If you work in tech, you already know how hard it can be to “shut down” at night. Your mind is still inside tickets, logs, alerts and code even when your laptop is closed. Add late coffee, multiple time zones and constant notifications, and sleep starts to suffer.
The good news is that you do not need a complete life reset. A few targeted evening habits can make it much easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. These ideas are based on well-known sleep hygiene practices and current guidance on light, caffeine and bedtime routines.
Below are ten practical habits you can start using tonight.
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Set a “last work touch” time
For many IT pros, the real problem is not just screens. It is mentally staying at work long after work is over. If you are pushing code, checking logs or replying to Slack right up to bedtime, your brain is still in problem solving mode.
Pick a clear “last work touch” time. For example, no work items after 9:00 pm if you plan to sleep at 11:00 pm. Close email, issue trackers and chat. If something comes to mind, jot it down on a notepad and tell yourself: “This goes into tomorrow’s queue, not tonight’s.”
Some sleep experts even recommend stopping work tasks around two hours before bed so your mind has time to wind down.
This is especially important if you work remotely with teams in different time zones. Create a boundary and communicate it to your team whenever possible.
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Build a consistent sleep schedule
Irregular bedtimes confuse your internal clock. One night you sleep at 1:30 am after a late deployment, the next night you try to sleep at 10:30 pm, then the weekend arrives and the schedule shifts again.
Research on sleep hygiene keeps returning to the same basic rule. Go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day, even on weekends, and aim for around seven to nine hours of sleep.
For IT pros, this might mean:
- Planning heavy work earlier in the day when possible
- Avoiding scheduling non critical meetings very late at night
- Being realistic about how many “late nights” you can stack before it hits you
Think of your sleep schedule as your system’s “uptime policy” for your own brain.
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Introduce a screen curfew in the last hour
Blue light from screens, especially close to your face, suppresses melatonin and signals your brain that it is still daytime. Studies show that screen use in the hour before bed is linked with shorter sleep and worse sleep quality in adults.
If you are used to coding, gaming or scrolling late at night, this one habit can make a big difference:
- Set a “screen off” rule for the last 45 to 60 minutes before bed
- If you must use a device, dim the brightness and use night or warm light modes
- Keep screens farther from your face and avoid heavy mental tasks like debugging
Use that last hour for low stimulation activities that do not involve a bright display. A simple paper book, music, soft stretching or light conversation are all better options than doomscrolling.
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Move your last caffeine dose earlier
Caffeine is part of life for many developers and engineers. The problem is timing. Caffeine has a long effect in the body and can still affect your sleep several hours after your last cup.
Some practical guidelines:
- Avoid coffee, strong tea and energy drinks at least 6 to 8 hours before your planned bedtime
- Watch hidden caffeine in cola, energy drinks and some headache tablets
- If you like the ritual of an evening drink, switch to herbal tea or warm water
If you tend to write late night code with a mug of coffee on your desk, experiment with decaf or a non caffeinated drink after a certain cut off time.
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Keep dinner light and avoid late heavy snacks
A large or greasy meal late in the evening keeps your digestive system active when your body is trying to slow down. Health guidelines commonly recommend avoiding heavy meals and alcohol before bedtime, and limiting late snacks.
Simple tweaks you can try:
- Eat your main meal earlier in the evening when possible
- Keep late snacks small and simple
- Avoid very spicy, oily or sugary foods close to bedtime
- Go easy on alcohol, especially within three hours of sleep, because it can fragment sleep even if it makes you feel drowsy at first
For those long evening standups or incident calls, plan a sensible meal ahead of time instead of grabbing something heavy right before bed.
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Design a sleep friendly bedroom
Your bedroom is your sleep environment, not your backup office. Small changes in light, noise and temperature can have a big impact.
Sleep and health organisations recommend keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet and limiting electronics in that space.
Practical ideas:
- Use blackout curtains or an eye mask if city or hallway light leaks in
- Keep the room slightly cool rather than warm
- Use earplugs, a fan or soft background sound if you live in a noisy area
- Charge your phone away from the bed so you are not tempted to scroll
Most importantly, try not to work from bed. The more your brain associates the bed with sleep and rest, the easier it becomes to fall asleep there.
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Create a simple wind down ritual
Think of a wind down ritual as a gentle “shutdown script” for your day. Sleep specialists often recommend doing the same few calming activities in the 30 to 60 minutes before bed to signal to your body that it is time to rest.
You do not need anything complicated. For example:
- Five minutes of slow breathing or meditation
- Ten minutes of light stretching to release tension from your neck, shoulders and back
- Reading a physical book or listening to quiet music
- A warm shower or bath if it relaxes you
The key is consistency. Do the same set of calming actions, in the same order, at roughly the same time each night. Over time, your brain learns that this routine means sleep is coming.
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Offload worries onto paper, not into your pillow
IT work often involves high responsibility. You might worry about uptime, security, deliverables or upcoming reviews. If you carry all of that into bed, your mind keeps spinning.
Try a short “brain dump” before your wind down:
- Take a notebook
- Write down everything that is on your mind for tomorrow
- For each item, write the first small action you will take
This simple act tells your brain that the problems are stored somewhere safe and do not need to be solved in bed. Many people find that this reduces overthinking when the lights go off.
If repeated worry or low mood is keeping you up most nights, it is worth discussing it with a doctor or mental health professional.
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Swap doomscrolling for low key connection
Evening anxiety often rises when we are tired and still connected to constant news, social feeds and work channels. Articles on anxiety and sleep repeatedly highlight late night doomscrolling, work email and heavy online content as triggers that keep the brain on high alert.
If you are used to scrolling through social media or tech news in bed, try replacing that habit with something gentler:
- Call or message a close friend for a short, light chat earlier in the evening
- Share one positive thing from your day with a partner or family member
- Write a three line gratitude list for the day
- If you want some digital content, watch or listen to something calm, and finish it before your screen curfew starts
You still get a sense of connection and closure for the day, without the mental overload that comes from endless feeds.
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Add gentle movement, not intense workouts, late at night
Regular exercise supports good sleep, but timing matters. For many people, intense exercise too close to bedtime makes it harder to fall asleep because heart rate and body temperature stay high.
For long desk bound days, aim for:
- A proper workout earlier in the day when possible
- Light evening activities like a walk after dinner or gentle stretching at home
- Desk breaks during the day so your body is not completely stiff by night
If you can, build short movements into your workday. Your neck and back will thank you, and your sleep will likely improve too.
How to start if your schedule is hectic
You may not control everything in your work life. On call duties, production incidents, client calls across time zones and release deadlines are part of the job. Instead of waiting for the “perfect week,” focus on what you can control.
You can:
- Choose a caffeine cut off time and stick to it most days
- Keep at least a short wind down ritual, even on busy nights
- Protect your last 30 minutes before bed from screens when there is no active incident
- Make your bedroom more sleep friendly with small changes like curtains, earplugs or moving devices away from the bed
Start with one or two habits for a week. Once they feel natural, add another. Over time these small, steady tweaks can make it much easier for you to fall asleep faster and wake up ready to think clearly again.