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Switch off after work: a tidy desk at the end of the day with a closed laptop, a closed notebook and pen, a small plant and a house key by the window.

Stress & Relaxation

Switch Off After Work

Switching off after work means letting your mind leave the job when your working day is over, so your evening is actually your own. This page covers the end-of-day ritual, commuting, email boundaries, exercise, hobbies, evening rumination and why alcohol is a poor wind-down, and says plainly how strong the evidence is for each.

General information, not medical advice. Last updated October 31, 2026. Written by the AlternativeMed editorial team. Not medically reviewed.

Start here

  • Finish the day with a five-minute shutdown: write down what is unfinished and the very first step for tomorrow, then close the laptop or put the work phone out of sight. A specific plan gives open tasks somewhere to live other than your head.
  • Mark a clear boundary between work and home: a walk, a change of clothes, a shower or a few minutes of music. Then do something you choose for yourself in the first hour, such as cooking, a hobby or time outside.
  • Decide when you will and will not look at work messages in the evening, and tell the people who need to know. If you must be reachable, agree the exceptions in advance rather than checking out of habit.

Be careful with

  • Switching off is not the same as ignoring a real problem. If work is affecting your health or safety, or you are being treated badly, the answer is a conversation with your manager, union or occupational health team, not just a better evening routine.
  • Do not rely on alcohol to unwind. It can make you feel looser at first, but it tends to disrupt sleep later in the night, which makes the next work day harder.
  • Do not turn switching off into one more thing to do perfectly. Some evenings your mind will still drift to work; noticing it and gently returning to what you are doing is the skill.

Get help when

  • Feeling exhausted, cynical or unable to care about work even after rest and time off can be a sign of burnout; see the burnout page and talk to a doctor or your workplace health service.
  • Persistent low mood, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, constant dread, panic or physical symptoms such as a racing heart or chest tightness deserve a conversation with a doctor or mental health professional, whatever the cause.
  • Drinking more than you intend to unwind, needing a drink to relax most evenings, or sleep that stays poor for weeks are good reasons to speak to a doctor or pharmacist.

About Switch Off After Work

What this goal means

Researchers call it psychological detachment: mentally stepping away from work during time off, so you are not working, thinking about work or dwelling on it. It is one of several ways people recover from the working day, alongside relaxing, enjoying new challenges and feeling in control of your free time.

This page is about the working day ending: the hours between finishing work and getting ready for bed. Wind-down methods for the last hour before sleep are on Relax Before Bed, and workload, time and boundaries across your whole week are on Create a Better Work–Life Balance.

1,2

Common experiences

Many people finish work physically but carry it with them: replaying a conversation, rehearsing tomorrow's meeting, glancing at email during dinner, or feeling guilty when they are not working. Others fall into the sofa, scroll for hours and still feel flat at bedtime.

For some, the line between work and home is blurry because they work from home, answer messages on a personal phone or have unpredictable hours.

2,3

What gets in the way

In a meta-analysis of 91 samples (38,124 employees), detachment was lower in people with higher job demands and in those who did work-related activities in their off-job time, and in people with higher negative affectivity or heavy investment in work. Being reachable by email and messages is another barrier: a questionnaire study described a pressure to reply quickly, called telepressure, that was linked to more burnout and worse sleep quality.

Unfinished tasks are another: a 2026 meta-analysis found that unfinished work tasks were associated with more work-related thoughts in off-job time, especially repetitive, emotional rumination.

2,3,4

Related conditions

Persistent work stress can shade into burnout, anxiety or low mood. If switching off feels impossible no matter what you try, or comes with exhaustion, dread or hopelessness, these conditions are worth ruling out with a clinician.

Poor sleep and evening drinking are often both a cause and a result of not switching off.

2,5

Realistic expectations

Switching off is a skill that improves with practice rather than a switch. In a meta-analysis of 30 studies (3,725 people), training programs improved detachment by a small to moderate amount on average (d = 0.36), and longer or more intensive programs worked better.

Most studies in this area use self-reported questionnaires, and many show associations rather than proof of cause and effect. Expect small gains within a couple of weeks of steady practice, not an instant change.

