Caffeine & Screen Cutoff Plan

A simple set of evening levers: stop caffeine early enough that it clears before bed, end stimulating screen use in the last hour, dim household lights, and moderate evening alcohol. Dimming evening light is the one component with its own cited practice entry; the caffeine, screen and alcohol cutoffs are common sleep-hygiene advice, and Rahmawati 2019 (systematic review of 7 articles in healthcare workers with poor sleep quality) reports sleep hygiene education alone not effective and education combined with behavioural therapy effective. General sleep hygiene, not a clinical intervention.

How often: daily · planning default, not from the research

When: any time · the sources state no time of day; the planner's slot is a default

The time slot is a planning choice: a swap can keep it.

Not yet in the evidence base — this is a reasonable way to work toward the goal, not a recommendation a review has confirmed. See “Evidence status” below for what a review would need to confirm.

The evidence applies to the practice, not to these particular steps — they are one way to carry it out.

1
Step
review once at start
Understand how caffeine blocks the sleepiness signal for hours.
Scaffold: app-designed step
No option on this bench from any review
No completed Round-2 review has named a practice for that an extraction row placed in it. That is a gap in the knowledge base, not in this step: the step’s own exercise stands, and there is nothing yet to swap it for.
2
Step
last caffeine ~6-8 h before bed
Set a fixed clock-time cutoff, often early afternoon.
Slot: stimulant and alcohol management
Scaffold: app-designed stepApp-designed prescriptionno finding maps to this routine's block, so nothing states these numbers.
No option on this bench from any review
No completed Round-2 review has named a practice for stimulant and alcohol management that an extraction row placed in it. That is a gap in the knowledge base, not in this step: the step’s own exercise stands, and there is nothing yet to swap it for.
3
Step
no stimulating screens 30-60 min before bed
If used, dim screens and switch to low-engagement content.
Scaffold: app-designed stepApp-designed prescriptionno finding maps to this routine's block, so nothing states these numbers.
No option on this bench from any review
No completed Round-2 review has named a practice for that an extraction row placed in it. That is a gap in the knowledge base, not in this step: the step’s own exercise stands, and there is nothing yet to swap it for.
4
Dim Lights in the Evening
dim household lights 1-2 h before bed
Reduces total evening light load alongside the screen curfew.
Scaffold: app-designed stepApp-designed prescriptionthe finding states no timing for this.
No option on this bench from any review
No completed Round-2 review has named a practice for that an extraction row placed in it. That is a gap in the knowledge base, not in this step: the step’s own exercise stands, and there is nothing yet to swap it for.
5
Step
avoid alcohol within ~3-4 h of bedtime
Optional third lever; alcohol fragments sleep later in the night.
Slot: stimulant and alcohol management
Scaffold: app-designed stepApp-designed prescriptionno finding maps to this routine's block, so nothing states these numbers.
No option on this bench from any review
No completed Round-2 review has named a practice for stimulant and alcohol management that an extraction row placed in it. That is a gap in the knowledge base, not in this step: the step’s own exercise stands, and there is nothing yet to swap it for.

Safety, and where each line comes from

8 product safeguard (app-authored)1 source silent

Each line below says where it comes from. “Reported by the review’s sources” is the source’s own words about adverse events or contraindications. “Product safeguard” is written by this app, not by the research. “Source silent” means the studies behind this routine report nothing on that point, which is not the same as saying it carries no risk.

Who should modify or avoid this

Product safeguard (app-authored)general adults.
From this routine’s block record, written by this app.

When to seek supervision or clearance

Product safeguard (app-authored)Loud snoring with witnessed gasping/choking or breathing pauses plus daytime sleepiness (possible obstructive sleep apnea), refer to a clinician
From this routine’s block record, written by this app.
Product safeguard (app-authored)Difficulty falling or staying asleep at least 3 nights/week for 3+ months with daytime impairment (possible chronic insomnia disorder), refer to a clinician
From this routine’s block record, written by this app.
Product safeguard (app-authored)Excessive daytime sleepiness despite adequate time in bed, or falling asleep involuntarily during activities, refer to a clinician
From this routine’s block record, written by this app.
Product safeguard (app-authored)Sleep problems accompanied by persistent low mood, hopelessness, or thoughts of self-harm, seek prompt professional support
From this routine’s block record, written by this app.
Product safeguard (app-authored)Signs of a medical emergency (chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, fainting, sudden weakness or numbness) mean 911 or your local emergency services; thoughts of self-harm or suicide mean the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This app does not diagnose, treat or give personalised medical advice.

Boundary conditions

Product safeguard (app-authored)This routine is sleep structure for healthy adults, not a treatment for a sleep disorder. Persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep, loud snoring with daytime sleepiness, or sleep problems tied to mood or medication belong with a clinician.
Product safeguard (app-authored)Do not use this routine to cut sleep short or to push through severe daytime sleepiness, and never while driving or operating machinery is impaired by tiredness.
Source silentThe sources behind this routine's finding report no contraindications or boundary conditions.

How to do it

Set caffeine as a clock time, not a countdown: pick a cutoff roughly 6-8 hours before your usual bedtime, which lands in the early afternoon for most people, and keep the same time daily.
Count everything caffeinated in that cutoff - coffee, tea, energy drinks, pre-workout, cola - not just the coffee.
End stimulating screen use 30-60 minutes before bed. If a screen is unavoidable, dim it and switch to low-engagement content rather than anything you will keep scrolling.
Dim the household lights in the 1-2 hours before bed, not just the phone. Overhead lights off, lamps on, is the practical version.
If you drink, keep alcohol out of the 3-4 hours before bed; it tends to break up the second half of the night even when it helps you drop off.
These are general evening habits, not treatment. Loud snoring with breathing pauses and daytime sleepiness, or trouble falling or staying asleep at least three nights a week for three months or more with daytime impairment, is worth raising with a clinician rather than tightening the cutoffs further.

Evidence status

Not yet in the evidence base

No internal review in this library has asked this specific practice’s question yet, so there are no cited studies here. It’s included as a way to work toward the goal — not because a review has confirmed it works as described.

What a review would need to answer: Does relaxation or slow breathing before bed, on its own rather than inside CBT-I, improve sleep onset, quality or duration in adults?

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