Sleep Hygiene: Good Sleep Habits for Better Rest

Sleep hygiene refers to the everyday habits, routines and environmental factors that can support healthy sleep. It includes what you do during the day, how you prepare for bed and whether your bedroom helps you feel comfortable and relaxed.

Good sleep habits cannot guarantee a perfect night, and they will not resolve every medical cause of poor sleep. However, they can give your body clock greater consistency and create better conditions for restorative sleep.

Key points about good sleep habits

• Keep your wake-up time reasonably consistent from day to day.
• Allow time to unwind before getting into bed.
• Go to bed when you feel sleepy rather than simply because the clock says it is bedtime.
• Keep the bedroom dark, quiet, comfortable and free from unnecessary distractions.
• Get natural light and appropriate physical activity during the day.
• Limit caffeine later in the day and do not rely on alcohol to help you sleep.
• Avoid heavy meals immediately before bed, but do not go to bed uncomfortably hungry.
• If you become wide awake and frustrated, leave the bed for a quiet activity until sleepiness returns.
• Long or late naps can make it more difficult to sleep at night.
• Most adults generally need approximately seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is the collection of behaviours and surroundings that influence how well you sleep. Examples include your sleep schedule, exposure to daylight, caffeine consumption, evening activities and bedroom environment.

These habits work partly by supporting two natural sleep processes:

• Your body clock: This helps determine when you feel awake and when you begin feeling sleepy.
• Your sleep drive: This builds while you are awake and increases your need for sleep as the day progresses.

Irregular schedules, long naps, spending excessive time in bed and bright or stimulating evening activities may interfere with these processes.

Why is a regular wake-up time important?

Getting up at approximately the same time each morning is one of the most useful ways to support your body clock. This includes mornings after a difficult night.

Sleeping very late may provide temporary relief from tiredness, but it can shift your sleep schedule and make it harder to feel sleepy at the desired time the following night.

Your routine does not need to be exact to the minute. Aim for reasonable consistency on most days while allowing some flexibility for work, family commitments and social activities.

Should I go to bed at the same time every night?

A regular bedtime can be helpful, but it is also important to notice whether you are genuinely sleepy. Going to bed much earlier than your body is ready for may result in a long period of wakefulness.

Look for signs of sleepiness such as heavy eyelids, repeated yawning or difficulty concentrating. These are different from simply feeling physically tired or mentally exhausted.

If you regularly lie awake for a long time after going to bed, your chosen bedtime may be too early, or another factor may be interfering with your sleep.

How can I create an effective wind-down routine?

The mind and body do not always transition immediately from a busy day into sleep. A wind-down period creates a buffer between stimulating daytime activities and bedtime.

Your routine might include:

• Dimming bright lights around the home.
• Having a warm shower or bath.
• Reading something calming.
• Listening to quiet music or an audiobook.
• Practising slow breathing or muscle relaxation.
• Preparing anything you need for the following morning.
• Completing your usual personal-care routine.

Choose activities that you personally find calming. A routine does not need to be complicated or identical every night to be useful.

Do screens always need to be avoided before bed?

Phones, tablets, televisions and computers can interfere with sleep in several ways. Bright light may delay the body’s preparation for sleep, while messages, social media, games, work and news can keep the mind emotionally or mentally engaged.

If avoiding screens completely is unrealistic, try to make their use less stimulating:

• Reduce the screen brightness.
• Use a warmer evening display setting.
• Enable “do not disturb” to reduce notifications.
• Avoid work emails, upsetting news or highly engaging content.
• Keep the device away from the bed when you are ready to sleep.

The content you consume may be just as important as the light produced by the screen.

What makes a bedroom suitable for sleep?

Your bedroom should feel comfortable and provide as few interruptions as reasonably possible.

Consider the following:

• Keep the room dark using curtains, blinds or an eye mask.
• Reduce disruptive noise or consider earplugs or steady background sound.
• Keep the temperature comfortably cool.
• Choose pillows and bedding that provide appropriate support.
• Place your phone on silent or outside the bedroom.
• Turn the clock away if checking the time causes anxiety.
• Remove work equipment and other reminders of unfinished tasks where possible.

