I'm A Behavioral Sleep Doctor & These Are 4 Things I'd Never Do Before Bed

We've all heard tips for getting to bed faster: dimming the lights, turning the temperature down, maybe even taking a sleep supplement, etc. But along with incorporating good sleep hygiene habits, we also have to get rid of the bad ones—which is why we asked sleep specialist Shelby Harris Psyd, DBSM—the director of Sleep Health at Sleepopolis and author of Women's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia—for her absolute no-no's when it comes to bedtime. Here's what she had to say:

Harris says you definitely don't want to be staring at screens within half an hour of when you'd like to go to bed. Not only can the blue light from your phone, TV, or laptop be stimulating to your eyes and detrimental to your melatonin levels, but let's be honest—anything you're watching on the news or seeing on your Instagram feed is probably not going to help you get to sleep.

As Nishi Bhopal, M.D., a psychiatrist specializing in sleep medicine, previously explained to mbg, your core body temperature also rises when you work out, which can cause issues falling asleep. So if you do want to get a good workout in, do it at least a few hours before bed.

In the case of alcohol, research shows it can inhibit quality sleep1, which is why Harris recommends avoiding consuming it "ideally within two to three hours, but definitely not within an hour."

And finally, the last thing Harris tells mbg she never does before bed is skip out on her nightly skin care routine. Not only is this a good idea for your complexion, but having a consistent nightly routine is a great way to get your body into the rhythm of winding down around the same time every night (which is oh-so-key for sleep quality).

No amount of good sleep etiquette can make up for bad sleep hygiene habits. So if you've been trying to improve your sleep quality but you're still drinking wine before bed or working out late at night, you might want to make some adjustments.