6,7

Who it applies to

Anyone with a job or a long-term study or caring role that follows them home, including people who work from home, shift workers (see Manage Sleep Around Shift Work for sleep timing), self-employed people and carers.

The same meta-analysis found no clear difference in detachment by age or gender, and interventions seemed to help more in older participants and in people who started with health or recovery problems.

2,6

Related conditions and symptoms

Burnout → Anxiety disorders → Insomnia → Stress, anxiety, burnout and depression: how they differ →

A manageable starting plan

An educational starting point, not a personal prescription. Adjust it to your own situation and any advice from your clinician.

Your first actions

  • Create a five-minute shutdown ritual: write what is open, the first step for each and then close the laptop.
  • Choose one physical cue that marks the end of work (a walk, a shower, a change of clothes) and use it every day.
  • Set your after-hours email rule and tell the people who need to know.
  • Plan one absorbing activity for most evenings, such as exercise, cooking or a hobby.

Optional additions

  • Try a 10 to 15 minute relaxation or body scan when you get home.
  • Join an instructor-led mindfulness or recovery course.
  • Make your commute, or a pretend commute, a work-free zone.
  • Swap your usual evening drink for tea or a walk.

What to track

  • How often you checked work messages after hours.
  • A daily 1 to 10 rating of how switched off you felt in the evening.
  • How many evenings had an activity you enjoyed.
  • Your sleep and morning energy, as a check on whether the changes help.

When to reassess

Give a new routine two to four weeks. If you still cannot switch off, feel exhausted despite rest or notice low mood or anxiety, move from habits to talking to your manager about workload and to a doctor or counsellor about how you are.

When to seek professional support

  • See a doctor if exhaustion, low mood, anxiety or poor sleep last for weeks.
  • Ask about workplace support such as occupational health or an employee assistance service.
  • Seek help sooner if you are using alcohol to cope or having thoughts of harming yourself.

What helps

Ordered by how well the research supports each step. Evidence strength is shown on every card; precautions sit next to the advice.

Start here

A short end-of-day shutdown ritual

Low certainty

Addresses: Gives the working day a clear ending, so evening thoughts have less to cling to

Why it may help: In a 2026 meta-analysis, unfinished work tasks were associated with more work-related thoughts in off-job time, especially repetitive emotional rumination. A ritual that lists what is open and where it will pick up tomorrow addresses the unfinished-business part of the problem. We did not find a trial that tested a shutdown ritual on its own, so this is a reasoned application of the research on unfinished tasks and of Scullin 2018, where writing a specific to-do list at bedtime helped healthy young adults fall asleep faster.

How to apply it: Spend five minutes before you stop: write the three things that are still open, the first small step for each, and anything you are worried about. Say a closing phrase if you like, close the laptop and put it out of sight.

Who it may suit: Anyone whose work follows them home, including those who work at home.

Precautions: If writing the list makes you more anxious, keep it to three lines or switch to a different cue.

4,8

Relax Before Bed →

A physical cue that marks the end of work

Low certainty

Addresses: Helps the mind shift from work mode to home mode

Why it may help: Detachment is something people can learn. In a 2011 quasi-experimental study of 95 people, a two-session recovery training program (which taught the importance of switching off and how to build recovery activities into free time) improved psychological detachment, relaxation and sleep quality, and lowered perceived stress three weeks later. The specific cue (a walk, a shower, a change of clothes) is a practical suggestion; We did not find a trial that tested these cues individually.

How to apply it: Choose one cue and use it daily: step outside for ten minutes, change out of work clothes, or do a short household task. Make it the same each day so it becomes automatic.

Who it may suit: Everyone, and especially people who work from home.

Precautions: None in particular. Keep the cue pleasant; a punishing cue will not last.

7,6

Email and message boundaries

Low certainty

Addresses: Reduces the pull to check and reply in the evening

Why it may help: A study that defined workplace telepressure, the preoccupation with and urge to reply quickly to messages, found it predicted burnout, absenteeism and poorer sleep quality beyond other work demands. That is an association in questionnaire data, not proof that turning off notifications fixes it, and We did not find a trial of notification limits.

How to apply it: Turn off work notifications after hours, remove work email from your personal phone or log out, and tell colleagues how to reach you for a real emergency. If your job requires on-call work, agree the rules in advance.

