The Nighttime Routines the Bed Threads Team Swear By to Wind Down Each Night

In an unpredictable world, having some kind of routine in your day can help make you feel a bit more in control and relaxed. And while a good morning routine can certainly help set you up for a productive day, an evening routine is equally, if not more, important. 

The activities that you do during the evening hours can have a significant impact on your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep each night. Because if you're not sleeping well, you're likely not functioning that well during the day either.

While it's unrealistic to expect yourself to undertake the perfect night routine every single evening, implementing some of the same calming activities each night will help you relax and condition your body to associate them with sleep time. 

To help inspire you to facilitate your own bedtime routine, we've taken a look at the nighttime schedules of seven members of the Bed Threads team. We may not have the perfect routines, but we certainly value what winding down at the end of a long day can do for your sleep and health!

Stephanie Squadrito, Marketing Lead

As a night owl, I've always struggled to properly switch off at night. Often this has meant regularly staying up past 1am, and not getting much sleep before work the next day, so over the past year I've really tried to work on maintaining a more mindful nighttime routine. 

For me, the key is staying off screens past 9.30pm. At this time, I'll turn off the TV and put my phone on charger in the living room where it will stay all night. Then I spend half an hour on a bit of a self-care ritual. I put a few drops of lavender oil on the shower floor before taking a long hot shower, as the scent rises in the steam and helps to tell my brain it's time to wind down. Then I clean my teeth and do my skincare routine. 

From there I hop straight into bed and spend half an hour reading. Sometimes I find myself dozing off already at this point, and others I find it really hard to put the book down! Either way, I try to have lights out by 10.30pm and be asleep by 11pm. If I can't get to sleep within 30 minutes, I try to get up out of bed and do something simple like stretch and get a glass of water. Sometimes this is enough to break the restless thoughts and get me sleeping soundly once I hit the pillow again.

Ashleigh Hogan, Customer Service Manager

Lucy O'Donoughue, Social Media Manager

I'm actually a terrible sleeper. I wake up on average 4-5 times a night and it takes me over an hour to fall asleep on a good night. So, I do everything in my power to make the process for me as smooth as possible. 

I start winding down for bed with a shower that I always finish off with a burst of cold water. After my shower, I try my best to stay away from my phone or TV to help my mind begin to settle. I don't have a strict nighttime routine, but my general next movements are skincare, brushing my teeth, reading, and finally lights off. Nothing fancy! 

In an ideal world, I would have a strict 'no phones before bed' policy, but working in social media has made me addicted to TikTok.

Tanya Stevanovic, Customer Service Officer

My weekday bedtime routine is all about preparing the mind and body for deep sleep. Sleep is crucial to our body's all-around health. It is more beneficial than an hour on the treadmill!

Rachael Thompson, Editor

Since I've become more interested in wellness and my mental health, I've really tried to make an effort to have more of a nighttime routine. I really do think they are important and can make you feel so much better about yourself. Some nights I absolutely do just fall asleep with Netflix or a podcast playing, but ideally I try to do the following:

• Minimum 10 minutes of meditation with either the Waking Up with Sam Harris or Insight Timer apps
• Read (this is probably the most effective way to send myself to sleep)
• Put on my oil diffuser with a calming scent
• Do my skincare routine which is simple and just involves washing my face with CerVe face wash, Paula's Choice Exfoliant, and The Ordinary moisturiser.

Rachael Zheng, Digital Product Manager

I try my best not to look at my phone or any social media before going to sleep. Let's just say that it's a work in progress... I find I am most relaxed and ready to fall asleep after I've had a hot shower and completed my skin care routine. The ritual of taking care of my skin has become therapeutic for me, otherwise I wake up thinking I've forgotten to put moisturiser on!

Stephanie Whittington, Forecasting and Planning Manager

If I was to have a routine, it would be to limit my screen time before bed. Unfortunately this seems to be the time I have in the day to catch up on all those things so not sure this will ever become a reality! During lockdown, we were doing a puzzle after dinner and before bed – maybe I should get back into doing that!

Enjoyed this? Here are The Morning Routines the Bed Threads Team Swear By