RestoreAdults
5 Simple Ways to Reset Your Sleep Routine
Ashley Abramson
Not sleeping well? Feeling sleepy or foggy during the day? It may be time to revisit — or create — your sleep routine. Consistency is one of the best ways to support better sleep habits. A predictable routine can help signal to your body that it’s time to rest, making it easy to fall asleep and wake up rested.
The good news: Great sleep routines don’t have to be complicated — to get started, all you need to do is be consistent. Need a boost? Sleep improvement tech like Hatch Restore can help you optimize your routine by reminding you when it’s time to go to bed and helping your mind and body wind down for rest — then waking you up the next morning with a gentle sunrise alarm.
Read on to learn more about how you can reset your routine for better sleep, so you can start feeling rested and ready to take on the day ASAP.
Step 1: Fix Your Wake-Up Time First
Mornings anchor the entire circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock that regulates sleep, hormones, and temperature. When you can, try to get up at the same time each day. Not sure what’s the best time to wake up? Try not setting an alarm and see what time your body naturally wakes.
Why wake-up consistency matters for circadian rhythm
Waking up at the same time every day gives your brain a clear signal of when the day starts. This helps synchronize your body’s internal clock with the external environment (especially light/dark cycles), which improves sleep quality and energy levels.
How Restore Can Help
If getting up is hard, certain sleep improvement devices can come in handy. Hatch Restore can help you wake up on time every day with a cozy-but-energizing sunrise light and audio. pairing — and without your phone and jarring alarm sound.
Step 2: Be Strategic About Light Exposure
Morning light exposure is one of the most powerful ways to support your circadian rhythm and reset melatonin production. Sunlight is far brighter than typical indoor lighting and more effective at regulating your sleep-wake cycle than indoor light. If you can, get outside first thing in the AM for some sunlight and fresh air — even for five or ten minutes. A mid-morning light break can also help!
How Restore Can Help
At night, too much bright light — especially from electronic devices — can keep you awake and alert, suppressing melatonin production. Hatch Restore can help you move through your bedtime routine without a phone. Try swapping out your nightly scroll for your favorite entertaining or relaxing audio, played directly on your device. When you can, dim the overhead lights and use cozier lighting, like Hatch Restore’s orange or red light hues.
In the morning, encourage energy and wakefulness with a gentle sunrise alarm that mimics morning light exposure that supports your circadian rhythm.
Step 3: Build a Pre-Sleep Wind-Down Ritual
A relaxing bedtime ritual can help your body and mind transition from the busyness of the day to a more restful state. Calming activities like meditation, stretching, or journaling can be a great way to signal to your brain that it’s time for rest.
How Restore Can Help
Sticking with a wind-down routine can be hard. Make it easier by setting up a bedtime reminder on your Hatch Restore to cue you when it’s time to start getting ready for bed. Then, wind down with a relaxing meditation, breathing exercises, or a funny (but sleepy) bedtime story on your Restore — all in the glow of a cozy bedside light that won’t disrupt your circadian rhythm.
Step 4: Optimize Your Bedroom Environment
Your sleep space plays an important role in helping you relax for bed, and it can also make a big difference in your sleep quality. Choose comfortable, breathable bedding that keeps you cool during the night (and keep your room cool, too, if you can). Aim to keep your room as dark as possible — even small light leaks through curtains can interrupt your sleep cycle when you’re asleep. A sleep mask or black-out curtains may help if your room isn’t totally dark.
How Restore Can Help
If you have disruptive background noise in your home or neighborhood, block them out with a white noise machine. Along with white noise to drown out disruptions, Hatch Restore has sleep sounds that’ll actually relax you, like rainfall, brown and pink noise, and ocean waves.
Step 5: Track and Adjust As Needed
Everyone’s different, so what works for one person’s sleep routine may not work for you. Once you implement a routine, try to stick with it for a week or two and monitor in a journal or in your phone’s notes app how easy it is to fall asleep, how much you wake up at night, and how rested you feel in the morning. If you’re struggling with any aspects of sleep, you may need to tweak your routine a bit to support your rest.
How Restore Can Help
With Hatch Restore, you can experiment with different audio and light combinations to find what actually helps you wind down — because you’re much more likely to stick with a routine you actually enjoy. Something not working? It’s easy to switch up your bedtime routine in the Hatch app. There are plenty of options to peruse, from bedtime stories and podcasts to guided meditations and body scans.