Who it may suit: People who are reachable by email, chat or phone outside working hours.

Precautions: Check workplace policy and any on-call duties first. Do not stop being reachable for safety-critical duties.

3,2

A fresh start to the evening: movement outdoors or gentle exercise

Low certainty

Addresses: May help the mind move on and gives you something to enjoy

Why it may help: A review of 23 studies in healthy adults found that evening exercise did not generally harm sleep, though sleep might be impaired after vigorous exercise that ended within about an hour of bedtime. In a separate study of 97 office workers, a 15-minute lunchtime park walk was linked to better concentration and less fatigue in the afternoon through enjoyment, and relaxation exercises were linked to less strain and fatigue. These studies did not test post-work detachment directly.

How to apply it: Walk part of the way home or step outside as soon as you finish. Choose gentle to moderate exercise you enjoy, such as a walk, cycling, swimming or a class, and finish vigorous exercise at least an hour before bed.

Who it may suit: Most healthy adults.

Precautions: Check with a doctor before starting new exercise if you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or have been inactive for a long time.

9,10

An absorbing hobby or something new in your free time

Low certainty

Addresses: Uses up the mental space that work thoughts would fill, and builds a sense of mastery

Why it may help: In a daily diary study of 166 public-administration employees, mastery experiences during the evening (learning or doing something challenging outside work) predicted more positive activation the next morning, relaxation predicted serenity, and low detachment from work predicted negative activation and fatigue. The study is observational.

How to apply it: Pick one activity that holds your attention and is unrelated to your job: cooking a new recipe, a language, music, a craft, a sport or gardening. Plan it in advance so the evening does not default to the sofa.

Who it may suit: People who feel their evenings disappear into screens or work thoughts.

Precautions: Avoid turning the hobby into another source of pressure or a second job.

11

Additional options

A planned, specific list of what you will do tomorrow

Low certainty

Addresses: Helps stop the mind rehearsing the next day

Why it may help: Scullin and colleagues had 57 healthy young adults write for five minutes at bedtime: those who wrote a specific to-do list fell asleep faster in the lab than those who wrote about completed tasks. This is a sleep study with a small young sample, but it fits the unfinished-tasks research.

How to apply it: Use five minutes at the end of the work day, or the start of the evening, to list tomorrow's tasks in detail, then leave the list where you will find it.

Who it may suit: People who lie in bed or stand at the sink planning tomorrow.

Precautions: Short laboratory studies in young adults; real life effects may be smaller.

8,4

Online mindfulness training for work-related rumination

Moderate certainty

Addresses: Reduces going over work in the mind and improves sleep quality in the people studied

Why it may help: In a randomized waitlist trial, adults who completed an internet-based, instructor-led mindfulness course (60 people) reported lower work-related rumination and fatigue and better sleep quality than waitlist controls (58 people), with effects still present at 3 and 6 months. The effect was explained mainly by one facet of mindfulness, acting with awareness. Participants knew they were in a mindfulness course and the outcomes were self-reported.

How to apply it: Look for a structured, instructor-led course rather than occasional apps. Practise on most days and use the skill when you notice your mind going over work, without judging it.

Who it may suit: People whose main problem is repetitive thoughts about work.

Precautions: Mindfulness can bring up difficult feelings. If you have trauma, severe anxiety or depression, speak to a clinician before starting.

12

Mindfulness and meditation for stress → Meditation →

A structured recovery program with a coach or group

Moderate certainty

Addresses: Teaches and practises detaching, relaxing and choosing your own free-time activities

Why it may help: The Karabinski meta-analysis of 30 studies and 3,725 people found interventions improved detachment by d = 0.36 on average. Longer and higher-dose programs worked better, and interventions seemed to help more in older participants and in those who began with health or recovery problems. Results varied between studies.

How to apply it: Look for a short course or workplace program rather than a one-off talk, and keep practising for several weeks.

Who it may suit: People who have tried habits on their own without much effect.

Precautions: Programs differ in quality. Choose reputable providers.

