How to build an evening routine that sticks
An evening routine sticks when it starts with a cue you can't miss, not a list you have to remember.
The evening
The evening is where most sleep advice lives, and where most of it fails. It asks for willpower at 10pm from someone who has none left.
The articles here take the other route. An evening routine that sticks starts with a cue you can't miss rather than a feeling you're waiting for. The one on rituals explains why the same ten minutes can feel like a chore or a reward, and what the research says about the difference. Winding down before bed covers the hour itself: what to keep out of it, and what the trials found.
Then the two on timing. Your wake-up time matters more than your bedtime, and once you've read why, working out what time to go to bed is a sum, not a guess.
If evenings run away from you, start with the routine article. If you're already in bed early and still lying there, start with the wake-up time.
Start here
How to build an evening routine that sticksRoutines and the ritual
How to wind down before bed
Winding down before bed means giving your body an hour of lower light, less effort and nothing new to think about.
Why a bedtime ritual works better than a routine
A bedtime ritual works better than a routine because it's built to be noticed, not just completed.
Free tool
Wind-down planner
Bedtime and wake time
Why your wake-up time matters more than your bedtime
If you change one thing about your sleep, make it the time you get up, not the time you go to bed.
What time should I go to bed? Work back from your wake-up time
Go to bed at the time that gives you seven to nine hours before the alarm, plus however long you take to fall asleep.
Free tool
Sleep calculator
Questions
Do I need a long routine?
No. Three steps, started by an alarm, outlast ten started by a feeling. The order matters more than the contents, because the order is what the brain learns.
What time should I go to bed?
Count back from your alarm: seven to nine hours, plus the time you take to fall asleep. For a 6.30am alarm and seven and a half hours, that's lights off at about 10.45pm.
Does the weekend lie-in matter?
It moves your body clock later, which is why Sunday night runs late. Keep the weekday alarm at the weekend if you can; if that's too much, keep the lie-in to an hour.
Your questions, answered simply and clearly.
Why not just take a magnesium tablet?
Because a tablet is one ingredient and Serune is eight. Each sachet contains 150mg of elemental magnesium as fully reacted, chelated magnesium bisglycinate, whereas many high-street tablets use magnesium oxide. Alongside it are Safr'Inside™ saffron, glycine, L-theanine, lemon balm, chamomile, vitamin B6 and zinc, each at the dose listed on the pack. And it is designed as a warm drink you make each evening, not a tablet you take and forget.
How is it different from chamomile tea?
Same evening warm beverage, but with very different contents. How much a tea bag gives you depends on the flowers, the water and how long you leave it. Serune contains 400mg of chamomile extract in every sachet, standardised to 3% total apigenins, alongside seven other actives at named doses.
How long before I know if it is for me?
Every sachet carries the full dose from the first night. What takes time is the habit. That is why we suggest three packs before you decide: long enough for the ritual to settle, and long enough for you to judge it honestly.
Why does it cost what it does?
Because of what is intentionally included in each sachet. Eight actives, each at a named dose, with the botanicals as standardised extracts, so every sachet carries the same measured amount as the last. Every batch of material that goes into it comes with a Certificate of Analysis, and it is made in a BRCGS AA-graded facility: the food safety standard UK supermarkets require of their suppliers, at its top grade.
Can I take it with medication, or while pregnant?
Serune is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and is not suitable for children. If you take any medication or are under medical supervision, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before taking any food supplement. To check a specific ingredient, email us, and we will answer directly.
Is there melatonin in it?
No added melatonin and no added hormones. That was a deliberate decision, not an omission.
How much caffeine is in it?
Very little. Cacao is in the formula for flavour, not as an active ingredient, in a small amount, so you get the rich, not-too-sweet taste without much of what comes with it. Cacao naturally contains theobromine and a trace of caffeine, and we do not add any on top of that. If you are sensitive to either, email us and we will send you the exact figures.
How do I store it, and how long does it keep?
Somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight. The best-before date is printed on every pack.
When will my order arrive?
Pre-orders are dispatched from Monday 16 November 2026.
Once we are shipping, UK orders placed before 2pm on a working day are dispatched the same day, and after that the next working day. Standard delivery is Royal Mail Tracked 48 and usually arrives 2–3 working days after dispatch. It is free on orders of £35 and over, and always free on a subscription; below £35 it is £1.00.
