We’ve all had those restless nights where it feels like the more we try to fall asleep, the harder it becomes to fall into a deep, REM slumber. Very often, poor sleep hygiene is the culprit.

In today's fast-paced world, never-ending list of to-dos, and doomscrolling on our phones, quality sleep has become increasingly crucial for overall health and well-being. This comprehensive guide explores practical sleep hygiene tips backed by research to help you achieve restorative rest.

What is Sleep Hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is the practice of developing healthy sleep habits to ensure a good night's sleep. Good sleep hygiene habits can be broken down into three subgroups:

Actions you take during the day, such as reducing caffeine intake, drinking water, and getting regular exercise
Actions you take at bedtime, such as reading or meditating before falling asleep
Actions you take during sleep, such as reducing sources of bright light and noise in your bedroom

Understanding Sleep Hygiene and Your Sleep Patterns

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits and practices necessary for quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness. Implementing proper sleep hygiene can significantly improve both sleep quality and quantity.

How do you know if it’s time to put some thought and energy into improving your sleep hygiene practices?

Here are some warning signs that it’s time to pay attention to your sleep pattern and make some healthy changes:

You have low energy or feel mentally fatigued during the day
You fall asleep or nap unintentionally
You’re having difficulty concentrating
You take more than 30-60 minutes to get to sleep
You wake up more than once each night
You’re finding yourself drinking more caffeine during the day to feel energized
Your eyes are puffy and red or have bags under them
Your skin is breaking out
You lie awake for 20 minutes or more when you wake up during the night
You spend less than 85% of your time in bed sleeping
You feel hungry more often, and you might be gaining weight
You feel more stressed and exhausted than usual
Struggling to sleep can also be a major source of anxiety
If this is happening to you regularly or you're using a sleep tracker to track your sleep, you may find yourself asking:

Do I have a sleep disorder, such as shift work sleep disorder, sleep apnea, or chronic insomnia?
Do I need to start taking sleeping medicine or sleeping pills?
Is this going to last my whole life?

Before you find yourself ridden with more anxiety, take a breath. It’s likely you need to improve your sleep hygiene habits.
Let’s take a look at what exactly sleep hygiene is, why it’s important, and how you can implement five sleep hygiene tips to ensure a restful, deep sleep.

5 Essential Sleep Hygiene Practices

1. Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule

A consistent sleep schedule is crucial for regulating your body's internal clock, also known as your circadian rhythm. When you maintain regular sleep and wake times, your body naturally releases sleep hormones at the right times, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally. This consistency helps optimize your sleep quality, improves daytime alertness, and supports overall physical and mental well-being. Research shows that people with irregular sleep patterns often experience poorer sleep quality and may be at higher risk for various health issues.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time daily, even on weekends
Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night
Create a regular bedtime routine to signal sleep time to your body
Try sleep trackers, like the Oura Ring
Try gentle stretches, like legs up the wall or Yoga Nidra, to help relax before bed and improve circulation
Choose a calming position to engage the vagus nerve and signal your nervous system to relax

2. Optimize Your Sleep Environment

Creating an optimal sleep environment is fundamental to achieving quality rest. Your bedroom serves as a sanctuary for sleep, and its conditions directly impact your body's ability to relax and transition into sleep mode. Environmental factors like temperature, light, and noise can significantly affect your sleep quality by influencing your body's natural sleep-wake cycle and comfort levels. When your sleep environment is properly optimized, it helps reduce sleep disruptions and promotes deeper, more restorative sleep, ultimately contributing to better physical and mental health.

Keep your bedroom cool (65-68°F/18-20°C)
Ensure complete darkness or use blackout curtains
Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows
Minimize noise disruptions with earplugs or white noise

3. Mind Your Daytime Habits

Your daytime habits play a crucial role in determining your sleep quality. What you do during waking hours directly impacts your body's natural sleep-wake cycle, known as the circadian rhythm. From your caffeine consumption and exercise routine to your exposure to natural light, these daily choices create a ripple effect that influences how easily you fall asleep and the quality of rest you achieve. By maintaining healthy daytime habits, you're essentially programming your body to recognize and respond to its natural sleep cues, making it easier to achieve restful sleep when nighttime arrives.

Limit caffeine intake, especially after 2 PM
Exercise regularly, but not within 2-3 hours of bedtime
Expose yourself to natural daylight during the day
Avoid long daytime naps

4. Create a Digital Sunset

Creating a digital sunset - the practice of gradually reducing exposure to electronic devices before bedtime - is crucial for maintaining healthy sleep patterns. Our bodies have evolved to respond to natural light cycles, and the artificial blue light emitted by phones, tablets, and computers can disrupt our natural circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep and achieve quality rest.

Blue light is considered detrimental to sleep because it significantly suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone crucial for regulating sleep-wake cycles, effectively signaling to the body that it is daytime even when it's not.

Stop using electronic devices 1-2 hours before bed
Enable blue light filters on necessary devices
Keep phones and tablets out of the bedroom
Showers or baths before bed can help you relax and unwind and improve circulation

5. Common Sleep Disruptors to Avoid

Heavy meals close to bedtime
Alcohol consumption before sleep
Irregular sleep patterns
Stress and anxiety. Some people experience racing thoughts or to-do’s for the next day. Try keeping a notepad or journal to dump ideas, thoughts, or feelings before going to bed.
Here’s a list of 10 books to help improve sleep I recommend

Remember: Good sleep hygiene is not just about nighttime habits - it's about maintaining healthy practices throughout the day that contribute to better sleep quality.

A Few Extra Tips:

Use the Insight timer app (free), Alexa, or another app to do a sleep meditation or listen to a sleep story.
Reassure yourself with comfort. Instead of getting frustrated and mad at yourself for not being able to sleep, you can choose some mantras and calming self-talk. Some examples include: “my body and mind know how to sleep”; “right now I’m safe and can rest”
Repeat random words in your mind. For example, car, toaster, microphone, etc. I’m not sure why this works, but it certainly lulls my mind to start dreaming!

When to Seek Professional Help

If sleep problems persist despite implementing these practices, consult a healthcare provider or sleep specialist. Chronic sleep issues may indicate underlying health conditions requiring medical attention.

By implementing these evidence-based sleep hygiene practices, you can improve your sleep quality and wake up feeling more refreshed and energized each day.

If you're experiencing anxiety that's affecting your sleep, don’t hesitate to reach out and I’m here to provide specialized support in developing strategies for both anxiety management and establishing healthy sleep patterns.

Maren Mittal is a compassionate mental health provider and licensed therapist in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Maren specializes in anxiety, depression, and PTSD with evidence-based holistic approaches that address both mind and body, helping you achieve lasting positive change.

Book Your Free Session

The Ultimate Guide to Sleep Hygiene: Evidence-Based Tips for Better Rest