Not every bedroom can be perfectly quiet or dark. Focus on realistic improvements within your living arrangements.

Why should the bed be associated with sleep?

If you regularly work, study, scroll, watch television or worry in bed, your brain may begin associating the bed with wakefulness and activity.

Using the bed mainly for sleep and intimacy can strengthen the connection between getting into bed and becoming sleepy.

This does not mean you can never read or relax in bed. However, if you are experiencing persistent insomnia, moving alerting activities elsewhere may be helpful.

What should I eat and drink before bed?

Going to bed very hungry can be distracting, while a large or heavy meal close to bedtime may cause discomfort, reflux or indigestion.

Try to have your main evening meal with enough time to digest before lying down. If you are genuinely hungry later, a small and familiar snack may be more comfortable than a full meal.

Drinking enough water during the day is important, but consuming a large volume immediately before bed may cause repeated bathroom visits. People with diabetes, reflux, kidney conditions or other dietary requirements should follow advice from their healthcare professional.

How does caffeine affect sleep?

Caffeine is a stimulant that can increase alertness and remain active in the body for several hours. People vary considerably in how quickly they process it and how strongly it affects them.

Caffeine may be found in:

• Coffee and tea.
• Energy drinks.
• Cola and some soft drinks.
• Chocolate.
• Pre-workout products.
• Some pain-relief and cold medicines.

If you have difficulty sleeping, consider limiting caffeine to the morning for a few weeks. This can help you determine whether afternoon or evening caffeine is contributing to the problem.

Does nicotine affect sleep?

Nicotine is also a stimulant. Smoking, vaping or using another nicotine product close to bedtime may make it more difficult to settle and sleep soundly.

Nicotine withdrawal during the night can also contribute to awakenings in people who use it regularly. If you want to reduce or stop using nicotine, seek appropriate clinical support rather than trying to manage significant withdrawal alone.

Can alcohol help me sleep?

Alcohol may make you feel drowsy and help you fall asleep faster, but this does not necessarily mean you will sleep well.

As alcohol is processed by the body, sleep may become lighter and more fragmented. It can also contribute to snoring, breathing disturbances, dehydration and early waking.

Alcohol can interact dangerously with sleeping tablets, opioids and other sedating medicines. Speak with a doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure about an interaction.

Does exercise improve sleep?

Regular physical activity can support sleep, mood and general health. The appropriate amount and type of exercise will depend on your health, mobility and fitness.

Some people sleep well after evening exercise, while others find vigorous activity close to bedtime makes them feel too alert. Pay attention to your own response and adjust the timing if necessary.

If pain or another medical condition affects your ability to exercise, ask a doctor, physiotherapist or exercise physiologist about suitable activities.

Why is daylight important for sleep?

Natural light helps regulate the body clock. Getting outside, particularly earlier in the day, can reinforce the signal that daytime is for activity and nighttime is for sleep.

Opening the curtains after waking, eating breakfast near natural light or taking a morning walk may help establish this pattern.

People who work indoors, perform night shifts or receive limited daylight may need more individualised guidance about managing light exposure and their sleep schedule.

Are naps helpful or harmful?

Napping is not automatically unhealthy. A short nap can improve alertness for some people, particularly after an unusually short night.

However, long or late naps may reduce the sleep drive needed to fall asleep at night. Evening dozing on the couch can have the same effect.

If nighttime sleep is a problem and you need to nap, keep it brief and take it earlier in the day. If you nap regularly without it affecting your nighttime sleep, it may not be necessary to stop.

What should I do if I cannot fall asleep?

Trying harder to sleep usually increases frustration and alertness. There is also no need to watch the clock until a particular number of minutes has passed.

