The Artist’s Guide to Building a Better Nighttime Routine
By Randi Zimmerman of Symphonic
Creativity can strike at any time. In the shower, in line waiting for your coffee, or, all too often, right when you’re trying to fall asleep… And although following every spark of inspiration can feel productive in the moment, constantly answering that call has its downsides.
Because sleep is when your brain and body get a chance to recover from the day, getting enough of it plays a big role in how well you think, focus, process information, and manage your energy. For creative people who rely on all of those things to do their best work, consistently cutting that recovery time short can catch up with you faster than you think.
Of course, not every late night is avoidable. But if you regularly find yourself working, scrolling, or chasing ideas when you should be winding down, your nighttime routine may be part of the problem.
If you’re an artist who struggles to turn your brain off at the end of the day, here are a few ways to build a routine that actually works…
Can’t Turn Your Brain Off? Here’s How To Wind Down At Night as a Musician
Give Your Workday an Actual Ending
When you work for yourself, there’s not typically a natural end to the day. There’s always another email you could answer, another tweak you could make, another piece of content you could schedule.
That in itself makes it especially hard to leave unfinished tasks behind for the day.
No, it doesn’t have to be finished today… but sometimes we just can’t help it. Like an itch we just have to scratch… but in this study, researchers found that unfinished tasks were linked with poorer sleep through “increased rumination about work”, meaning the more loose ends people had hanging over them, the more likely they were to keep mentally returning to those tasks when they were supposed to be winding down for the night.
That’s where giving yourself a clear stopping point can make all the difference.
Before you wrap up for the day, take a few minutes to:
- Write down anything you still need to finish.
- Leave yourself a note about where to pick back up tomorrow.
- Save and close whatever you’re working on.
- Resist the urge to squeeze in “one more thing.”
These seem like small things, but it really does work. In this sleep study, they found that people who spent five minutes writing down the tasks they still needed to take care of fell asleep faster afterward. And the more specific their list was, the faster they fell asleep.
Instead of leaving your brain to keep track of everything you still need to do, having a solid routine for shutting down signals that it’s time for rest.
You’ve made a plan for what comes next, so now there’s no need for your brain to mentally carry it with you into the night.
Have a System for Late-Night Ideas
Sometimes it’s not unfinished work keeping you up… It’s a brand-new idea that decided 12:30 a.m. was the perfect time to show up.
When that happens, you don’t have to choose between ignoring it completely and getting out of bed to work on it. What you can do, however, is give yourself a quick way to save the idea for tomorrow without turning it into a full session tonight.
Keep a notebook next to your bed, jot down a few words in your Notes app, or record a quick voice memo if it’s a melody you don’t want to lose. Get down just enough that you’ll know what you meant in the morning, then stop there.
A voice memo of a melody takes 30 seconds. Opening your DAW to “quickly” lay it down can turn into another two hours of work before you know it.
Build Your Perfect Wind-Down Sequence
Going straight from working on a track, answering emails, or scrolling on your phone to expecting yourself to fall asleep five minutes later is simply not possible for most of us. (And if it is for you, you are blessed, and I am extremely envious.)
Most of us need some kind of buffer to help things slow down up there. Start with 20 or 30 minutes and fill that time with a few calming things you can realistically repeat most nights.
Maybe you:
- Take a warm shower.
- Make a cup of caffeine-free tea.
- Stretch for five or ten minutes.
- Read something completely unrelated to music.
- Put on an audiobook, ASMR, or a short guided meditation.
Whatever you choose, try to do them in roughly the same order every night.
There’s a scientific reason for the repetition. Your brain learns associations between routines and what comes next, so over time, that familiar sequence becomes a mental cue that the day is ending and it’s time to sleep.
It doesn’t have to be some crazy 10-step routine. Even something as simple as:
Shower → make tea → read for 15 minutes → bed.
Or after a late studio session, maybe it’s:
Save and close the session → quick shower → 10 minutes of stretching → bed.
All you need is a chill transition between everything you’ve been doing all day and trying to sleep.
The Power of (The Right) Music
Generally, slower and more predictable beats are the best kinds of tracks to fall asleep to. This study on music and sleep found that relaxing sleep music tends to sit around 60 to 80 BPM, with softer dynamics, smooth melodies, simple arrangements, and less rhythmic activity.
If you get in bed and find your mind wandering, you need something to take the reins. Something steady enough to hold your attention without giving you more to think about.
That’s where a dedicated nighttime playlist can help. Research shows that slower music can reduce heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure, helping the body shift into a more relaxed state.
