How to build a wind-down routine as an adult (and keep your phone out of it)
By Bedline · Published
A wind-down routine for adults is a short series of calm activities done in the same order every night, in the 30 to 60 minutes before bed, as the Sleep Foundation describes it. A good one starts at a fixed clock time, puts the phone away first, and fills the time with three or four things you can repeat on a tired weeknight: a to-do list for tomorrow, a warm shower, a book, the lights down. Many people find that doing it every night matters more than the exact steps, and the step most routines lose is the first one, because the phone is still in your hand.
Key takeaways
- Start your wind-down at the same clock time every night, 30 to 60 minutes before you want to sleep, and keep your bedtime and wake-up close on days off.
- Make putting the phone away the first step, not the last; a routine that begins after "one more video" rarely begins.
- Pick three or four steps you can repeat on a tired night, such as a five-minute to-do list, a warm shower, a paper book and dimmed lights.
- Hand the phone's evening jobs to other things: a separate alarm clock, audio started earlier with a sleep timer, a charger outside the bedroom.
- Bedline, an iPhone app, pauses the apps you choose from your phone-down time until your wake-up and can remind you to start winding down; pausing apps needs a Premium plan.
What is a wind-down routine?
A wind-down routine is the stretch of the evening you set aside to move from the day to sleep, with the same steps each night. The Sleep Foundation defines a bedtime routine as "a series of activities you do in the half hour to an hour before bedtime", and suggests scheduling its start anywhere between 30 minutes and two hours before bed. The NHS puts it simply: "A calm bedtime routine can help you prepare for sleep."
For adults the routine is mostly about closing the day. Work, messages and news do not end on their own in the evening, so the routine is the point where you decide they have. A routine is not a treatment for sleeplessness, and many people with a good one still have bad nights; what it offers is a predictable hour the rest of the evening cannot spill into.
Why does the phone break most wind-down routines?
The phone breaks most wind-down routines because it is the one activity with no natural end. A bath gets cold and a chapter finishes; a feed does not. In a 2022 survey of 2,010 US adults for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 80% said they had lost sleep by staying up past their bedtime to view or post on social media, and 93% of Gen Z said the same.
If the phone is still in your hand when the routine is meant to start, the routine starts late or not at all.
That is why sleep organisations put the phone first. The NHS suggests not using phones, tablets or computers for an hour before bed, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests powering devices down 30 to 60 minutes before sleep and keeping the phone in another room overnight. For more on the timing, see how long before bed to put your phone down.
What should a wind-down routine for adults include?
A wind-down routine for adults should include a fixed start time, a phone-down step, something that closes the day, something that relaxes the body and a cue that it is time for bed. The steps below are the ones sleep organisations name most often, with what is known about each:
| Step | What it does | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Same bedtime and wake-up | Gives the routine a fixed place in the evening | The NHS suggests keeping your routine the same even on days you are not working |
| Phone away | Removes the activity with no end | The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests a regular alarm clock instead of the phone |
| A five-minute to-do list | Moves tomorrow's tasks out of your head | In a 2018 lab study, adults who wrote a to-do list fell asleep faster than those who wrote about tasks already done |
| A warm shower or bath | Warms the body, which then cools | A 2019 meta-analysis linked water at 40 to 42.5 °C to better self-rated sleep, and a bath 1 to 2 hours before bed to falling asleep sooner |
| Reading, music or breathing | Fills the time with something calm | The NHS lists reading, meditation, breathing exercises, calming music and podcasts |
| Getting into bed last | Makes bed the cue for sleep | The Sleep Foundation suggests getting into bed as the final step |
The to-do list is the least known and the cheapest. In the study by Scullin and colleagues, 57 healthy adults aged 18 to 30 wrote for five minutes before a night in a sleep lab. Those who wrote a to-do list took on average about 16 minutes to fall asleep, against about 25 minutes for those who listed what they had already done, and the more specific the list, the faster they fell asleep. It was one night in a lab with young adults, so take it as a reason to try it, not a promise.
How do you build a wind-down routine step by step?
You build a wind-down routine by working back from your wake-up and deciding every step during the day, so the evening holds no decisions:
- Count back from your wake-up. With a 07:00 wake-up and eight hours in bed, lights out is 23:00, and an hour's wind-down starts at 22:00.
- Make the start time a phone-down time. At 22:00 the phone goes on the charger, out of reach, ideally in another room.
- Give the phone's night jobs away. A separate alarm clock for the morning, a paper book, audio started before 22:00 with a sleep timer.
- Choose three or four steps in a fixed order. For example: a five-minute to-do list, a warm shower, pyjamas and teeth, half an hour of reading in low light.
