A Practical Guide to Sleeping Early & Waking Early in Winter

Winters in the Muslim world come with a unique blessing: Maghrib and Isha arrive early, giving us long, calm evenings and the opportunity to align our sleep with a healthy, prophetic routine. But many people still end up sleeping late, wasting the extra hours with screens, tasks, and anxiety.

I will walk you through the framework I follow that gives you a simple, realistic, step-by-step approach to shift your body toward early sleep and early rising with Islamic, psychological, and lifestyle principles built in.

⭐ 1. Understand the Golden Window After Isha

In winter, Isha often falls between 7:15–7:30 PM. The time after Isha is actually the best zone for:

winding down
doing light chores
reading
planning tomorrow
preparing for rest

According to Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ disliked unnecessary talk after Isha, which aligns with modern sleep science: Your brain naturally prepares for melatonin release 1–2 hours after Isha.

This means:

If you simply avoid stimulation after Isha, your body automatically becomes sleepy by 9:30–10:00 PM.

2. Design a “Post-Isha Routine” (your key to sleeping early)

Instead of going into random activities, set a fixed, peaceful routine after Isha.

Recommended Post-Isha Routine (60–90 minutes)

1. Light home reset (10 minutes)

Put things back in place
Prepare clothes for tomorrow
Ensure your room is clean and warm

This signals your brain: the day is ending.

2. Warm drink ritual (5–10 minutes)

Avoid caffeine. Choose:

warm milk
chamomile tea
cinnamon tea
honey water
green tea (decaf)

This warms the body and increases melatonin.

3. Digital Shutdown (most important)

Set a fixed rule: After Isha, no social media, no scrolling, no Netflix. Screens delay melatonin by 90 minutes or more.

Replace them with:

reading Quran or Islamic books
journaling
light planning
family conversation (short & calm)

4. Spiritual Wind-Down (15 minutes)

Pray 2 rakah of nafl
Fifteen minutes of Quran
Dhikr (especially: SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar 33×/34×)
Make a short dua for a peaceful night

This calms the heart and quiets the mind — the perfect mental state for sleep.

5. Bedtime Ritual (10–15 minutes)

Brush teeth
Warm shower (optional)
Wear warm, soft sleep clothes
Lower lights
Recite Ayat-ul-Kursi, last two Ayahs of Surah Baqarah, Surah Ikhlas/Falaq/Nas
Put phone away from the bed (not beside your pillow)

3. Control Your Environment

Winter nights are cold and cozy perfect for deep sleep. Use that to your advantage.

Keep your room slightly cool, but bed warm
Temperature around 18–20°C is perfect.

No bright white lights after Isha
Use warm lamps or yellow bulbs.

Put your phone far away

This is the biggest game changer for sleeping early and waking early.

4. Set a Fixed Sleep Time & Wake Time

Consistency is more important than hours.

The ideal winter schedule:

Sleep: 8:45–9:45 PM
Wake: 3:45–4:45 AM

Wake early → pray Tahajjud or Fajr peacefully → complete chores before sunrise → feel mentally clear the whole day.

Even if you sleep 20–30 minutes later, still wake up at your fixed time. Your body will adjust in 3–5 days.

5. Use Islamic Motivation

Islamic tradition is full of reminders about early sleep and early rising:

The Prophet ﷺ said:“O Allah, bless my Ummah in its early hours.”(Early morning productivity is blessed by Allah.)
Scholars recommend avoiding distractions after Isha and sleeping soon after.
The best time for dua and clarity is before Fajr.

When you link your early sleep to a spiritual purpose, it becomes much easier to implement.

6. Avoid the 4 Things That Destroy Early Sleep

🚫 1. Phone use after Isha

This is the #1 reason people go to bed late.

🚫 2. Eating heavy food late

Finish dinner at least 2 hours before sleep.

🚫 3. Caffeine after 3 PM

Tea/coffee stay in your body for 8–10 hours.

🚫 4. Overthinking at night

Keep a “worry journal”: write your thoughts, close the book, and let them go.

7. Make Early Waking Easier