Sleep Hygiene That Actually Works

What sleep hygiene can and cannot do

Good sleep habits remove obstacles to sleep: caffeine too late, a bright noisy bedroom, an erratic schedule. For people with occasional poor sleep, these changes are often enough.

For chronic insomnia (trouble sleeping at least 3 nights a week for 3 months or more), the AASM's 2021 clinical practice guideline recommends against using sleep hygiene education as a stand-alone treatment, because on its own it has not proven effective. It works best as one part of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). So if you have tried the basics for a few weeks and still struggle, that is not a personal failing: it is a signal to try a stronger tool.

The habits with the strongest case

• Keep the same wake-up time every day, including weekends. A fixed wake time anchors your body clock more than a fixed bedtime does.
• Get bright light, ideally outdoors, within the first hour or two after waking.
• Go to bed when you are sleepy, not just because it is a certain time.
• Stop caffeine at least 6 to 8 hours before bed. Coffee, tea, energy drinks, cola and pre-workout products all count.
• Avoid alcohol in the few hours before bed. It helps you fall asleep but fragments the second half of the night.
• Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
• Be physically active during the day.

Build a wind-down routine

Your brain needs a runway. Set aside 30 to 60 minutes before bed for calm, predictable activities in dim light: a warm shower, stretching, reading a paper book, light chores, music or a podcast. Repeating the same sequence each night becomes a cue for sleep.

Put work and difficult conversations earlier in the evening. If your mind is busy, spend 10 minutes in the early evening writing down tomorrow's tasks and any worries, with one next step for each.

Keep the bed for sleep

If you regularly lie awake in bed working, scrolling or worrying, your brain can start to associate the bed with being awake. Use the bed only for sleep and sex. If you cannot sleep after what feels like about 20 minutes, get up, go to another dim room and do something quiet until you feel sleepy, then return. This is the core of stimulus control, one of the most effective insomnia techniques.

Screens and devices

The evidence suggests the biggest problem with phones at night is not only their light but how engaging they are: one more video turns into an hour. Set a device curfew 30 to 60 minutes before bed, charge your phone outside the bedroom if you can, and use night mode and low brightness when you must use a screen.

Naps, meals and clock-watching

If you nap, keep it to about 20 minutes and before mid-afternoon. Avoid heavy or spicy meals in the 2 to 3 hours before bed. Turn the clock away from you: checking the time at night adds pressure and makes it harder to fall back asleep.

When to get help

See a clinician if poor sleep continues for more than a few weeks despite good habits, if you snore loudly or someone has noticed you stop breathing, if you have an urge to move your legs in the evening, or if you are sleepy during the day despite enough time in bed. These can be signs of insomnia disorder, sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome, all of which are treatable.