Blog · Sleep Tips
Sleep Hygiene Checklist: 12 Habits for Better Sleep Tonight
Sleep hygiene isn't complicated, but it requires consistency. These twelve habits cover the fundamentals of good sleep — environment, timing, behavior, and mindset. You don't need to implement all twelve at once. Start with three or four and build from there.
1. Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day — including weekends. This is the single most impactful sleep hygiene habit. Your circadian rhythm thrives on regularity, and even a two-hour shift on weekends (social jet lag) can leave you feeling groggy on Monday. Pick a wake time that works for both work days and days off, and stick to it. Your body will start naturally getting sleepy at the right time within a week. For more on building a routine, see our guide to creating a bedtime routine.
2. Make Your Room Dark
Even small amounts of light can suppress melatonin production and fragment your sleep. Cover LED lights on electronics with tape, use blackout curtains, and consider a sleep mask if you can't fully darken the room. Your bedroom should be dark enough that you can't see your hand in front of your face.
3. Keep the Room Cool
Your core body temperature needs to drop by about 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit to initiate sleep. A cool bedroom (65-68 degrees F or 18-20 degrees C) facilitates this process. If you tend to run hot, try lighter bedding, breathable pajamas, or sleeping with one foot outside the covers — your feet are effective heat radiators.
4. Control Noise
Unpredictable noise is one of the top sleep disruptors, especially in apartments and urban environments. A white noise machine or fan creates consistent background sound that masks sudden noises. If noise is a persistent problem, our guide on sleeping in noisy environments covers additional strategies.
5. Stop Screens 30-60 Minutes Before Bed
Blue light from phones, tablets, and computers suppresses melatonin and tells your brain it's still daytime. The content matters too — social media, news, and email activate your brain at exactly the moment you need it winding down. Switch to a book, a podcast, or light conversation in the last hour before bed. If you must use a screen, enable night mode and dim the brightness to minimum.
6. Limit Caffeine After 2 PM
Caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours, meaning half the caffeine from a 2 PM coffee is still in your system at 7-8 PM. Some people metabolize caffeine more slowly — if you're sensitive, set your cutoff at noon. This includes tea, soda, chocolate, and pre-workout supplements. Decaf is fine; it contains only trace amounts of caffeine.
7. Avoid Alcohol Before Bed
Alcohol is deceptive — it makes you feel sleepy and helps you fall asleep faster, but it severely disrupts sleep quality. Alcohol suppresses REM sleep, causes more frequent nighttime awakenings (especially in the second half of the night), and worsens snoring and sleep apnea. If you drink, finish at least 3 hours before bedtime to give your body time to metabolize it.
8. Exercise — But Time It Right
Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for sleep quality. It increases time spent in deep sleep, reduces the time it takes to fall asleep, and decreases anxiety. However, vigorous exercise within 2-3 hours of bedtime can raise your core temperature and adrenaline levels, making it harder to fall asleep. Morning or afternoon workouts are ideal. Gentle stretching or yoga in the evening is fine and can actually promote relaxation.
9. Use Your Bed Only for Sleep
Working, watching TV, scrolling your phone, and eating in bed weaken the mental association between your bed and sleep. When you reserve the bed exclusively for sleep, your brain learns that getting into bed means it's time to shut down. If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet in another room until you feel sleepy, then return to bed.
10. Create a Wind-Down Routine
A consistent pre-sleep routine signals to your body that sleep is coming. It doesn't need to be elaborate — 15-20 minutes of the same activities in the same order is enough. Brush teeth, wash face, change clothes, read a few pages, lights out. The routine itself becomes a sleep cue over time. Adding meditation or breathing exercises to your wind-down routine can further reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.
11. Watch What You Eat Before Bed
Heavy meals within 2-3 hours of bedtime can cause discomfort, acid reflux, and disrupted sleep. If you're hungry close to bedtime, opt for a small, light snack — a banana, a handful of almonds, or a small serving of yogurt. These foods contain nutrients (magnesium, tryptophan, melatonin precursors) that may actually support sleep. Avoid spicy foods, which can raise body temperature and cause indigestion.
12. Manage Worry Before It Follows You to Bed
Racing thoughts are one of the most common reasons people can't fall asleep. Try writing a brief to-do list or journal entry 1-2 hours before bed. Research from Baylor University found that people who wrote a to-do list for the next day fell asleep significantly faster than those who wrote about completed tasks. Getting worries out of your head and onto paper tells your brain it's safe to let go.
Start Small, Build Gradually
Trying to overhaul your entire sleep routine overnight is a recipe for frustration. Pick the three habits from this list that feel most relevant to your situation and commit to them for one week. Once they feel natural, add another two or three. Within a month, you'll have a solid sleep hygiene foundation that produces noticeable results.