What the research says about warm baths, Epsom salts, light, temperature, and what to skip, plus a simple 60-minute plan.
Rest is a skill.
And most of us were never taught it. We go from emails to dinner to the couch to bed, and then wonder why we’re lying awake at midnight with a busy mind and a wired body.
Your evening routine deserves as much intention as your morning one. But there’s a lot of noise out there about what works: salts, oils, teas, apps, gadgets. So let’s separate what the research actually supports from what just feels nice (which still counts).
This post covers a wind-down routine built on what works, the things I’d skip, a simple 60-minute plan, and the pharmacist and functional medicine notes most wind-down advice leaves out. It’s educational and isn’t a substitute for care from your own healthcare team. Numbers in brackets point to the references at the end.
Your body needs signals that the day is ending:
When you go straight from “on” to bed, those signals don’t have time to land. A wind-down routine isn’t about perfection. It’s about giving your body the cues it needs to shift gears.
I cover the root causes in Why Can’t I Sleep? Root Causes to Check Beyond Stress and Screens.
Four steps with research behind them.
This is the one with real evidence.
A systematic review and meta-analysis found that a warm bath or shower one to two hours before bed helped people fall asleep faster and improved sleep quality.[1]
before bed
(40–42.5°C)
is enough
The likely reason: warm water raises your skin temperature, and as you step out, your body cools down. That drop in core temperature is a natural signal that it’s time to sleep.
Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) feel relaxing, but whether your skin absorbs enough magnesium from a bath to raise your levels isn’t well supported by the research.[2] The benefit is probably the warmth and the ritual. If you love them, or a bit of lavender, use them. Just don’t count on them to correct a magnesium gap.
If you wear a hormone, nicotine, or pain patch, ask your pharmacist whether heat matters for yours. Heat can increase absorption from some patches, and soaking can loosen them.
Your body clock reads the light around you.
Evening light, including from overhead lights, phones, and tablets, suppresses melatonin and delays your body clock.[3] In one study, people who read on a light-emitting tablet before bed took longer to fall asleep, had less REM sleep, and felt less alert the next morning than when they read a printed book.[4]
More in how light runs your hormone clock.
A cooler room helps your core temperature drop.
A cooler bedroom helps your body lower its core temperature, which supports sleep.[5] Many people sleep best in a room around the mid-60s °F, though it varies. If you get night sweats, such as in perimenopause, a cool room, breathable bedding, and a fan can make a real difference. (See my early signs of perimenopause checklist.)
For when your body is tired but your mind is running.
In a small sleep-lab study, people who spent five minutes writing a to-do list before bed fell asleep faster than those who wrote about what they’d already done.[6] A “brain dump” gets tomorrow out of your head.
In a randomized trial of older adults with sleep problems, a mindfulness program improved sleep quality compared with sleep education.[7] A few minutes of slow breathing or a guided meditation is an easy start.
Some people reach for magnesium, melatonin, or herbal blends. Here’s what I’d say:
A review of studies in older adults with insomnia found low-quality evidence for a small benefit.[10] It’s worth discussing with your provider, especially because magnesium can interact with some medicines and cause loose stools. (Food first? Try magnesium-rich foods.)
A meta-analysis found it modestly shortens the time it takes to fall asleep, by several minutes.[11] It works best for timing problems, like jet lag or a delayed body clock, not every kind of insomnia. A lower dose taken earlier in the evening is often what’s recommended. Check with your provider first.
Please don’t start a supplement on your own if you take medications, are pregnant, or have a health condition. (And see why you can’t supplement your way past a sleep problem.)
Products shown are available through my Fullscript dispensary. Farmacy Counter may earn a commission on purchases.
If you’ve built a routine and still wake at 3 a.m., start with my free Sleep Solution. It walks you through the foundations of better sleep, so you know what to change first.
You don’t need all of this. Pick a few that feel doable:
Finish dinner. Start dimming overhead lights.
Take a warm bath or shower, about 10 minutes.
Phone down or on do-not-disturb. Switch to lamps.
Write a quick to-do list for tomorrow. Do a few slow stretches.
Read a book, listen to something calming, or breathe slowly.
Cool, dark room. Same bedtime most nights.
I’d pick the warm bath and dim lights.
When someone’s sleep stays off even with a good routine, I look beneath it:
When you fall asleep, when you wake, snoring, night sweats, and how you feel in the morning.
Thyroid with antibodies, ferritin with a CBC, B12, vitamin D, fasting glucose and insulin, A1c, and hormones when the story fits.
A quick questionnaire, and a sleep study when it points that way.
Perimenopause, thyroid, and, for men, low testosterone when the story fits.
Caffeine, alcohol, evening light, and what you take.
I also use my four working patterns to organize what I find:
Wired at night, tired by day, 3 a.m. wake-ups
Fatigue, restless legs, low iron or nutrients
Blood sugar swings, cravings, stubborn weight
Alcohol hitting harder, bloating, puffiness
These are clues that organize questions. They don’t diagnose a cause.
If you have trouble sleeping at least three nights a week for three months or longer, that’s chronic insomnia. The recommended first-line treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and its benefits tend to last longer than sleep medications.[12] Ask your provider about finding it.
Please talk with your healthcare provider if you snore loudly or gasp at night, wake unrefreshed no matter how long you sleep, fall asleep during the day, or have persistent insomnia.
And if your mood is heavy and doesn’t lift, or you’re having thoughts of harming yourself, talk with your provider, a mental health professional, or emergency services right away.
You don’t need a perfect routine, or the right salts, or a drawer full of gadgets. You need a few steady signals that tell your body the day is done.
If you haven’t yet, start with the free Sleep Solution above. And if you’d rather talk through what’s been going on with your sleep, I offer a free discovery call. No pressure, just a conversation about whether functional medicine is the right next step for you.
Book Your Free Discovery Call →To your health and vitality, Dr. Ryan
Yes. A meta-analysis found a warm bath or shower one to two hours before bed, around 104 to 108°F for about 10 minutes, helped people fall asleep faster and improved sleep quality.
Whether your skin absorbs enough magnesium from a bath to raise your levels isn’t well supported. The sleep benefit is likely from the warmth and the ritual.
Many people sleep best in a room around the mid-60s °F, though it varies. A cooler room helps your core temperature drop, which supports sleep.
A meta-analysis found melatonin modestly shortens the time it takes to fall asleep. It works best for timing problems such as jet lag or a delayed body clock. Check with your provider before starting it.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults, and its benefits tend to last longer than sleep medications.
For educational purposes only. Not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for care from your healthcare provider or a licensed mental health professional. Talk with your provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication or supplement.