6,7

Breathing, a body scan or progressive relaxation after work

Low certainty

Addresses: Eases the physical side of a stressful day and can mark the transition

Why it may help: In the lunchtime study of 46 employees, 15-minute relaxation exercises on 10 working days were linked to lower strain and fatigue in the afternoon and to better concentration through detachment. Trials of these methods in the evening after work specifically are limited.

How to apply it: Try ten to fifteen minutes of a guided relaxation or body scan when you get home, before cooking or family time.

Who it may suit: People who feel keyed-up when they get home.

Precautions: Some people feel more anxious when they focus inward. Stop and choose something else if that happens.

10

Relaxation techniques → Breathing exercises for stress →

Still being studied

Making the commute a transition

Not enough evidence

Addresses: Uses the journey home as a buffer between work and home

Why it may help: We did not find a trial that tested commute habits as a way to switch off, so this is a practical idea built on the general finding that people detach better when they have a clear boundary and do non-work activities in off-job time.

How to apply it: If you travel, use the journey for something that is not work: music, an audiobook, a podcast or a walk for part of the way. If you work from home, create a pretend commute by walking round the block.

Who it may suit: Commuters and home workers.

Precautions: Do not use headphones at a volume or in situations that make traffic unsafe.

2

Time-limited work-free windows in the evening

Low certainty

Addresses: Protects part of the evening completely from work

Why it may help: Detachment is lower in people who do work-related activities in their off-job time, with a medium-sized average relationship in the meta-analysis. Protecting a window is a reasoned way of acting on that, but trials of specific work-free windows are limited.

How to apply it: Choose a start and end for a work-free window, such as dinner until bedtime, and keep the same one most days.

Who it may suit: People who check work at odd hours.

Precautions: If your job requires after-hours availability, agree the rules with your employer.

2,6

Talking it through with a friend, partner or colleague before you leave

Not enough evidence

Addresses: Can lighten the load of a hard day, if it does not become repeated rehashing

Why it may help: The rumination study found that emotional, repetitive thinking about work was the strongest predictor of fatigue, whereas problem-solving thinking predicted lower fatigue, so the type of thinking matters. We did not find a trial of talking things through as a detachment method.

How to apply it: Say what happened, what you will do about it and then change the subject. If you keep returning to the same story, switch to a problem-solving question: what is one thing I can do about this tomorrow?

Who it may suit: People who bring work conflict or worry home.

Precautions: Repeated retelling can keep the stress alive; keep it short.

13

Food & nutrition

Eating and drinking after work

We did not find studies on particular foods that help people switch off after work, so none are recommended here. What the evidence does support is not using alcohol as your wind-down, because it disrupts sleep in the second half of the night.

Eating a proper evening meal at a regular time can double as part of your end-of-day marker. Keep late caffeine low if it affects your sleep.

  • Make dinner or a cup of tea a daily marker of the end of work.
  • Leave several hours between any alcohol and bedtime, or skip it.
  • Keep caffeine to earlier in the day if it affects your sleep.
  • Drink water through the evening.
5

Remedies & supplements

Traditional use, laboratory findings and human trials are kept apart. "Natural" does not mean safe.

Calming herbal teas (for example chamomile or lemon balm)

Not enough evidence

Studied form and route: Warm herbal tea after work

Intended outcome: A pleasant, non-alcoholic wind-down cue; effects on stress are not established here

Human evidence: We did not verify specific trials of these herbs for post-work detachment for this page.

Traditional use: Widely used as evening calming drinks in many traditions.

Laboratory findings: Laboratory work exists but is not proof of an effect in people.

Limits: The main benefit may be the ritual of a quiet warm drink rather than the plant.

Interactions and precautions: Herbs can interact with medicines and may not suit pregnancy or breastfeeding; ask a pharmacist. Ragweed-family allergy can affect chamomile users.

Chamomile → Lemon balm → Passionflower → Supplements, teas and adaptogens for stress compared →

Therapies & care

If work stress is affecting your health, your relationships or your sleep, a doctor, a workplace occupational health service or a trained counsellor can help. Established professional care is a matter for them; never stop a prescribed medicine because of anything on this page.

Recovery or detachment training programs

Moderate certainty

Skills-based program Short courses that teach people to detach, relax, find mastery activities and take control of free time. A 2011 study (95 people) found improvements in recovery experiences, sleep quality and perceived stress, and a meta-analysis of 30 studies found a small to moderate average improvement in detachment.

