A ten-minute wind-down that ends the day

Dim the main lights and switch to a lamp. Bright overhead light late in the evening keeps the body in daytime mode.

Put tomorrow's first three tasks on paper. A written list stops the same loop replaying once you are lying down.

Five slow breaths, letting the out-breath run longer than the in-breath.

Two minutes of easy stretching: neck, shoulders, hips. Nothing that raises your heart rate.

Screen down, room cool, and into bed whether or not you feel sleepy yet.

The value is in the repetition, not any single step. A sequence your body recognizes becomes a signal on its own.

Doing it on the good nights is what makes it work on the bad ones.