If you feel wide awake, restless or increasingly frustrated:

1. Leave the bed if it is safe and practical to do so.
2. Move to a quiet space with dim lighting.
3. Choose a calm activity such as reading or listening to gentle audio.
4. Avoid work, household chores, bright screens and stimulating food or drinks.
5. Return to bed when you begin feeling sleepy again.

This process helps rebuild the association between bed and sleep rather than bed and frustrated wakefulness.

How can I calm a racing mind?

Bedtime is often the first quiet period of the day, which can allow unfinished thoughts and worries to become more noticeable.

Setting aside a brief planning period earlier in the evening may help. Write down:

• Anything you need to remember.
• A practical next step for problems you can address.
• Concerns that cannot be resolved tonight.
• Tasks that can wait until tomorrow.

If the thoughts return in bed, remind yourself that they have already been recorded. You can then redirect your attention towards breathing, physical relaxation or a neutral mental image.

The goal is not to completely stop thinking. It is to engage less actively with thoughts that do not need to be solved during the night.

How much sleep do adults need?

Most adults need approximately seven to nine hours of sleep each night, although individual needs vary according to age, health, genetics and lifestyle.

More time in bed does not always produce more sleep. People experiencing insomnia may spend additional hours in bed attempting to compensate, resulting in more fragmented wakefulness and greater frustration.

More structured approaches that adjust time in bed are sometimes used as part of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. These should be undertaken with appropriate guidance, particularly if you have significant daytime sleepiness, bipolar disorder, epilepsy or another relevant health condition.

Can medicines affect sleep?

Prescription, over-the-counter and complementary medicines can all influence sleep. Some cause drowsiness, while others may increase alertness, restlessness, vivid dreams or the need to use the bathroom.

Do not change the dose or timing of a medicine without consulting your doctor or pharmacist. A medication review can help identify whether a treatment is contributing to poor sleep and whether an appropriate alternative is available.

What about sleeping tablets?

Sleeping tablets may occasionally have a role in short-term treatment, but they do not address every cause of insomnia. Some can become less effective with repeated use or cause dependence, falls, memory problems and next-day drowsiness.

They may also interact with alcohol, opioids and other sedating medicines. Sleeping medicines should only be used according to the directions of a doctor who understands your health and existing treatments.

For persistent insomnia, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, known as CBT-I, is generally recommended as a first-line treatment.

How long does it take for sleep habits to work?

Sleep may not improve immediately after changing your routine. Your body clock and learned sleep patterns need time to adjust.

Try maintaining a small number of realistic changes consistently for several weeks. A sleep diary can help you monitor:

• Your approximate bedtime and wake-up time.
• How long you believe it took to fall asleep.
• Significant awakenings.
• Naps.
• Caffeine and alcohol consumption.
• Exercise and daylight exposure.
• How rested you felt the following day.

Avoid becoming overly focused on achieving perfect numbers. The diary is intended to identify patterns, not create another source of sleep anxiety.

When are good sleep habits not enough?

Sleep hygiene can support healthy sleep, but persistent insomnia is not always caused by poor habits. Pain, anxiety, depression, menopause, reflux, breathing conditions, restless legs syndrome, sleep apnoea, shift work and medicines may all contribute.

Speak with a health practitioner if:

• You regularly struggle to fall asleep or remain asleep.
• Poor sleep is affecting your mood, concentration, work or relationships.
• You wake without feeling refreshed despite allowing enough time for sleep.
• You snore loudly, gasp or appear to stop breathing during sleep.
• You experience severe daytime sleepiness.
• Your sleep changed after beginning a medicine.
• Tiredness is making it unsafe to drive or operate machinery.

Discussing persistent sleep problems with Herbly

If healthy sleep habits have not resolved an ongoing problem, an online insomnia consultation with Herbly allows you to discuss your sleep pattern, health history, current medicines and treatments you have previously tried.

A clinician can consider possible contributing factors and discuss options that may be appropriate for your individual circumstances. Treatment and prescribing decisions are made independently following a clinical assessment.

You can also meet Herbly’s doctors and clinical team before beginning the consultation process.