Who it may suit: Employees who want practical skills.

Precautions: Quality varies; choose reputable providers.

7,6

Instructor-led mindfulness for work-related rumination

Moderate certainty

Mind-body practice An internet-based course in a randomized waitlist trial lowered rumination and fatigue and raised sleep quality for up to 6 months.

Who it may suit: People who are stuck in repetitive work thoughts.

Precautions: Speak to a clinician first if you have trauma, severe anxiety or depression.

12

Mindfulness and meditation for stress → Meditation →

Counselling or cognitive behavioral therapy for stress

Not enough evidence

Psychological therapy Talking therapy can help with persistent worry, rumination and work stress. We did not review the trials for this page; see the therapy guide for an overview.

Who it may suit: People whose stress is persistent or affecting daily life.

Precautions: Work with a trained, registered therapist.

Therapy for anxiety and stress →

Workplace and occupational health support

Low certainty

Professional and employer support Employee assistance services, occupational health and managers can help with workload, hours and after-hours expectations, which the research links to difficulty detaching.

Who it may suit: Employees whose job demands make switching off hard.

Precautions: Know your rights and your workplace policies.

2

What to avoid

Habits, products and claims that can get in the way. Never stop a prescribed medicine without talking to the professional who prescribed it.

Risks that apply to most people

Alcohol as your wind-down

Moderate certainty

Why: A review of studies in healthy volunteers found alcohol shortened the time to fall asleep but increased sleep disruption in the second half of the night at all doses, and delayed the first period of REM sleep. Poor sleep makes the next day's recovery harder. We did not verify studies on drinking to cope with work stress, but the sleep effects alone are a reason to avoid it as a routine.

Who it applies to: Anyone who uses a drink to relax after work.

Try instead: Use a non-alcoholic cue for the end of the day: a walk, a shower, a warm drink or a favourite playlist. If you drink, keep to low-risk limits and leave several hours before bed.

5

Caffeine, alcohol and sleep →

Checking work email in the evening 'just in case'

Low certainty

Why: Pressure to reply quickly (telepressure) was linked to burnout, absenteeism and worse sleep quality, and engaging in work activities in off-job time was linked to lower detachment. A quick check can restart the mind's work mode.

Who it applies to: Anyone with work email on a phone.

Try instead: Set a daily time to stop, mute notifications and agree emergency contact rules.

3,2

Going to bed with unfinished work still on your mind

Low certainty

Why: Unfinished tasks were associated with more work thoughts in off-job time. A bedtime to-do list helped lab participants fall asleep faster.

Who it applies to: Anyone who lies awake planning.

Try instead: Write a specific list for tomorrow before you finish work or before you get into bed.

4,8

Relax Before Bed →

Personal triggers to check

Replaying the day's stressful moments over and over

Low certainty

Why: Affective rumination, the repetitive, emotional kind, was the strongest predictor of work-related fatigue in 719 workers, while problem-solving thinking predicted lower fatigue. The kind of thinking matters.

Who it applies to: People prone to rehashing conflicts.

Try instead: When you notice a replay, switch to one practical question: what can I do about this tomorrow? Then write it down and move on.

13

Vigorous exercise right before bed

Moderate certainty

Why: A meta-analysis found evening exercise did not generally harm sleep, but sleep onset, total sleep time and efficiency might be worse after vigorous exercise ending within an hour of bedtime.

Who it applies to: People who exercise very late.

Try instead: Move vigorous exercise earlier or choose gentler movement in the last hour.

9

Letting work stress run into every free hour

Low certainty

Why: In the meta-analysis, higher job demands were associated with lower detachment, and detachment was associated with less exhaustion and better sleep, though these are correlations.

Who it applies to: People with heavy workloads.

Try instead: Treat a heavy workload as a workload problem as well as a switching-off problem; see Create a Better Work–Life Balance.

2

Create a Better Work–Life Balance →

Products that need caution

Paying for an app or gadget that promises to switch you off

Not enough evidence

Why: We did not find independent trials showing that a particular product reliably improves detachment. The programs that were tested, such as instructor-led mindfulness, involved human teachers and practice over weeks.

