Sleep is irreplaceable in our lives. It’s the time when our bodies absorb and incorporate the day’s events events both mentally and physically. For so many of us, our always on-the-go lifestyles greatly inhibit our ability to sleep at night. While our body and mind may feel fatigued, the brain races on its hamster wheel of to-do lists, what-ifs, and should-haves.

Part of the reason for this inability to ‘switch off’ is that we expect our brains to power down just like a computer — push one button and then you’re done. However, this is not the case. Instead, we need to think about the process of going to sleep as less of a ‘shut down’ and more of a ‘winding down.’ When winding down before bed, it’s important to avoid too much stimulation from screens and bright lights, which cue our brain to wakefulness. Additionally, incorporating a regular nighttime ritual can set you up for a good night’s sleep — the more that you utilize this routine, the more it will help to cue your body that now is the time to rest and relax, rather than continue to be on the go.

There are many elements that you can incorporate into your winding down ritual, such as meditation, drinking a soothing cup of tea, or utilizing soothing essential oils. One method that I like, which incorporates theory from acupuncture and East Asian medicine, is self massage. This 5-10 minute sequence will help to relax and ground you. It can be done at any point during your winding down ritual, whether it’s before brushing your teeth or right before bed. Whatever timing works best for you, try to keep it consistent from day to day.

The full sequence has eight parts:

1. Tapping on the crown of the head: Find the highest point on the top of your head and gently tap it with the tips of your fingers for 15-20 seconds. As a bonus, you can also gently massage your scalp.

2. Brushing the eyebrows: Bring your finger tips of both hands to your third eye between your eyebrows, then gently brush your fingertips away from one another over the tops of the eyebrows. Repeat this 8-12 times.

3. Massage the Feng Shi acupoint: Take your thumb and find the base of your skull, where the spine meets the head. Then walk your thumb about two inches to the side until you find a tender depression. Rub your thumb in that spot for 10-20 seconds on each side. This point is wonderful for easing neck tension and calming the mind.

4. Brushing the front of the neck: Take the fingertips of both hands and place them on the front of the neck. Gently brush down the front of the neck and over the tops of the collarbones.

Repeat 8-12 times.

5. Brushing the arms: Gently brush your hand and fingertips up the backside of the opposite arm and down the under side. Travel all the way from the tips of the fingers to the top of the shoulder and then come all the way back to fingertips. Repeat 4-6 times on each arm.

6. Massage the abdomen: Rub your two hands clockwise around the outside of your abdomen.

Repeat 8-12 times.

7. Massage the Zu San Li acupoint: Find the most prominent bump on the top of your shin bone and fall off to the outside. This is the acupoint Zu San Li, one of the most famous acupoints for benefitting digestion and calming the mind. Massage this acupoint on each side with your thumbs for 15-20 seconds.

8. Massage the soles of the feet: Find a spot at the center of the soles of your feet and massage with your thumbs to 15-20 seconds, imagining all the energy of your body coming to rest down into your feet to help ground you and prepare you for sleep.

If the full sequence seems too overwhelming to remember at the outset, don’t stress! The purpose of this is to relax and soothe your mind, not to test your memory. Incorporate as much or as little of this routine as you need into your winding down ritual in order to help prepare yourself for sleep.