- Set the room up before you start. Curtains closed, bed turned down and lamps instead of the ceiling light, so the last step is getting into bed.
- Decide what happens if you cannot sleep. The NHS suggests that if you are still awake after around 20 minutes, you get up, sit somewhere comfortable, do something relaxing and go back to bed when you feel sleepy.
- Keep it for a few weeks before changing it. A missed night is not a reason to drop the routine; start again the next evening.
A sample one-hour routine on that plan:
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 22:00 | Phone on the charger in the hall |
| 22:00–22:05 | To-do list for tomorrow on paper |
| 22:05–22:25 | Warm shower, teeth, pyjamas |
| 22:25–23:00 | Book under a lamp, or quiet music |
| 23:00 | Lights out |
If you are looking for what to put in the time the phone used to fill, what to do instead of scrolling before bed sorts the options by what the feed was doing for you.
What helps you keep to a wind-down routine?
Four things help with keeping to a wind-down routine: Wind Down in the iPhone's Health app, Screen Time's Downtime, charging the phone elsewhere and app-blocking apps such as Bedline, and each handles a different part. They compare like this:
| Tool | What it does | What it leaves to you |
|---|---|---|
| Wind Down with a sleep schedule (Health > Sleep > Sleep Schedule) | Starts your Sleep Focus 15 minutes to 3 hours before bedtime, filtering notifications and calls | Apps you open yourself still work |
| Downtime (Settings > Screen Time > Downtime) | Makes most apps unavailable on a schedule | With Block at Downtime off, only a reminder you can dismiss; turning it on needs a Screen Time passcode |
| Charging the phone in another room | Takes the phone out of reach | Needs a separate alarm clock and the habit of walking it there |
| Bedline | Pauses the apps, categories and websites you choose from your phone-down time until your wake-up | Pausing apps needs a Premium plan; the rest of the routine is yours |
A Sleep Focus filters what reaches you; it does not stop you opening a feed. Apple's Screen Time guide for iOS 26 says that during downtime only calls, messages and apps you allow are available, and that when Block at Downtime is off you see a reminder but can choose to continue. Downtime vs Sleep Focus compares the two in detail.
Where does Bedline fit in a wind-down routine?
Bedline handles the phone-down step of a wind-down routine, and leaves the book, the shower and the list to you. You set your Bedline, the time the phone goes down, and your wake-up, or take the times Bedline suggests from your Apple Health sleep. You choose the apps, categories such as Social, and websites that eat your evenings, and Apple's Screen Time pauses them every night until your wake-up. Pausing apps needs a Premium plan.
Bedline can also start the routine for you. An optional reminder tells you to wind down before your Bedline, and in the last hour before it the Tonight screen offers "I'm heading to bed" to start the night early. If you need an app during the night, an emergency unlock you hold to confirm opens the apps for 30 to 120 minutes, as you set, and they pause again after.
Bedline does not take the phone out of the bedroom and does not make you sleep. You set the plan yourself, and you can change or switch off tonight in the app; what it removes is the decision at 23:30, when the feed is one tap away. If the hard part for you is picking the time, how to set a phone curfew as an adult goes further.
FAQ
How long should a wind-down routine be?
A wind-down routine for adults usually takes 30 to 60 minutes. The Sleep Foundation defines it as the half hour to an hour before bed and suggests starting anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours before. Many people find a shorter routine they keep every night easier to hold than a longer one.
What time should adults start winding down?
Adults can find their wind-down time by counting back from their wake-up. Take the time you have to get up, subtract the hours of sleep you want, then subtract 30 to 60 minutes; with a 07:00 wake-up and eight hours of sleep, that is 22:00 to 22:30.
Can I use my phone as part of my wind-down routine?
You can use a phone for audio in a wind-down routine if you start it before your phone-down time and put the phone out of reach. The NHS lists calming music and podcasts among its suggestions. The risk is picking the phone up to change the track and landing in a feed.
What is a good wind-down routine for anxiety or overthinking?
A wind-down routine for a busy mind often starts by writing tomorrow's tasks down. The NHS suggests making a list of things to do the next day if you often worry in bed. If worry keeps you awake night after night, talk to a doctor.
Does a warm shower before bed help you sleep?
A warm shower or bath before bed was linked with better sleep in a 2019 review of 17 studies. Water at 40 to 42.5 °C was associated with better self-rated sleep quality, and a bath 1 to 2 hours before bed with falling asleep sooner. The authors call for more research on the timing and length.
What is the Wind Down setting on iPhone?
Wind Down is part of the sleep schedule in the iPhone's Health app. Apple's iOS 26 guide says it can begin from 15 minutes to 3 hours before your bedtime, and your Sleep Focus starts with it, filtering notifications and calls. Wind Down does not lock apps you open yourself.