Who it applies to: Anyone tempted by wellness gadgets.

Try instead: Start with free habits: a ritual, boundaries and a hobby. If you want a course, look for a structured, instructor-led one.

6,12

Unsupported claims

"Real professionals are always reachable"

Low certainty

Why: Telepressure was linked to burnout and poorer sleep quality, and the study did not show that constant availability improved results. Fast replies can bring early gains, but at a cost to recovery.

Who it applies to: Workplace culture.

Try instead: Agree what counts as urgent and how to reach you for it, and protect the rest.

3

"A drink is the best way to unwind after a hard day"

Moderate certainty

Why: Alcohol is tied to more disrupted sleep in the second half of the night in the review.

Who it applies to: Common belief.

Try instead: Pick a cue that helps you recover without costing you sleep.

5

Common mistakes

Trying to force your mind blank

Low certainty

Why: Switching off is not the same as emptying your mind. Effects in the mindfulness trial came mostly from acting with awareness, not from stopping thoughts.

Who it applies to: Anyone new to switching off.

Try instead: Notice work thoughts, name them, and return to what you are doing.

12

Replacing work with another screen

Low certainty

Why: Detachment is about doing something that absorbs you or helps you recover. Mastery and relaxation experiences predicted better mood the next morning, while low detachment predicted fatigue.

Who it applies to: People who scroll all evening.

Try instead: Choose at least one absorbing or enjoyable activity per evening.

11

Expecting one habit to be enough

Low certainty

Why: The training studies combined several recovery experiences, and longer programs worked better.

Who it applies to: Anyone who tries one method for a day.

Try instead: Combine a ritual, a boundary and a hobby, and give it a few weeks.

6,7

Evidence & safety

What the research shows

Research on psychological detachment is fairly consistent that being able to switch off from work in the evening goes with less exhaustion, better sleep and better wellbeing, though most of this is questionnaire and diary evidence that shows association rather than cause. Trials of training programs show small to moderate improvements, and an online mindfulness course lowered work-related rumination in a randomized trial. Evidence for individual tactics such as shutdown rituals, commute habits, exercise and hobbies is indirect or limited.

Limits of the evidence

  • Most studies rely on self-reported questionnaires, often from one workplace, and many are observational so cannot show that detachment causes better wellbeing.
  • The meta-analysis reported moderate to high heterogeneity for most relationships, so effects vary between studies.
  • We did not find trials of shutdown rituals, commute habits or email-notification limits on their own; recommendations for these are reasoned applications of related research.
  • The to-do list study was a small laboratory sleep study in healthy young adults.
  • We verified the PubMed abstracts for the studies cited but did not read their full texts or re-read government or health agency pages for this version.

Precautions and interactions

  • Relaxation and mindfulness practices are generally well tolerated but can occasionally bring up anxiety or difficult feelings.
  • Check herbal teas and supplements with a pharmacist if you take medicines or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • If you drink alcohol, keep within low-risk limits and talk to a doctor if you find you rely on it to relax.
  • Exercise: check with a doctor if you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant or have been inactive.

Life-stage considerations

  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding: check herbal teas and supplements with your midwife or doctor; avoid alcohol; gentle exercise is usually encouraged but ask your care team.
  • Older adults: the training meta-analysis found interventions seemed to help more in older participants; take care with new exercise and check medicines before herbal teas.
  • Young workers and students: the same ideas apply, though most research is in adult employees.
  • Carers and parents: a work-free window may be shorter or interrupted, so choose small, repeatable cues rather than long routines.

Warning signs

  • Exhaustion, cynicism or feeling unable to cope that does not improve with time off.
  • Persistent low mood, loss of interest or hopelessness.
  • Panic, chest tightness, a racing heart or constant dread.
  • Drinking more to cope, or poor sleep that continues for weeks.

Claim checks

Switching off from work is linked to better wellbeing

Moderate certainty

Supported as an association: in a meta-analysis of 91 samples, detachment correlated with less exhaustion, better sleep and higher life satisfaction. A 12-month study of 309 human-service employees also found that detachment predicted lower emotional exhaustion and buffered the effect of high job demands on psychosomatic complaints. Neither proves cause and effect.

