The Best Tools for Calming Down at Night

Key Takeaways:

• A calming bedtime routine can help you transition from “go mode” to sleep mode, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.
• Relaxation techniques for sleep can help slow down racing thoughts and signal to your body that it’s time to rest.
• Hatch Sleep Clock helps you create relaxing routines with contactless sleep tracking and personalized insights and suggestions.

You probably already know that what you do before bed plays an important role in how well you sleep and how you end up feeling the next morning. A simple bedtime routine you repeat each night can help prime your circadian rhythm, so over time, it’s easier to fall and stay asleep. If you want a more immediate solution to help you unwind for bed tonight, try incorporating relaxation techniques into your pre-sleep ritual.

Taking time for a calming activity, whether guided meditation, breathing exercises, or bedtime journaling, sends a message to your nervous system that it’s OK to wind down after a busy (or stressful) day. By intentionally slowing down, you can more easily shift gears toward sleep — and hopefully, wake up feeling more like yourself.

Below, learn more about how to calm down at night, and how Hatch Sleep Clock can help you build a relaxing bedtime routine for deeper, restorative sleep.

Table of Contents

1. How a Calming Bedtime Routine Helps With Sleep
2. The Best Relaxation Techniques for Sleep
3. FAQs
4. References

How a Calming Bedtime Routine Helps With Sleep

Sleep isn’t always easy to come by. After a full day, your nervous system needs time to transition from “go mode” to rest mode. Relaxing cues are a simple-but-effective way to tell your mind and body it’s safe to settle down — and that it’s almost time to sleep.

Many different science-backed relaxation techniques for sleep exist (which means you have a lot of options for what to try!). Practices like deep breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, bedtime journaling, and calming sounds can help reduce mental and physical arousal that may otherwise keep you awake.

When you incorporate these activities into a consistent bedtime routine, they can also become familiar cues that help your brain associate your wind-down period with sleep. The key is finding a calming practice you actually enjoy and can realistically return to night after night.

Hatch Sleep Clock makes it easy to build a bedtime routine you’ll keep coming back to: After tracking your sleep from your bedside table, it shares personalized data about your sleep patterns and suggests routine tweaks and content to incorporate into your routine.

The Best Relaxation Techniques for Sleep

Want to create a calming bedtime routine, but not sure where to start? Learn more below about some of the best relaxation techniques for sleep (many of which you can try, phone-free, right on your Hatch Sleep Clock).

Guided Meditation

Guided meditation is a relaxation practice that uses spoken instructions to direct your attention toward calming thoughts, sensations, or imagery. At bedtime, following a soothing voice can give your mind something gentle to focus on instead of worries or racing thoughts, helping reduce mental arousal and promote the relaxed state that makes it easier to fall asleep.

Hatch Sleep Clock has plenty of guided meditations to help you wind down, including Still Awake Meditations to help you combat insomnia, Meditations on Color, Guided Meditations for Stressy Days, and Irreverent Meditations, if you’re in the mood for something more lighthearted.

Sound Baths

Sound baths use resonant sounds and vibrations from instruments such as singing bowls, gongs, and chimes to create an immersive, calming experience. By giving your mind a steady, soothing sensory focus, a sound bath may help quiet racing thoughts, ease stress, and encourage the shift into a more relaxed state — making it a useful addition to a wind-down routine before sleep.

Want to hear (and feel) the relaxing vibes for yourself? Hatch Sleep Clock has many different types of soothing sleep music to try, from Peaceful Piano to Night Sky Cello inspired by constellations.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is a calming technique that involves intentionally tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups throughout your body, usually working from head to toe or vice versa. By helping you notice and release physical tension, it can promote a sense of relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, and make it easier for your body and mind to settle down for sleep.

To try it on your Hatch Sleep Clock, check out the “Melt Away the Day” track on the Nervous System Rest channel.

Breathing Exercises

Slow, deep breaths can send a signal of safety to your body, helping you to shift from a state of stress to calm. Breathing exercises for sleep that emphasize slow, controlled breathing may help lower physical manifestations of stress and give your mind a simple point of focus, making it easier to unwind as you get ready for bed.

One popular method is box breathing: Inhale slowly for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four. Repeat for a few rounds, or until you begin to feel more relaxed. Or, you can check out the Breathing Room channel on your Hatch Sleep Clock to calm your mind and body before bed.

Bedtime Journaling

Journaling can take many forms, from guided journaling that helps you shift your mind toward positive thoughts or free-writing that allows you to offload racing thoughts (you can deal with them tomorrow). Journaling before bed can help you clear mental clutter and process emotions, ultimately regulating your nervous system so you can feel relaxed instead of stressed before bed. Try pairing your journaling session with calming nature sounds or a sound bath on your Hatch Sleep Clock.

Whether your nightly ritual includes one or all of these relaxation practices, taking time for calm can help you sleep better — so you can wake up feeling refreshed tomorrow.

Learn how Hatch Sleep Clock can relax your mind and body for better sleep.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should it take to calm down before bed?

There’s no set amount of time it should take to relax before sleep. Starting a calming bedtime routine 30 to 60 minutes before bed can give your mind and body time to transition from daytime activities to rest.

Why do I feel anxious or restless when I try to sleep?

Stress, racing thoughts, screen use, an inconsistent sleep schedule, or even worrying about getting enough sleep can make it harder to relax at night. Creating a predictable wind-down period may help signal that it’s time to rest.

What should I avoid before bed if I want to relax?

To make it easier to wind down at night, consider limiting caffeine later in the day, alcohol close to bedtime, bright light, stimulating content, and stressful work or conversations right before bed.

References

1. Toussaint, L., et al. (2021). Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2021, 5924040.https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5924040
2. Goldsby, T. L., et al. (2023). Acute relaxation response induced by Tibetan singing bowl sounds: A randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 13(2), 317–329. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13020024
3. Laborde, S., et al. (2023). Slow breathing for reducing stress: The effect of extending exhale. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 73, 102937. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102937
4. Donato, K. O., et al. (2026). Progressive muscle relaxation technique improves sleep quality and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 203, 112563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2026.112563
5. Guo, L. (2023). The delayed, durable effect of expressive writing on depression, anxiety and stress: A meta-analytic review of studies with long-term follow-ups. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(1), 272–297.https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12408