Better Sleep Starts Before Bed: The Habits That Actually Help

Good sleep isn’t just about what you do at bedtime. Some of the most important things you can do for better sleep actually start the moment you wake up.

Sleep is one of the first things I look at when I think about wellness.

We can spend so much time focusing on nutrition, supplements, workouts and the latest wellness products, but consistently good sleep is foundational. It affects how we feel, how we recover, our energy, mood, appetite, focus and so much more.

And after spending years learning about health and wellness and paying close attention to my own sleep- I’ve realized that better sleep is less about finding one magical solution and more about creating an environment and daily rhythm that tells your body when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to sleep.

These are the habits and tools I find most worthwhile.

Start With Morning Light

One of the best things you can do for tonight’s sleep happens first thing in the morning.

Getting outside and exposing your eyes to natural outdoor light soon after waking helps anchor your circadian rhythm- your body’s internal clock that influences when you feel alert and when you begin feeling sleepy.

I try to get natural outdoor light within about 30 minutes of waking.

You don't need to stare at the sun and you shouldn't. Simply getting outside and allowing normal daylight to reach your eyes gives your brain a strong signal that the day has begun.

It sounds almost too simple to matter, but I think some of the best wellness practices are exactly like that: free, uncomplicated and easy to overlook.

Morning light is part of my nighttime sleep routine. It just happens twelve hours earlier.

Give Your Brain a Break From Screens Before Bed

If morning light tells the body that it's daytime, bright light at night can send the opposite message at exactly the wrong time.

Phones, televisions, tablets and computers have made bright evening light part of normal life. They're also incredibly stimulating. It's very easy for “I'll check one thing” to become another hour of scrolling when your brain should be winding down.

Ideally, I like the idea of putting screens away for the last couple of hours before bed.

Real life doesn't always cooperate, of course. But even creating some separation between screens and sleep can make the evening feel noticeably different.

Dim the lights. Put the phone away. Let the house get quieter.

Think of it as creating a transition between day mode and sleep mode.

Blue-Blocking Glasses Can Be a Useful Tool

For evenings when avoiding screens and artificial light isn't realistic, I like blue-blocking glasses.

Not every pair marketed as “blue light glasses” is the same, and the research around blue-light-blocking glasses and sleep isn't completely settled. But reducing bright, short-wavelength light exposure in the evening makes biological sense because light is one of the primary signals controlling circadian timing.

I see blue blockers as a tool- not permission to stare at a phone until midnight.

My preference is still to reduce evening screen time and unnecessary bright light first. Blue-blocking glasses are an additional layer when that's not practical.

Magnesium Glycinate Is One of My Favorite Evening Supplements

Magnesium is involved in hundreds of processes throughout the body, including functions related to the nervous system and normal muscle function.

For nighttime, magnesium glycinate is the form I particularly like.

It's generally well tolerated, and many people incorporate it into an evening routine because of magnesium's role in relaxation and sleep-related processes.

I don't think of magnesium as a sleeping pill, though. Supplements work best when they're supporting good fundamentals- not trying to compensate for staying up late, staring at screens and sleeping in an overly bright bedroom.

Research specifically examining supplemental magnesium for sleep has produced mixed results, so I wouldn't describe it as a guaranteed insomnia treatment. But it's one of the wellness tools I personally find worthwhile.

SHOP THE WELLNESS EDIT →My practitioner-quality supplement recommendations are available through my Fullscript dispensary.

Make Your Bedroom Cool

Your sleep environment matters more than people sometimes realize.

As we prepare for sleep, body temperature naturally begins to decrease. An overly warm bedroom can work against that process and simply make sleeping uncomfortable.

I prefer a cool bedroom.

The exact temperature that feels comfortable will vary from person to person, so I don't think everyone needs to obsess over one “perfect” number on the thermostat.

The goal is simply to create an environment where you're comfortably cool rather than warm and restless.

Cooling bedding, breathable sheets and adjusting the thermostat can all help if you're someone who tends to sleep hot.

Make the Bedroom Dark, Too

Light doesn't stop affecting us simply because our eyes are closed.

A dark bedroom helps reinforce the distinction between daytime and nighttime, which is exactly what we're trying to accomplish.

That might mean blackout curtains, eliminating unnecessary electronic lights, keeping your phone screen off or using a comfortable sleep mask.

These aren't glamorous wellness interventions.

But that's part of the point.

The fundamentals don't stop working because they're simple.

Track Your Sleep—Without Becoming Obsessed With It

One of my favorite wellness tools is my Oura Ring.

I love being able to track my sleep and see information about things like sleep timing, duration, resting heart rate, HRV and other recovery-related metrics.

What I find most valuable isn't one night's score.

It's seeing patterns over time.

You can start noticing how changes in bedtime, evening habits, exercise, travel or other parts of life correspond with changes in your sleep and recovery data.

That turns sleep from something you simply think you're doing well into something you can observe over time.

But there's an important caveat: don't let the tracker become another source of stress.

Consumer wearables estimate sleep and sleep stages; they aren't the same thing as a clinical sleep study. And if you wake up feeling fantastic but your app gives you a less-than-perfect score, you don't need to let a number convince you that you had a terrible night.

Use the data to learn about yourself- not to grade yourself.

Better Sleep Is Built Throughout the Day

The biggest shift in how I think about sleep is realizing that a nighttime routine actually begins in the morning.

Morning: Get outside and get natural light.

Day: Move your body and live in actual daylight.

Evening: Reduce screens and bright artificial light. Use blue-blocking glasses when they're useful.

Before bed: Create a consistent wind-down period. Magnesium glycinate may be a helpful addition for some people.

Bedroom: Keep it cool, dark and comfortable.

Over time: Track patterns if you find the information useful.

None of this is particularly complicated.

And that's exactly why I like it.

There will always be another sleep gadget, supplement or wellness trend promising to completely transform your nights. Some may be useful. But before chasing the newest thing, I think it's worth getting the fundamentals right.

Because better sleep isn't necessarily about doing more.

Sometimes it's about giving your body clearer signals about something it already knows how to do.

SHOP THE SLEEP EDIT

A few of my favorite tools for creating a better sleep environment.

Magnesium Glycinate • Blue-Blocking Glasses • Sleep Tracking • Cooling & Sleep Essentials

SHOP WELLNESS | SHOP MY AMAZON FINDS

Wellness content on The Natural Life is provided for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice or a substitute for individualized care. Supplements may not be appropriate for everyone; consult an appropriate healthcare professional regarding your individual needs, medications and health conditions.

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