2,14

Switching off can be trained

Moderate certainty

Partly supported: a meta-analysis of 30 studies found a small to moderate average improvement (d = 0.36), with larger gains from longer programs.

6

Checking email after hours harms recovery

Low certainty

Plausible but mostly observational: pressure to reply quickly was linked to burnout and poorer sleep quality, but no trial of limits was found here.

3

Evening exercise ruins sleep

Moderate certainty

Not supported in general: a 23-study review found no overall harm, but vigorous exercise ending within an hour of bedtime might impair sleep.

9

A drink helps you unwind and sleep

Moderate certainty

Alcohol shortens the time to fall asleep but disrupts sleep in the second half of the night in a review of studies in healthy volunteers.

5

Questions people ask

What does switching off after work actually mean?

Researchers call it psychological detachment: not working and not thinking about work during your free time. It is one of several ways people recover from a working day.

Why can't I stop thinking about work in the evening?

Common reasons are high job demands, unfinished tasks, being reachable by email or chat, and heavy investment in work. Repetitive, emotional replaying of the day is especially tiring, while problem-solving thinking is less so.

Does an end-of-day ritual really help?

We did not find a trial testing a shutdown ritual on its own. It rests on research showing unfinished tasks fuel off-hours work thoughts and that a specific to-do list helped some young adults fall asleep faster, so treat it as a sensible habit to test for yourself.

Should I turn off work notifications at night?

If your job allows it, yes is a reasonable step: pressure to reply quickly was linked to burnout and poor sleep quality. Agree emergency rules with your employer first.

Is exercise after work a good way to switch off?

Exercise is a sensible choice for many people. A review found evening exercise did not generally harm sleep, but vigorous exercise ending within an hour of bedtime might. Direct evidence on exercise for detachment is limited.

Do hobbies help?

A diary study found that mastery experiences in the evening predicted more positive mood the next morning, while low detachment predicted fatigue. It suggests absorbing, non-work activities are worth planning.

Is a drink after work a good way to unwind?

It is a poor routine. Alcohol can help you drop off but disrupts the second half of the night, which makes recovery harder.

How long does it take to get better at switching off?

There is no fixed time. Training programs in the studies ran for several weeks and the longer ones worked better, so give a new routine two to four weeks.

I work from home. What can I do?

Create a boundary with a pretend commute, a separate workspace if possible, a set finishing time and a physical cue such as closing the laptop away.

Can mindfulness help with work worries?

An online instructor-led course reduced work-related rumination and fatigue and improved sleep quality in a randomized trial, with effects lasting for 6 months. It was a single trial, and mindfulness is not right for everyone.

When is it more than a routine problem?

If you feel exhausted, cynical or hopeless even after time off, have panic or constant dread, or are relying on alcohol to cope, speak to a doctor or mental health professional. See the burnout page for more.

How is this different from Relax Before Bed?

This page is about leaving work behind in the hours after your working day; Relax Before Bed is about the last hour before sleep.

References

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  2. Wendsche J, Lohmann-Haislah A. A Meta-Analysis on Antecedents and Outcomes of Detachment from Work. Front Psychol. 2017. PMID 28133454. source
  3. Barber LK, Santuzzi AM. Please respond ASAP: workplace telepressure and employee recovery. J Occup Health Psychol. 2015. PMID 25365629. source
  4. Wendsche J, Weigelt O, Syrek CJ. Unfinished work tasks and work-related thoughts during off-job time: meta-analysis of the Zeigarnik effect in a work-recovery context. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2026. PMID 41554526. source
  5. Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013. PMID 23347102. source
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Relax Before Bed → Create a Better Work–Life Balance → Calm a Busy Mind → Feel Less Overwhelmed → Relax Your Body & Release Tension → Build Resilience to Stress → Recover From Burnout → Build a Healthy Sleep Schedule →

Ingredients, foods and supplements

Chamomile → Lemon balm → Passionflower →

Research, safety and claim-check resources

Relaxation techniques → Everyday habits for stress → Caffeine, alcohol and sleep → Mindfulness and meditation for stress → Breathing exercises for stress → Stress: safety and when to get help → Meditation →