Sleep hygiene: Tips for setting yourself up for sound sleep

Sleep plays a crucial role in managing and maintaining key functions in our bodies, helping keep the brain, heart and immune system healthy. It recharges energy, balances emotions, improves decision-making and strengthens memory. But, despite how good sleep is for us, one in three U.S. adults regularly don’t get enough of it.

Most adults need about seven to nine hours of sleep each night, while children and adolescents require even more. Missing just one night of quality sleep can leave you feeling tired, unalert and irritable.¹

When poor sleep becomes an ongoing problem, it can lead to serious health concerns such as increased risk of accidents, impaired memory and concentration, mental health challenges (including depression and anxiety), high blood pressure, diabetes and a weakened immune system. Long-term poor sleep may also shorten your lifespan – by nearly five years for women and more than two years for men.²

Are you getting enough sleep?

If you’re one of the millions of people who suffer from consistently poor sleep, it’s best for your overall health to figure out why and take steps to pursue better sleep.

Sleep disorders – including sleep apnea and insomnia – affect millions of people in the United States. Once diagnosed, they are treatable – and many people are able to manage their condition to improve their sleep and overall quality of life. A healthcare provider can help determine if you have a sleep disorder or another condition affecting your sleep. Based on your symptoms, medical history and lifestyle needs, your doctor can create a treatment plan tailored to you.

Oftentimes, they’ll start by recommending ways to improve your sleep hygiene, meaning your sleep routine and environment. Even if a medical condition isn’t what’s keeping you up at night, these self-care strategies can be very effective. They make it easier to build healthy habits and set yourself up to consistently sleep soundly.

To help you get started, here are seven tips for better sleep hygiene.

Sleep hygiene practices for better sleep

1. Educate yourself

Many people think it’s normal to feel tired during the day, have trouble falling asleep or wake up several times a night. Sure, that can be a natural part of life once in a while. But ongoing sleep issues are often a sign something isn’t right. Physical changes like acne, puffy eyes, dark circles under your eyes, increased hunger and weight gain can also be red flags to pay attention to.

To get quality sleep, your body needs time to cycle through four specific sleep stages each night. These stages – which include deep restorative sleep and REM sleep – are when your mind and body do essential maintenance, like physically restoring and repairing your body, and processing and storing memories. These processes are a key reason why quality sleep matters.

2. Set and follow a schedule

It can be tempting to stay up later and watch “just” one more episode of your favorite streaming show or snooze a little longer in the morning. But doing so can throw off your circadian rhythm – your internal clock – and affect how much quality sleep you get.

It’s better to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on days off from work, school or daily activities. This helps your body get into a rhythm, so you’ll more naturally be ready to fall asleep and wake up at your designated times. Adults generally need seven to nine hours daily. So, plan your sleep schedule around your day-to-day responsibilities and commitments.

To properly plan, it may be helpful to think backward. For example, if you know you need to get to work by 9 a.m. and it will take you two hours to get ready, eat breakfast and make the commute, then you’ll need to wake up by 7 a.m.

That means to give your body enough time to cycle through the sleep stages multiple times, you should make it a priority to get to bed by 10 p.m. Over time, you’ll come to understand where you fall in the range – maybe you consistently wake up without an alarm after seven and a half hours of sleep – and can adjust your sleep schedule accordingly.

If you do need to shift your sleep schedule, it’s usually best to do it gradually. Maybe push it back or forward by an hour at first to ease into the adjustment.

3. Follow a bedtime routine

It’s common for parents and caregivers to create a bedtime routine to get their kids wound down and ready for bed. It’s important to do the same for yourself, too, as an adult. Just as it helps kids relax and prepare for sleep, it does the same for adults.

Generally, it’s best to begin the process at least 30 minutes before your target sleep time. This could include brushing your teeth, changing into pajamas, stretching gently for five minutes and laying down. Keep the routine in the same order from night to night, too.

It’s also important to turn off any screens – like your TV, phone and tablet – as they can keep your mind engaged and make it harder to relax. And research shows the blue light they create can reduce your body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you fall asleep. That’s because your brain reads blue light like it reads sunlight, and sunlight tells your body it’s time to be awake, not wind down.

By creating a routine and unplugging, you’re signaling to your body and mind when it’s time to sleep.

4. Help calm yourself

If you’re in bed and having trouble quieting your mind, try simple techniques to relax and refocus. Counting backward from 100 or taking slow, deep breaths can distract your mind, slow your heart rate and prepare you for rest. Meditation, visualizing peaceful scenes and progressive muscle relaxation – where you systematically tighten and then relax your muscles – can also be effective. You might need to try a few different methods to find what works best for you.

If you’re still not sleeping after 20 minutes or so, get out of bed and do something you find relaxing, such as listening to a calming story or stretching. Then, try again when you feel sleepy. The goal is to create a positive association between your bed and sleep, not frustration or a sense of anxiety from tossing and turning.

5. Avoid napping

Taking a short break to sleep during the day can feel and be refreshing, but it can also throw off your sleep routine. If you do need one, it’s best to keep it short and long before – such as in the early afternoon – your regularly scheduled sleep.

6. Create a sleep-friendly environment

What feels most comfortable depends on the individual, so consider what you like best as far as pillows, mattress and bedding and set yourself up for sound sleep.

It’s generally recommended to keep your bedroom cool but comfortable, as a cooler temperature helps lower your body temperature for better sleep. It’s also important to keep your room dark because darkness helps your body produce melatonin.

Keep it quiet, too, to help you stay asleep throughout the night. If need be, it’s a good idea to use white noise, such as a fan, or earplugs to block out noise that may disturb you. If you prefer to have a night light, make sure it’s dim or uses a red bulb, as red light is less likely to interfere with melatonin production.

Also, as much as you may love snuggling with your children or pets, it’s best for them to sleep in their own spaces to help you avoid disruptions.

7. Use daytime to set you up for sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is as much about what you do at night as it is about the daylight hours. To help yourself get better sleep, follow these best practices by day:

• Getting regular exercise supports your overall health and can help improve your sleep quality. But, vigorous activity too close to bedtime may make it harder to fall asleep, so adjust your workout timing based on how it affects your rest.

• Get at least 30 minutes of natural light during the day. This helps keep your body’s internal clock (called the circadian rhythm) track, supporting better sleep and alertness.

• Eat nutritious foods that help nurture your health and wellbeing. But avoid eating meals within three hours of bedtime.

• Also avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. Alcohol is a sedative so it may help you fall asleep, but it can disrupt sleep later in the night. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants, so can make it harder to fall asleep or sleep soundly.
  

Consult a health care professional

Practicing good sleep hygiene can help you fall asleep more easily, sleep soundly and wake up feeling refreshed. However, it isn’t a cure for sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or insomnia. Most people with sleep disorders need additional treatment. It’s important to consult a physician.

Sources

¹ HelpGuide, Sleep Facts and Statistics. January 16, 2025.

² HelpGuide, Sleep Facts and Statistics. January 16, 2025.

Cleveland Clinic, What Is Sleep Hygiene? Tips To Improve. September 25, 2023.

Harvard Health, Sleep hygiene: Simple practices for better rest. January 31, 2025.

Sleep Foundation, Mastering Sleep Hygiene: Your Path to Quality Sleep. July 7, 2025.

Sleep Foundation, Sleep Quality: How to Determine if You’re Getting Poor Sleep. July 22, 2025.