Count back 60 minutes from lights-out and give each part of that hour one job: finish the chores, turn the lights down, put the screens away, then do something quiet. NHLBI’s sleep guidance says, “Use the hour before bed for quiet time.” This page turns that sentence into a timeline you can copy and adjust.
This is general information, not medical advice. Guidance pages and links were checked on November 15, 2026.
What four public pages say about the last hour
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s page on healthy sleep habits continues after the sentence above: “Avoid intense exercise and bright artificial light, such as from a TV or computer screen.” Its list also includes, “Take a hot bath or use relaxation techniques before bed.”
CDC’s About Sleep page puts a number on screens: “Turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.”
The National Institute on Aging, on a page written for older adults, describes the routine itself: “Have a bedtime routine. Find ways to relax before bedtime each night. Read a book, listen to soothing music, or take a warm bath.” MedlinePlus has almost the same line: “Relax before bed by taking a bath, reading or listening to calm music.”
So the pieces are there. What the pages don’t give is an order, and the order below is ours.
What has to be finished before the hour starts
Some of the guidance is about things that happen well before the last hour, which means they can’t be fixed inside it.
- Dinner. NHLBI: “Avoid heavy or large meals within a few hours of bedtime. (Having a light snack is okay.)” The National Institute on Aging gives a range: “Avoid eating large meals within two to three hours of your bedtime.”
- Caffeine. NHLBI: “The effects of caffeine can last up to 8 hours.” CDC’s list has “Avoiding caffeine in the afternoon or evening.”
- Alcohol. CDC’s list pairs it with meals: “Avoiding large meals and alcohol before bedtime.”
- Exercise. The National Institute on Aging: “Try to get regular exercise, but not within three hours of your bedtime.”
A sample timeline
This timeline is made up to show the idea. The clock times aren’t a prescription and aren’t from any agency; only the quoted limits are. Assume lights-out at 10:30 p.m.
| Time | What happens | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| By 7:30 or 8:30 | Dinner is over | NIA’s “two to three hours” |
| 9:30 | Last chores: dishes, tomorrow’s bag and clothes, doors locked | Ours. Chores go first so they don’t leak into the quiet part. |
| 9:40 | Overhead lights off, one lamp on | NHLBI on “bright artificial light” |
| 9:45 | Wash up, or a bath | NHLBI, NIA and MedlinePlus all mention a bath |
| 10:00 | TV off; phone on its charger, alarm already set | CDC’s “at least 30 minutes before bedtime” |
| 10:00 to 10:25 | A printed book, or quiet music | NIA and MedlinePlus |
| 10:30 | Lights out | The fixed point everything else counts back from |
The room matters too. NHLBI’s wording: “Keep your bedroom quiet, cool, and dark (a dim night light is fine, if needed).” The National Institute on Aging adds, “Try not to watch television or use a computer, cell phone, or tablet in the bedroom.” That’s the reason the phone’s charger sits outside the bedroom in this example.
Setting it up the first night
- Write your lights-out time at the bottom of a card. If you haven’t settled on one, the wake-up chart shows how to count back from the morning.
- Write the same four blocks above it, in the same order: chores, lights down, screens off, quiet.
- Put a clock time next to each block by subtracting from lights-out.
- Set one phone alarm for the start of the hour, labeled “chores.” It’s the only alarm the routine needs.
- Leave the card where the hour starts, usually the kitchen.
The short version for late nights
Some nights you get home at 10:10. The blocks can shrink while the order stays: five minutes of chores, lights down, phone on the charger, ten minutes with the book. A 20-minute version in the usual order keeps the routine recognizable, and the full hour comes back the next night.
If sleep doesn’t come
MedlinePlus includes this in its list: “If you can’t fall asleep for 20 minutes, get up and do something relaxing.”
A routine is a schedule. It isn’t a way to deal with ongoing trouble sleeping, and the agencies say who to ask about that. CDC: “Talk to your healthcare provider if you have problems sleeping.” The National Institute on Aging: “Talk with your doctor if you have problems with sleeping.” MedlinePlus: “See a health care provider if you have continued trouble sleeping.”
What trips people up
- Picking up the phone at 10:00 “just to set the alarm.” Set it when the chores alarm rings, an hour earlier.
- Leaving the dishes for the quiet block. Then the quiet block is dishes.
- Building a 90-minute routine with eight parts. Four blocks fit on a card and survive a busy week.
- Changing the order every night. The order is what makes it a routine; the contents of the quiet block can vary.
- Counting the hour from when you feel tired. Count from the lights-out time on the card.
- Scrapping the routine after one late night. See the short version above.
For the rest of the week’s schedule after a bad stretch, see the weekly reset.
Sources
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Healthy Sleep Habits (last updated March 24, 2022): the quiet hour, light, meals, caffeine, the bedroom, a bath
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Sleep (May 15, 2024): devices off 30 minutes before bedtime, meals, alcohol and caffeine, talking to a healthcare provider
- National Institute on Aging, Sleep and Older Adults (content reviewed February 6, 2025): a bedtime routine, meals and exercise before bed, screens in the bedroom, talking with a doctor
- MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, Healthy Sleep (last updated December 9, 2025): relaxing before bed, the 20-minute line, seeing a health care provider