My wind down routine used to look like this: dinner; check emails; dessert; scroll TikTok; get tired but don’t get ready for bed; potter around doing half-hearted tasks; finally get ready for the bed and stare at the ceiling for an hour feeling wide awake.

And I wondered why I wasn’t sleeping well…

I spoke to Hannah Shore, sleep expert at Silentnight and one of my favourite tips from our chat was to get ready for bed before you’re actually tired.

“Simply get ready for bed, and then wind down,” advises Hannah.

“Do everything that you need to do, and then have a good hour, half an hour, where you chill out.”

This worked wonders for me.

“We are constantly telling children that they need a wind down routine filled with calming activities like reading and colouring but as adults, this is thrown completely out the window,” says Hannah.

I’ve definitely been guilty of neglecting my wind down routine, so establishing a new one was the first way I tried to improve my sleep.

Now, this will be unique to everybody. Meditation, reading, bubble baths and journaling are what I keep in rotation and they work for me. But don’t think you have to follow the status quo, your wind down routine should be about you and you’ll be pleased to know that it doesn’t need to involve giving up your evening Netflix session if that’s your jam.

“You’ve probably been advised to stay away from TVs and phones before bed,” says Hannah.

“But they’re fine so long as they’re used in the right way. Don’t be watching any sort of psychological thrillers or binge-worthy series. Watch something that you already know the ending to – something boring, mundane and repetitive.”

Watching something you’re familiar with allows you to switch off and start shutting down from all the new thoughts the day has brought.

Who knew that sticking on your favourite comfort film or a re-run of Friends could help you cultivate a healthy wind down routine?

“I tried 5 ways to improve my sleep routine – here’s what worked”