Evening wind-down
Three steps, and most people need one of them. This routine is ordered by how little it asks of you: start at the top, and only move down if the step above has been in place for a few weeks and you still want to change something.
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Evening, with foodMagnesium Glycinate
The glycinate form is chosen here for tolerability rather than potency — it is the form least likely to have a digestive effect at an evening dose.
Skip this step if you already take any magnesium. Forms differ, but stacking two of them mostly stacks the amount, not the benefit.
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EveningL-Theanine
An amino acid found in tea, studied at the intake range on the label. Added here for people whose evenings are busy rather than late.
Skip this step if your issue is when you go to bed rather than how you feel in the evening. This step does not move your bedtime for you.
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Evening, short-termMelatonin
Included for schedule disruption — travel across time zones, or a shift pattern that moved. It is the most situational item on this page.
Skip this step if your schedule has not changed. This is a tool for a shifted clock, not a nightly habit, and the first two steps are the ones intended to stay.
If your sleep is already fine, the honest version of this routine is no routine. Nothing here is worth taking to protect sleep you are not losing.