Sleep hygiene refers to the collection of habits and practices that promote consistent, quality sleep. While the term might sound clinical, the concept is straightforward: by optimising your behaviours and environment around sleep, you can dramatically improve both the quantity and quality of your rest. Research consistently shows that good sleep hygiene is one of the most effective, natural ways to address sleep difficulties—often working as well as or better than sleep medications, without any side effects.
These ten evidence-based tips have been refined through decades of sleep research. Whether you're struggling with insomnia, waking frequently during the night, or simply want to feel more refreshed each morning, implementing these practices can transform your sleep.
1. Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Your body operates on an internal clock called the circadian rhythm, which regulates sleepiness and alertness in roughly 24-hour cycles. When you go to bed and wake up at the same times each day, you reinforce this natural rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep and wake naturally.
Choose a bedtime that allows for seven to nine hours of sleep before your required wake time, then stick to this schedule—including weekends. While it's tempting to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday, doing so creates what researchers call "social jet lag," disrupting your internal clock similar to travelling across time zones. If you must deviate, try to limit the variation to one hour.
Set two alarms: one for bedtime and one for waking. The bedtime alarm reminds you to begin your wind-down routine, making consistent scheduling easier to maintain.
2. Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine
A consistent pre-sleep routine signals to your brain that it's time to transition from the alertness of day to the relaxation needed for sleep. This routine should begin 30 to 60 minutes before your intended bedtime and include calming, low-stimulation activities.
Effective wind-down activities include reading physical books (not screens), gentle stretching or yoga, taking a warm bath or shower, practising meditation or deep breathing, or listening to calm music or podcasts. The key is consistency—performing the same activities in the same order each night strengthens the mental association between these behaviours and sleep.
3. Optimise Your Sleep Environment
Your bedroom should be a sanctuary dedicated to sleep. Environmental factors significantly impact sleep quality, so pay attention to temperature, light, and sound.
Keep your bedroom cool—research suggests the optimal temperature for sleep is between 15-19°C for most adults. Your body temperature naturally drops during sleep, and a cool room facilitates this process. Ensure your room is as dark as possible; even small amounts of light can disrupt melatonin production and sleep architecture. Blackout curtains or a quality sleep mask can help. For noise, consider white noise machines or earplugs if you're in a loud environment.
4. Limit Screen Time Before Bed
The blue light emitted by smartphones, tablets, computers, and televisions suppresses melatonin production, the hormone that signals sleepiness to your brain. Beyond the light itself, the content we consume on screens—social media, news, work emails—tends to be stimulating rather than relaxing.
Ideally, avoid all screens for at least one hour before bedtime. If this isn't practical, enable blue light filters on your devices (most modern phones and computers have this feature built in) and choose passive, non-interactive content like calm television shows over scrolling social media.
Screen-Free Alternatives
- Read a physical book or magazine
- Listen to audiobooks, podcasts, or music
- Practice gentle yoga or stretching
- Write in a journal or gratitude diary
- Engage in a relaxing hobby like knitting or puzzles
5. Be Mindful of Food and Drink
What and when you eat and drink affects your sleep more than you might realise. Avoid large meals within two to three hours of bedtime—digestion requires energy and can cause discomfort that interferes with sleep. If you're hungry close to bedtime, opt for a light snack rather than a full meal.
Caffeine has a half-life of about five to six hours, meaning half the caffeine from your afternoon coffee is still in your system at bedtime. Limit caffeine consumption to the morning hours, or at least stop by early afternoon. Alcohol, while initially sedating, disrupts sleep architecture later in the night, leading to fragmented, less restorative sleep. If you drink, do so moderately and not close to bedtime.
6. Exercise Regularly—But Time It Right
Regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to improve sleep quality. Exercise increases time spent in deep sleep, the most restorative sleep phase, and helps regulate circadian rhythm. People who exercise regularly report falling asleep faster and experiencing less daytime sleepiness.
However, timing matters. Vigorous exercise raises body temperature and releases stimulating hormones like adrenaline, which can interfere with sleep if performed too close to bedtime. Aim to complete intense workouts at least three to four hours before sleep. Gentle activities like walking or stretching are fine closer to bedtime and can even help you wind down.
7. Manage Stress and Racing Thoughts
Anxiety and stress are among the most common causes of sleep difficulties. When your mind is racing with worries, to-do lists, or ruminations, falling asleep becomes nearly impossible. Developing strategies to manage nighttime anxiety is crucial for good sleep hygiene.
Consider keeping a "worry journal" where you write down concerns and tomorrow's tasks before beginning your bedtime routine—this can help transfer worries from your mind to paper. Mindfulness meditation and progressive muscle relaxation are proven techniques for calming an active mind. If anxious thoughts persist, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has strong evidence for effectiveness.
Try the 4-7-8 breathing method: Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation.
8. Reserve Your Bed for Sleep
Your brain forms associations between environments and activities. When you work, watch television, scroll through your phone, or eat in bed, your brain begins associating your bed with wakefulness and activity rather than rest. Over time, this weakens the mental connection between your bed and sleep.
By reserving your bed exclusively for sleep (and intimacy), you strengthen the association between lying in bed and falling asleep. If you can't sleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something relaxing in another room until you feel sleepy, then return to bed. This prevents your bed from becoming associated with frustration and wakefulness.
9. Limit Daytime Naps
While napping can be beneficial, especially for those who are sleep-deprived, poorly timed or excessively long naps can interfere with nighttime sleep. Napping too late in the day reduces your sleep drive, making it harder to fall asleep at your normal bedtime.
If you need to nap, keep it to 20-30 minutes and complete it before 3 PM. This allows you to gain the restorative benefits of a brief nap without significantly impacting nighttime sleep. Longer naps risk entering deeper sleep stages, which can leave you feeling groggy and disrupt your night's rest.
10. Get Natural Light Exposure
Natural light exposure, particularly in the morning, is one of the most powerful regulators of your circadian rhythm. Morning sunlight signals to your brain that it's daytime, helping calibrate your internal clock and promoting alertness. This, in turn, improves sleep quality when nighttime arrives.
Aim for at least 30 minutes of natural light exposure within two hours of waking. Even on cloudy days, outdoor light is significantly brighter than indoor lighting. If early morning outdoor time isn't feasible, consider a light therapy box designed to simulate natural sunlight.
Implementing These Changes
While all ten tips contribute to better sleep, implementing everything at once can feel overwhelming. Start with the changes that seem most relevant to your current sleep challenges, or those that feel most achievable. Even adopting two or three of these practices can lead to noticeable improvements.
Be patient—changing ingrained habits takes time, and sleep improvements often occur gradually rather than overnight. Keep a sleep diary to track your progress and identify patterns. If sleep problems persist despite consistent implementation of good sleep hygiene, consult a healthcare professional to rule out underlying sleep disorders.
Remember, quality sleep is foundational to your health, mood, cognitive function, and quality of life. The effort invested in improving your sleep hygiene pays dividends across every aspect of your daily experience.