At checkout you can upgrade to Priority (£1.97, Royal Mail Tracked 24, usually next working day) or DPD (£4.97, next working day with a one-hour delivery window and the option to redirect or leave safe).
Outside the UK, delivery is calculated at checkout and typically takes 5–10 working days in Europe and 7–14 working days elsewhere.
Why am I paying now for something that ships in November?
Because it is currently open only for pre-order as our first batch is still in the process of production. You are charged today (to lock in your pre-order pricing), we’ll dispatch from 16th November onwards, and you can cancel any time before it ships for a full refund.
Can I cancel a subscription?
Yes, at any time, in your account, in one click. No minimum term, no notice period, no phone call, no hidden charges. And if you have any further concerns, you can just reach out to us.
What if it is not for me?
Tell us within 30 days of your first pack arriving, and we will refund it. You keep the remainder of the pack. You won’t need to send anything back or fill in long forms to justify.
Where can I read the research behind the doses?
On the science page: every active, the amount in a sachet, the form we use and why, the published studies each dose was set against, and every authorised claim in full. https://www.serune.co.uk/pages/science
What exactly is in a sachet?
Eight actives in every sachet: saffron (Safr'Inside™) 30 mg extract standardised to ≥3% crocins; glycine 3,000 mg; magnesium 150 mg elemental as fully reacted, chelated magnesium bisglycinate; L-theanine 200 mg from green tea extract; lemon balm 400 mg leaf extract standardised to 7% rosmarinic acid; chamomile 400 mg extract standardised to 3% total apigenins; vitamin B6 2.8 mg as P-5-P; and zinc 10 mg elemental as zinc citrate, in a real cacao base with a Montmorency tart cherry note and Madagascar vanilla. There is no melatonin, no ashwagandha and no proprietary blend: every dose is on the label.
Is the saffron the same as in the studies?
Yes. Serune uses Safr'Inside™, the extract used in the two 2025 saffron sleep trials (Sleep Medicine: X, and the University of East Anglia), at the dose those trials used: 30 mg, which is the amount in one sachet. What the trials looked at, in the people they looked at, is on the science page.
What kind of magnesium is in Serune, and how much?
150 mg of elemental magnesium per sachet, as fully reacted, chelated magnesium bisglycinate. Elemental is the figure that matters: 150 mg of magnesium comes from roughly 1,150 mg of bisglycinate. That is 40% of the UK Nutrient Reference Value, so Serune is high in magnesium, and it is under the 250 mg a day supplemental ceiling. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal psychological function.
Is the L-theanine natural?
Yes. Serune's L-theanine is extracted from green tea leaf (Camellia sinensis), the form with a history of use as a food. L-theanine made by chemical synthesis or fermentation is treated as a novel food and is currently going through authorisation; Serune does not use it.
What does "dosed to the research" mean?
For each active we found the form the human studies used and the amount they used, and matched it where the sachet allows. Glycine is 3 g because that is the dose in every human sleep study of glycine; saffron is 30 mg because that is the dose in the Safr'Inside™ trials; L-theanine is 200 mg because that is the dose in most of the human research; chamomile is 400 mg because that is the dose in the four-week sleep-quality trial. Where a trial used more than we do, the science page says so.
Which health claims can Serune legally make?
UK law only lets a food supplement make health claims that have been authorised. Three of Serune's eight actives hold authorised claims: magnesium, vitamin B6 and zinc, including "magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue", "vitamin B6 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue" and "zinc contributes to normal cognitive function". Saffron, glycine, L-theanine, lemon balm and chamomile carry no authorised claim; we include them at researched doses and print exactly how much of each is in every sachet. The full list of authorised wordings is on the science page.
Is Serune tested?
Serune is made in the UK in a BRCGS AA-certified facility, the food safety standard the supermarkets audit against, at its highest grade. Every batch of material comes with a Certificate of Analysis, so the standardisation on the label is measured, not assumed. Serune contains none of the 14 declarable allergens and is gluten-free.
Why hot milk?
Because it makes the better drink and it is the ritual most people already keep. Serune makes no claim for milk, and hot water works too.