activates the parasympathetic nervous  system, and primes you for restorative sleep.

Step one, create a consistent way of  signaling yourself to begin the night  

routine. It should be around the same  time every night. If you're like me,  

setting a reminder on your phone or scheduling  your smart lights to dim can keep you on track.

Step two, set yourself up for tomorrow in two  ways. The first is to ask yourself if there's  

anything you need to do now to make tomorrow  easier for you, like setting aside your ID,  

pager, and stethoscope if you need to get  to the hospital early. The second is to  

reflect on the day with a 2 minute journaling  exercise. This helps you wrap up the day on a  

positive note and trap your thoughts on  paper so they don't keep you up in bed.

Step three, activate your parasympathetic  nervous system. Lower your body temperature,  

avoid backlit screens, and reduce the volume on  music. If you can't resist your phone, try blue  

light blocking glasses. Some also find it helpful  to stretch or do breath work to wind down as well.