The right preparation for a good night’s sleep is valuable for not only your physical health but your mental well-being too.

November 13, 2025, 12 PM ET

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In September, I published a column that laid out the design of my morning protocol, which uses the best available research to manage my mood—especially my natural negativity—and optimize my creativity and productivity. The six steps I detailed there have dramatically enhanced my quality of life. Since that column, many readers have inquired about how to design other parts of the day, particularly the evening. This column outlines the evening protocol I have developed to match my morning one.

Its goal is different. I want to start the day in a way that regulates, in a downward direction, my negative affect and regulates upward the energy and focus I need to write and teach effectively. In contrast, the architecture of the evening protocol aims to create a calm, positive mood and prepare me for sleep.

Achieving that is especially challenging for me because I am by nature a poor sleeper and because I need to travel almost every week, changing time zones frequently and sleeping in strange places by myself, as opposed to in my own bed, together with my wife, at a time of my choosing. For that reason, this protocol is the ideal, rather than my norm. Even so, this research-based plan has helped me a great deal—and it might provide a starting point for you to create your own.

From the August 2025 issue: Why can’t Americans sleep?

1. Eat your last meal in good time. The end of the day starts at dinner, which in my home is generally at 6 p.m. This might seem absurdly early to you, as it initially did to my Spanish wife when we immigrated to the United States together three decades ago. But this timing is important because the research is clear: Eating too close to bedtime negatively affects sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep) and quality. Alcohol tends to have a negative impact on sleep quality, and caffeine is a no-no any time late in the day. Unfortunately for me—my sweet tooth is the reason I most often fail in my protocol—skipping dessert is a good idea because sugar makes it harder to wind down.

2. Walk it off. When I am at home, my wife and I take a walk right after dinner, usually for about 40 minutes. A stroll is especially beneficial if the sun sets while we’re out, because this enhances the body’s circadian rhythms. I do not count this walk as my daily exercise, which I do first thing in the morning, but the mild exertion is still excellent for physical and mental health. (In fact, some evidence suggests that strenuous evening exercise can disrupt sleep.) Walking is especially beneficial after eating, because it lowers hyperglycemia (a glucose spike) by about 14 percent. Hyperglycemia impairs mood in some people, so in addition to other health benefits, walking can improve one’s emotional state.

Holding hands while walking with your partner can be a nice extra. My wife and I always make a point of doing so, even though our children tease us for being “like kids” despite our 34 years of marriage. There’s actual solid science for why hand-holding is healthy: By measuring pupil dilation (which indicates activity in the autonomic nervous system), scholars in Utah showed in 2019 that holding hands can buffer stress levels.

3. Take your vitamins. A good deal of recent research has looked into how supplements can aid evening mood management and sleep. There is no silver bullet for insomnia, as I can attest—I have tried absolutely everything over the years. My grizzled endocrine system laughs in the face of chamomile tea and other folk remedies. And if a pill from the doctor really knocks you out, then in my experience, it is probably an addictive and dangerous drug. A number of over-the-counter dietary supplements may, however, offer help. Probably the most effective ismagnesium; less supported by research but worth trying are zinc, vitamin D, and L-theanine. Many people swear by melatonin supplements, which are generally regarded as safe—but take note that, as the nutritional expert and longevity specialist Peter Attia has advised, their dosage may be too high. In general, it is a good idea to consult your primary-care physician about any supplement you’re considering.

4. Leave the phone outside the bedroom. Without doubt, the most obvious but least observed part of this protocol is to put your phone away at least an hour before turning in, and not to check it until morning. A huge amount of research has shown that smartphone use wrecks sleep quality. The blue light that your device emits suppresses the body’s natural melatonin production in the pineal gland and disrupts circadian rhythms, which means that even if you do fall asleep while scrolling, your slumber will be choppy and not restful. Smartphone use also interferes with Steps 6 and 7 of the protocol—so just don’t! And not even on the nightstand: I plug my phone into an outlet inside a closet on a different floor from my bedroom; it might as well be in a locked box.

5. Go to bed already! My morning protocol recommended a very early start to the day, to optimize both productivity and happiness. To manage this and still get enough sleep requires hitting the sack at a reasonable hour. People need different amounts of sleep (your number might be different from mine), but you are unlikely to be well rested with fewer than 6.5 hours. When I am not traveling or doing an evening speaking event, I try to go to bed at 9 p.m. The best conditions for the bedroom are simple: cool and completely dark.

6. Lock eyes with your partner. This step assumes you are sleeping with a spouse or partner—then again, if you have a dog, it might still work. You’ll likely know about the crucial role that oxytocin plays in social and romantic bonding; it also has benefits for calmness and relaxation. This neuropeptide makes your bond with your partner feel unique, profound, maybe even divine. One of the best ways tostimulate oxytocin release is sustained eye contact in conversation, something that many couples neglect. You may have found, as I have, that making a conscious effort to hold eye contact when talking to someone can be a relationship game changer. What works for fostering understanding and trust among colleagues at work is even more important for maintaining intimacy and connection with your partner. At bedtime, reserve a few minutes before lights out to discuss what went right during the day, making full eye contact. For extra effect, hold hands at the same time.

7. Read (or be read to). Many people read in bed. This is great not just for sleeping—providing it is from a book, not a device—but also for the learning and recall of the ideas that you absorb just before drifting off. Reading aloud to others, and being read to, are particularly beneficial. As one 2024 study on college studentsshowed, auditory “reading”—listening to an audiobook, for example—improves sleep quality even more than reading a physical book. I have not seen any studies that measured the specific effects of reading to your beloved or being read to by them—but, in my own informal nighttime research, I have found clear evidence that the effect of listening to love poetry or the Psalms delivered with a feminine Spanish accent is equivalent to clinical-grade narcotics.

Arthur C. Brooks: Sleep more and be happier

8. The last words at night. As a child, you probably got the advice that when you couldn’t sleep, you should try counting sheep or simply counting backwards from 100. This is fine, if boring, but you can do better by having a silent, self-soothing routine that tells your brain, You are going to sleep now, and happily. Researchers studying Muslim populations, for example, have found that the practice of reciting prayers at night leads to the release of natural melatonin. Many people of all religions use a simple prayer that silently accompanies them for their passage into slumber each night; typically, these follow the cadence of slow, steady breathing. Personally, I like to use the mantra-like “Jesus Prayer,” which is a common practice among Russian Orthodox monks. For nonreligious people, the silent repetition of a simple affirmation—such as, “I am grateful for this day, and finish it in peace”—can be synchronized with your breathing, so that the first phrase accompanies the inhalation, the second phrase your exhalation.

I would offer one last rule, though it might seem paradoxical. The goal of an evening protocol is calm, positive affect and restful sleep. But this protocol can all too easily turn into rigid dogma, from which any deviation or failure to uphold itself causes stress—and that defeats the whole purpose. Instead, what you need is what psychologists refer to as a “state of surrender”—the willingness to accept what is, without resistance. So the ninth, and last, step is this:

9. Never mind. Maybe observing the protocol is impossible today because of circumstances beyond your control. Or maybe you’ve followed the protocol closely but you still can’t sleep. Getting uptight about either scenario is contrary to the spirit of the exercise. Rather, just say, “This is as it should be. I accept it.”

Goodnight.

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