4/22/2020 Sleeping Tips & Tricks - National Sleep Foundation

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Healthy Sleep Tips

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This content was created by the National Sleep Foundation

Healthy sleep habits can make a big difference in your quality of life. Having healthy sleep
habits is often referred to as having good sleep hygiene.
(https://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene) Try to keep the
following sleep practices on a consistent basis:

1. Stick to a sleep schedule (https://sleep.org/articles/get-sleep-schedule/) of the same

bedtime and wake up time, even on the weekends. This helps to regulate your body's clock
and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.
2. Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual. (https://sleep.org/articles/learning-relax/) A relaxing,
routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate
your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety which can
make it more dif cult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep or remain asleep.
3. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, especially in the afternoon. Power napping may
help you get through the day, (https://sleep.org/articles/napping-health-bene ts/) but if
you nd that you can't fall asleep at bedtime, eliminating even short catnaps may help.
4. Exercise daily. (https://sleep.org/articles/exercise-affects-sleep/) Vigorous exercise is
best, but even light exercise is better than no activity. Exercise at any time of day, but not
at the expense of your sleep.
5. Evaluate your room. (https://sleep.org/articles/design-the-perfect-bedroom/) Design your
sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep. Your bedroom should be
cool – between 60 and 67 degrees. (https://sleep.org/articles/temperature-for-sleep/) Your

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bedroom should also be free from any noise that can disturb your sleep. Finally, your
bedroom should be free from any light. Check your room for noises or other distractions.
This includes a bed partner's sleep disruptions such as snoring. Consider using blackout
curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, "white noise" machines, humidi ers, fans and other
devices.
6. Sleep on a comfortable mattress (https://sleep.org/tag/beds/) and pillows.
(https://sleep.org/tag/pillows/) Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive.
The one you have been using for years may have exceeded its life expectancy – about 9 or
10 years for most good quality mattresses. Have comfortable pillows and make the room
attractive and inviting for sleep but also free of allergens
(https://sleep.org/articles/household-allergens-that-could-be-affecting-your-sleep/) that
might affect you and objects that might cause you to slip or fall if you have to get up
during the night.
7. Use bright light to help manage your circadian rhythms.
(https://sleep.org/articles/circadian-rhythm-body-clock/) Avoid bright light in the evening
and expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. This will keep your circadian rhythms in
check.
8. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and heavy meals in the evening. Alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine
(https://sleep.org/articles/what-does-caffeine-do-2/) can disrupt sleep. Eating big or spicy
meals can cause discomfort from indigestion that can make it hard to sleep. If you can,
avoid eating large meals for two to three hours before bedtime. Try a light snack 45
minutes before bed (https://sleep.org/articles/bedtime-snacks/) if you’re still hungry.
9. Wind down. Your body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so spend the last hour before
bed doing a calming activity such as reading. For some people, using an electronic device
such as a laptop can make it hard to fall asleep, because the particular type of light
emanating from the screens of these devices is activating to the brain. If you have trouble
sleeping, avoid electronics before bed (https://sleep.org/articles/how-technology-
changing-the-way-we-sleep/) or in the middle of the night.
10. If you can't sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired. It
is best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex (https://sleep.org/articles/does-sex-affect-sleep/) to
strengthen the association between bed and sleep. If you associate a particular activity or
item with anxiety about sleeping, omit it from your bedtime routine.
11. If you’re still having trouble sleeping, don’t hesitate to speak with your doctor or to  nd a
sleep professional. You may also bene t from recording your sleep in a Sleep Diary
(https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-diary/SleepDiaryv6.pdf) to help you better
evaluate common patterns or issues you may see with your sleep or sleeping habits.

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