Sleep / Guide
Sleep habits for a good night
Sleep hygiene is the set of habits that help you sleep well at night and stay alert during the day. For adults, at least 7 hours of sleep each night is generally recommended.
The same times every day
Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even at weekends. Sleeping late at the weekend does not fully make up for missed sleep during the week. Do not go to bed until you feel sleepy. If you cannot fall asleep within about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm until you feel sleepy. If you nap during the day, keep it short and do not leave it until late afternoon.
A calm bedroom
Try to keep your bedroom quiet, dark and cool. A comfortable mattress and pillow can help you sleep well. A TV, phone or computer in the bedroom can distract you. If looking at the clock makes you restless, you can turn its face away.
Light and screens
Cut down on the light you are exposed to in the evening. The bright light from phone and TV screens can make it harder to fall asleep. During the day, going outside for daylight may help keep your sleep and wake pattern steady. You can build a calming habit before bed, such as reading a book or taking a warm shower.
Caffeine, nicotine and exercise
Coffee, cola, some teas and chocolate contain caffeine, and its effect can last up to 8 hours. So even one cup of coffee in the afternoon may make it harder to fall asleep at night. Nicotine is also a stimulant, similar to caffeine. Regular exercise is good for sleep, but exercise close to bedtime may delay falling asleep. If you still have trouble sleeping, or feel unrested during the day, talk to a doctor.
For expertsdefinitions, thresholds, guidelines
The joint AASM and SRS consensus (modified RAND method) recommends that adults regularly sleep 7 hours or more per night for health.1
In a meta-analysis of 24 studies on caffeine, caffeine reduced total sleep time by 45 minutes and sleep efficiency by 7%; sleep latency lengthened by 9 minutes, wake after sleep onset by 12 minutes, and N3 time shortened by 11.4 minutes. It was calculated that to preserve total sleep time, a coffee (about 107 mg) should be drunk at least 8.8 hours before bed.2
Although every component of sleep hygiene has been associated with night sleep, the individual effect of each component in the general population has largely not been tested.3 In chronic insomnia (ICSD-3-TR: for at least 3 months, at least 3 nights a week), the AASM 2021 guideline:4
- Multicomponent cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I): strong recommendation.
- Stimulus control, sleep restriction and relaxation on their own: conditional recommendation.
- Sleep hygiene alone as a treatment: conditionally not recommended.
- Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G et al. Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2015;11(6):591-592. doi:10.5664/jcsm.4758
- Gardiner C, Weakley J, Burke LM et al. The effect of caffeine on subsequent sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2023;69:101764. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101764
- Irish LA, Kline CE, Gunn HE et al. The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2015;22:23-36. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2014.10.001
- Edinger JD, Arnedt JT, Bertisch SM et al. Behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2021;17(2):255-262. doi:10.5664/jcsm.8986
Sources
- Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health. Sleep Health: key recommendations for healthy sleep (leaflet, in Turkish). Undated.
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH). Your Guide to Healthy Sleep. 2011.
- National Sleep Foundation. Sleep Hygiene (information sheet). Undated.
Disclosure: this article has no sponsor.