Michelle Obama’s Go-To Bedtime Routine Is Surprisingly Relatable

The right bedtime routine can make or break most people’s sleep, and Former First Lady Michelle Obama is no exception. The 61-year-old shared on the latest episode of Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast that she’s quite particular about her sleep habits. 

Obama got really excited when the topic turned to bedtime. “I love bedtime—it’s the best time!” she said excitedly in the episode. She also called her bedtime routine “embarrassing,” but then proceeded to get into all the juicy details. And if we're being honest, her breakdown is completely relatable. Here’s what she revealed.

She’s all about the early bedtime

In fact, it seems like Obama will hop into bed as soon as she thinks it’s socially acceptable. “I go to bed as soon as I can,” she shared. Obama said she’ll usually spend some quality time with her husband, Former President Barack Obama, before heading to bed.

“Barack and I, we usually have dinner at around 6:30, and he’s a night owl,” she explained. “If we have guests, I’m good. If I’m with people, I’m up, I’m awake, I can do this stuff.” But if it’s just the two of them, she’s ready to conk out early—like 8 p.m. early.

“After we’ve had our catch-up conversation and our together-time and all of that, I’m looking at the clock and he’s looking at me like, ‘Really, it’s 8 o’clock,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘I’m just so ready.’ I’m like, ‘It’s not you, it’s me, it’s time for bed!’”

And if you watch the episode, you can see the joy in her face; the former first lady really loves her bedtime routine. “I get so giddy,” she said. “I’ll wash my face and I get into the cool sheets."

The thermostat better be set to cool

Speaking of cool, Obama stressed that she needs things cold in her bedroom. Like, the thermostat needs to be set to 68 degrees. She joked that her husband is freezing, so she tells him to put on some socks. “He can handle it,” she said, laughing.

Bedroom heat is a big thing with Obama, by the way. She said she’ll wear pajamas “sometimes,” adding, “it depends on how hot I am.”

“It’s a battle with my partner, because he’s always cold and I’m like ‘Do not touch [the thermostat],” she continued. “And sometimes I wake up hot, and I’ll wake him up, ‘Did you touch the thermostat? You touched the thermostat, didn’t you?’ and he’s like ‘I didn’t, I swear to God!’ He now knows, and he’s afraid of the thermostat.”

Her bedside table is uncluttered

Ever treat your bedside table like that chair in the corner that holds all your unfolded laundry? Well, that's something Obama can't get behind. She enjoys having her space clean and decluttered. She listed off exactly what’s on her bedside table at night, and the list is short: A lamp, phone charger, reading glasses, and water. Just the essentials!

Reading in bed is a no-no

While she likes to read, Obama said she won’t do it before she goes to sleep. “I cannot read because I love sleep so much,” she said. “I realized if I want to read, I have to be sitting up in the daylight.” While she admitted that reading tends to make her sleepy, the former first lady said she won’t get very far if she tries to read in bed. 

Falling asleep is easy peasy

Obama made it clear that she’s not messing around in bed. “My head hits the pillow and I’m out,” she said. She also stressed that she doesn’t use anything to fall asleep at night. “I don’t need an aid. I just need to put my head on the pillow,” she said.  

She also mentioned she doesn't use earplugs or a sleep mask when she’s out for the night. “I like to know what’s going on,” she explained. 

And when Obama's head finally hits that pillow, she shared that she likes to sleep on her side. But one caveat? She explained that it doesn't always feel great in the morning. “Now, I’m at that age where I wake up and my shoulder is sore,” she said. 

Consistency is everything

Obama revealed that she doesn’t like things to be changed in her bedroom while she’s out for the night. And she’s made that very clear to her husband. “I said, ‘I don’t care what you do. Do not touch anything in this room after I go to sleep,’” she shared. 

And her sleep habits are actually on point, according to a sleep doctor

Obama’s consistent routine is excellent for supporting good sleep, according to W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine, and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. “Our brain is most comfortable when it is acting in a predictive manner rather than a reactive one,” he says. “So that consistency of a bedtime routine can not only help cue the brain when it is time to sleep but also make that sleep period more deep and consolidated.”

Dr. Winter also likes Obama’s chillier bedroom temperature. In fact, he suggests most people sleep in a room with a temperature of between 65 and 67 degrees. “If that's too cold, can you drop the temperature one to two degrees lower than where you are at now?” he says. 

Ultimately, Winter says that the right bedtime routine is the one that works for you. “Everyone is entitled to a sleep schedule that works for their own individual chronotype,” he says. “No sleep schedule is inherently ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’”

But if you're looking to figure out the routine that works for you, maybe Obama's tips are a good place to start.