If bedtime feels rushed, distracted, or like something you collapse into out of exhaustion, you’re not alone. What doesn’t help is treating sleep like one more task to check off at the end of an already full day. Your body doesn’t switch from alert to restful automatically. It needs cues—gentle signals that the day is complete and it’s safe to soften. Without those cues, your nervous system stays slightly on guard, even when you’re tired. The truth is this: a bedtime routine