The 3-2-1 rule is an evening routine that prepares the body and mind for rest by setting a timeline: stop eating 3 hours before, stop working 2 hours before, and stop screens 1 hour before sleep.
- The problem: We often sleep poorly not because of insomnia, but because of bad evening habits that keep the body “switched on.”
- 3 hours before: Stop eating. Digestion engages the metabolism and raises temperature, hindering deep sleep.
- 2 hours before: Stop working. Close emails and projects to allow the brain to “unplug” and lower cortisol.
- 1 hour before: Turn off screens. The blue light from phones and TVs blocks the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
- The result: A “soft landing” onto the pillow that guarantees superior quality rest.
Sleep Poorly and Wake Up Tired? You Lack a Method.
There are mornings when the alarm goes off and you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck, even if, technically, you slept seven or eight hours. You wonder why, blaming the mattress, stress, age.
But the truth is often much simpler: you don’t know how to go to sleep.
We treat sleep like an on/off switch: we run at full speed all day, eat late, answer an email in bed, scroll through Instagram, and then expect to power down instantly and rest well. It doesn’t work that way. The human body isn’t a lightbulb; it’s a complex engine that needs a shutdown procedure, a cool down, exactly like after a run.
If you really want to recover, you need a system. And the most effective system is a simple countdown: 3, 2, 1.
The 3-2-1 Rule: The Countdown to Perfect Sleep
This rule isn’t medical dogma, but a practical method to structure your evening and align your biological rhythms with your bedtime. It’s easy to remember and brutal in its efficacy.
3 Hours Before: Stop Eating (Because Digestion Is the Enemy of Rest)
The first rule is the hardest for our social habits: stop eating three hours before going to bed.
If you go to bed at 11:00 PM, dinner must be done by 8:00 PM.
Why? Because digestion is heavy work. It requires energy, blood flow to the stomach, and, above all, it raises your internal body temperature.
To enter deep, restorative sleep, your body needs exactly the opposite: it needs to lower its temperature and put systems to rest. If you go to bed with a full stomach (or worse, after eating sugar or heavy fats), your body will be busy digesting instead of repairing muscles and the brain. The result? Light, fragmented, and unrefreshing sleep.
2 Hours Before: Stop Working (Close Emails, Open Your Mind)
Two hours before hitting the pillow, you must declare the workday over. No more emails, no more projects, no more obsessive planning for tomorrow.
Mental work stimulates and stresses. It keeps cortisol and adrenaline—the alert hormones—high. If you work until the last minute, your brain stays in “problem-solving” mode. You can’t ask it to switch from “solving a corporate crisis” to “sleeping peacefully” in five minutes.
Use this time for activities that don’t require complex decisions: do simple household chores, prep your gear or gym bag for the next day.
1 Hour Before: Stop Screens (Darkness Is Your Friend)
Here we are at the sore point. One hour before sleeping, turn everything off. Phone, computer, tablet, and ideally, even the TV.
Our devices emit blue light that mimics sunlight. When this light hits your eyes, it sends a clear signal to the brain: “It’s still daytime! Stay awake!” This blocks the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
Looking at your phone in bed is the most effective way to sabotage your sleep. It’s not just a matter of light; it’s also a matter of stimuli: notifications, news, videos are designed to keep you awake and active (dopamine), not to relax you.
What to Do in That Last Hour? (Analog Ideas to Relax)
“So what do I do for an hour without a phone?”
Live. Rediscover the analog world. That last hour is a gift you give yourself to decompress.
- Read a (paper) book: Reading is one of the most powerful natural sedatives.
- Do stretching or foam rolling: Prepare the body for tomorrow, loosen the day’s tension.
- Talk: Chat with your partner or kids.
- Meditation or breathing: Five minutes of diaphragmatic breathing can lower your heart rate and prepare you for sleep.
- Prep the setup: Lay out your running clothes, breakfast, the moka pot.
The 3-2-1 rule isn’t a prison; it’s a liberation. It frees you from the frenzy and gives you back control of your nights. And an athlete who sleeps well is a strong athlete.