So look for tracks that stay soft, slow, and repetitive, without big drops, dramatic builds, or lyrics you know you’ll start following. Ambient music, soft piano, mellow instrumentals, and slower lo-fi are all good places to start.
Personally, I like these two:
What About Magnesium, Tea, and Other Sleep Aids?
For some people, a good nighttime routine also requires a little extra help.
I’ve personally struggled with sleep for years, and two things that have genuinely helped me are magnesium glycinate and lemon balm tea. Keep in mind, just because they work for me doesn’t mean they’ll work for you, but I figure this is as good a time as ever to share my extensive (and desperate) personal research on the two.
Magnesium glycinate is one of the forms of magnesium commonly used at night because of its role in nervous system function and sleep regulation. It can also help with muscle relaxation, which is part of why some people find it helps them feel physically calmer before bed.
- Magnesium itself is involved in hundreds of processes throughout the body, including muscle and nerve function, energy production, blood sugar regulation, and stress responses.
- Supporting those systems can have a ripple effect on how balanced your body feels overall, including how well you sleep at night.
Lemon balm tea is another good option if your issue is feeling mentally wired at night. It’s traditionally been used for its calming effects, and research has found promising effects on stress and anxiety. Personally, I found it definitely relaxed my mind before bed, settling my usual restless thoughts way more than usual.
Honorary mention here… Melatonin. You already know all about it, I’m sure, but melatonin is a hormone your body naturally produces as it gets dark, helping signal that it’s nighttime and prepare your body for sleep. Taking supplemental melatonin can reinforce that signal, which may help you fall asleep faster and can be especially useful when your internal clock is out of sync from things like jet lag, travel, or an inconsistent sleep schedule. Rather than acting like a traditional sedative, it essentially gives your body a stronger cue that it’s time to sleep.
These aren’t magic by any means, but they’re worth a shot if you’re looking for more natural ways to fix your sleep. However, please do your research first and check with your doctor before jumping into any supplements, especially if you take medications or have an existing health condition.
Some Final Thoughts…
Being an artist means there’s almost always something else you could be doing. Finishing a mix, planning content, checking release numbers, answering emails, rehearsing, writing, recording, or chasing the next idea.
At some point, though, the session has to end.
A solid nighttime routine helps you draw that line so you’re not carrying every unfinished task, lyric, melody, and release thought into bed with you. Write it down, save the session, leave yourself a note for tomorrow, and let the day be done.
The song will still be there in the morning.
So will the email, the content plan, and the next idea. Give yourself the rest you need to come back better than ever.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you do when you get a song idea right before falling asleep?
Capture the smallest version of the idea that will make sense to you in the morning, then stop. That might mean recording a 20-second voice memo, typing one lyric into your Notes app, or writing down the rhythm or concept in a notebook next to your bed.
The important part is avoiding the jump from “I need to remember this” to “I should work on this right now.” Opening your DAW, putting on headphones, or starting to arrange the idea can quickly turn a passing thought into another full work session.
How can musicians wind down after a late studio session without feeling like they are wasting creative momentum?
Try treating the end of a session as part of the creative process instead of as a hard interruption. Save your work, bounce a rough version if needed, write down your next move, and give yourself a clear starting point for tomorrow. That can make it easier to stop because you are not abandoning the idea. You are preserving it.
After that, give yourself 20 to 30 minutes of lower-stimulation activity, such as showering, stretching, reading, or listening to something calming, before trying to sleep.
What is a realistic nighttime routine for musicians with inconsistent schedules?
Your routine does not need to happen at the exact same time every night. For musicians, producers, DJs, and touring artists, that may not be realistic.
Instead, focus on repeating the same sequence whenever your workday ends. For example: save and close your session, write tomorrow’s priorities, take a shower, stretch for 10 minutes, then get into bed. A repeatable order can be more useful than a rigid clock time when your schedule changes from day to day.
How do you know if your nighttime routine is actually working?
Look for patterns rather than expecting one perfect night of sleep.
A useful routine should make it easier to disengage from work, reduce the urge to reopen a project, and help you feel more settled by the time you get into bed. If you are still regularly lying awake thinking about unfinished tasks, checking your phone, or getting back up to work, your routine may need a stronger stopping cue or a longer transition period between creative work and sleep.
Should musicians use supplements or sleep aids when they have trouble winding down?
Supplements are better treated as a separate decision from your nighttime routine, not as a replacement for one.
If you are considering magnesium, melatonin, herbal products, or other sleep aids, look at the evidence carefully and talk with a healthcare professional, especially if you take medications or have an existing health condition. A consistent wind-down routine, clear work boundaries, and fewer late-night stimulation triggers are still useful foundations whether or not you use a supplement.
