Studies have shown that a daily nighttime routine is one of the most important factors for the best sleep (1, 2). Make sure to go to bed within a one-hour window every night. This ensures that the body is prepared to go through the various sleep cycles in an optimal way.

Natural sunlight has an important role for a balanced biorhythm, telling your body if it is daytime or nighttime. As a part of this, it is regulating the production of serotonin, the direct precursor to the sleep hormone melatonin (3, 4, 5, 6). Make sure you get a healthy 15- to 30-minute dose of sunlight without sunglasses in the morning and later when the sun is close to its peak, for sufficient melatonin levels at night.

Blue light is downregulating the body’s melatonin levels via specialized photoreceptors in the eyes (7, 8, 9). Due to the modern world’s transition to LED lights emitting large amounts of blue light, it is important to filter out this kind of light close to bedtime. If you want to continue working on your computer or watching TV, it is recommended that you use blue light blocking glasses.

Studies indicate that magnesium positively affects sleep via its connection to melatonin and stimulation of benzodiazepine receptors in the brain. Effects such as increased relaxation, stress reduction, and better sleep quality have been observed (10, 11, 12, 13). Zinc is another important mineral that has been shown to regulate sleep and improve memory (14).

Studies suggest that the brain washes away toxins by circulating fluid during sleep (15, 16, 17). It is reasonable to believe that a good supply of blood supports the nightly brain detox process; therefore, make sure to restrict eating three to four hours before bedtime, in order to keep digestion shut off. In addition, several studies also have shown that late nighttime eating correlates with various types of sleep disorders (18, 19).