Morning & evening routines

Your body clock affects sleep, hormones, appetite, digestion and body temperature. Light matters most, but food, activity and your social life also help set it.

In a study of 91,105 adults, people with more disrupted rest and activity rhythms, like being active at night or inactive by day, were more likely to have mood problems, lower happiness and more loneliness.

This study shows a link, not cause and effect. Low mood can disrupt routines too.

Once something becomes a habit, it starts to feel automatic, like you do it without thinking. That can free up energy for other things.

Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day is one of the CDC’s top tips for better sleep.

The first time you talk with another person, in person or by phone, is one of the five anchors.

Ideas

• A good-morning text to a friend
• A short call on the way to work or school
• Breakfast with family
• Chatting with a coworker or neighbor

Starting your main activity at a similar time each day is another anchor. It counts whether that is a job, classes, caring for family or looking after your home.

A regular dinner time is one of the five anchors. For families, eating together without screens can also be a time to connect.

A consistent bedtime is the final anchor, and a key part of healthy sleep.

Pediatricians suggest putting as many things in order as possible the night before, to make mornings smoother for the whole family.

Ideas

• Lay out clothes
• Pack bags and lunches
• Put keys and wallet in one spot
• Write tomorrow’s top three tasks

Light has the biggest influence on your body clock.

Ideas

• A favorite drink, savored slowly
• A few stretches
• A minute of quiet before the house wakes up
• A song you love

Just 30 minutes of walking every day can boost your mood and improve your health. Part of it could happen in the morning.

Starting the day with news or messages can pull you into other people’s demands before you’re ready. Even five phone-free minutes can feel calmer.

Light from electronic devices at night can confuse your body clock. The CDC suggests turning off devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

Ideas

• Check tomorrow’s plans once, then let them go
• Jot a short to-do list for tomorrow
• Tidy one small space
• Write one good thing from today

Choose one or two calming steps and do them in the same order each night. A short routine is easier to keep.

The CDC suggests avoiding large meals and alcohol before bedtime, and caffeine in the afternoon or evening.

Keeping your bedroom quiet, relaxing and at a cool temperature can help you sleep.

On average, it took 66 days for the new habit to feel automatic. Some people got there in 18 days, others were projected to take about 254 days. Harder habits, like exercise, took longer than simple ones like drinking water.

Missing a single day had little impact on building the habit. Missing many days, though, did slow things down. So if you miss a day, just pick it up again.

A review of 94 tests found that plans in the form “If this happens, then I will do that” helped people reach their goals noticeably more often.

Examples

• “After I brush my teeth, I’ll write tomorrow’s to-do list.”
• “When I pour my coffee, I’ll open the curtains.”
• “When my alarm goes off at 10 p.m., I’ll plug my phone in the kitchen.”

It is easier to build on a small routine than to keep up a big one. Once one step feels easy, add another.

For example

• Get up at your usual time
• Drink a glass of water
• Open the curtains
• Text one person
• Go to bed at your usual time

The CDC recommends going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. You can still enjoy a slower weekend while keeping wake and bed times close to usual.

Shift work and travel across time zones can throw your body clock out of sync.

Routines are meant to make life easier. If you feel you must do things in an exact way or something bad will happen, that’s worth talking about with a therapist.

NIMH lists difficulty getting out of bed in the morning because of mood, for two weeks or more, as a reason to seek professional help.

On these days, aim for your minimum-day routine. Getting up at a steady time and seeing daylight are small wins.

Therapies that help people build steady daily rhythms are being explored for grieving older adults and veterans with trauma, though this research is still early.

After a loss or big change, simple anchors like regular meals, a daily walk or a set time to call someone can give the day some shape.

Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy helps people with bipolar disorder keep steady sleep and daily routines. Most research on rhythm-based therapies has been in bipolar disorder, with mixed results.

Some people find routines easier with alarms, checklists or a picture schedule. Others need extra warning before changes. Use the supports that work for your brain.

Pediatricians suggest

• Getting things ready the night before
• Keeping wake-up time upbeat, maybe with music
• Offering simple choices, like which jacket to wear
• Saying goodbye with a hug and a wave

Pediatricians suggest

• Bedtime stories, songs or reading
• Dinner together without screens
• Encouraging everyone to share at dinner
• Quiet play, not exciting games, before bed

In the preschool study, parents’ own stress and low mood were strongly linked to how children were doing. Caring for yourself is part of caring for them.