Try This ER Doctor-Approved Bedtime Routine For Stellar Sleep

Ask any expert, the key to balancing your circadian rhythm, and they'll likely agree with Long: "Leverage light." See, as natural light starts to dwindle, your body's internal clock kick-starts melatonin production, which signals that it's time for sleep. "So that means that for an hour and a half before bed, we aren't using bright lights," Long says of her household, as any cool, bright light makes it harder for your body to register that it's time to wind down. "We turn off the bright overhead lights, and we just use dim, 30-watts-or-less light bulbs on all of our bedside tables" (like these low-watt light bulbs from Amazon). 

As we've discussed, blue light interferes with melatonin production, causing the brain to think it's still daytime. Aside from the light exposure, endlessly doomscrolling before bed can also stimulate your brain, thus keeping you from reaching a deeper sleep. So "if you have trouble falling asleep, I tell people to turn off your devices for 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime," suggests Long. "Or you can wear one of those lovely blue-blocker glasses." (Here's how to tell if your blue blockers are actually working.)

"If you can take a natural supplement that will help your eyes feel heavy, that is the dream,"* says Bock. "It takes the stress off of sleeping." Because we've all been there: You lie in bed and try to force yourself to feel sleepy, which makes you feel even more wired. "When you get in bed and you can't fall asleep, it's torture," she adds (I can certainly relate). 

Bock is also a fan of Epsom salts: "If I take a hot Epsom salt bath before bed, it relaxes my entire nervous system and calms my body," she notes. Epsom salts (which are made of magnesium sulfate) are lauded for easing stress while promoting calm and full-body relaxation—all necessary components for a stellar night's sleep.

Even if you don't have any Epsom salts to add to your bath, the soak itself is worth your while: One large meta-analysis found that taking a bath one to two hours before bed can improve overall sleep quality and how quickly you fall asleep. Just make sure to give your body enough time to cool down by taking your bath (or steamy shower) one to two hours before bed—raising your body temperature can make it harder for you to fall right asleep. "When you get out of the bathtub, your body temperature drops and your brain thinks, 'Oh, my body temperature dropped, so it's time to go to sleep.' Hence, sleepy time. It works," says Long.