nothing.
If you find yourself hitting the same roadblock, you may need to address a deeper issue:
- Be consistent: If you’re feeling unmotivated, maybe your daily routine needs an adjustment. What can you add that excites you?
- Balancing family responsibilities: Get your family involved! Allow time after get off work to reflect on the day with your partner and tell each other the things you’re grateful for while decluttering your space. Involve your child in stretching exercises. They wrote in their journals on the kitchen table while they did their homework. Either way it works!
- avoid distractions: Often, low-efficiency dopamine sources like technology or television can hinder our search for a more nutritious daily routine. Keep a book next to your bed instead of your phone. Place your gratitude journal where you would normally keep your laptop or TV remote. By pushing yourself to develop better habits, it’s easier to make them second nature.
How to stay consistent and flexible
There is no “perfect” nighttime routine for everyone. When your intentions change, so do your intentions. If you realize something might sound good but doesn’t really add to how you feel in the morning, that might change, too.
The most important thing is to be consistent. A nightly routine may feel like an extra obligation, but in fact, it keeps you productive and supports your goals and overall health.
Conclusion: The knock-on effects of a good night ritual
The most surprising thing about establishing a nightly routine isn’t just better sleep, but how it changes your entire approach to self-care.
Starting tonight. Pick a small habit and stick to it for a week. Notice how it feels. Then, gradually add one more. Before you know it, you’ve created a nightly routine that not only helps you sleep better, but also sets the tone for more intentional, calming days ahead. Remember, the goal is not perfection, but progress. Your future self will thank you for starting now, even if you only take one small step.
