Tiredness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, headaches – everyone has felt the effects of a bad night’s sleep. If you regularly miss out on quality sleep, the results can be even more significant, with long-term deprivation linked to health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and increased risk of stroke.¹ 

Not only do people need enough sleep to function and maintain their health, but they also need the right kind of sleep. If you wake frequently or your sleep is disturbed, you could miss out on the crucial REM sleep your brain needs.²

In this article, we share 20 simple tips to help you improve your sleep length and quality.   

1. Create a consistent routine 

Going to sleep and waking at roughly the same time each day sets your internal clock, helping your body recognize when it’s time to rest.³ 

2. Give yourself time

Pick a bedtime when you naturally feel tired, so you’re not forced to stare at the ceiling for hours before falling asleep. Choose a time that lines up with your sleep needs and morning responsibilities. Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night, so don’t start your sleep routine at midnight if you need to be up at 6am.² 

3. Skip the sleep-ins

Everyone loves a weekend lie-in, but they can mess with your sleep cycle.³ Try to stick to your sleep routine even on weekends and holidays – a daytime nap may help if you need to catch up on sleep.³  

4. Keep naps short

Naps can be a great way to reclaim lost or broken sleep – but don’t get carried away, as long naps can interfere with nighttime sleep.⁴ If possible, rest in the early afternoon and keep naps to 15–30 minutes max.⁴

5. Create a sleep-ready space

Your sleep environment can make a difference, particularly if you struggle with drifting off to sleep.³ Make sure your room is dark and choose comfortable pillows and bedding. If background noise is an issue, experiment with using white noise or a fan to mask the sound. 

6. Check the temperature

Not too warm, not too cool – just right. While everyone has their preference when it comes to room temperature, research shows that a mild temperature is best when it comes to quality sleep. Set your thermostat or heat source to between 64–70° F (19–21° C) for optimal ambient room temperature.

7. Make your bedroom distraction-free 

Your bedroom should be for sleep (and sex) only – watching TV, working, or playing on your phone can create unhelpful associations and impact sleep due to exposure to blue light.³ To ensure your brain associates your bedroom with sleep, confine device use and other distractions to the other rooms in your home. 

8. Kick-start your morning with light

On the other end of the scale, natural morning light can help wake you up and reset your circadian rhythm.⁵ Try allowing natural light into your bedroom, getting outside in the mornings, or using a light therapy lamp if it’s difficult to get enough natural light. 

9. Make breakfast count

Eat a healthy, balanced breakfast each day. Skipping breakfast can mean lower energy and disrupted blood sugar, triggering tiredness and stress later in the day and contributing to unhelpful patterns.⁶   

10. Cut screen time

The blue light from screen devices such as phones, tablets, computers, and TVs can suppress the production of ‘sleep hormone’ melatonin and make it harder to drift off at night.⁷ That’s why avoiding bright screens in the hours leading up to bedtime is a good idea. If you need to check your phone or use devices before bed, minimize the effect by using night settings or turning the brightness down as much as you can. If you wear glasses, consider selecting lenses that filter blue light before it reaches your eyes.

11. Get moving

Surprise! Exercise isn’t just good for your physical and mental health, it’s conducive to healthy sleep as well. Studies show that even 30 minutes of moderate daily exercise can help you sleep better.⁸ However, don’t work out just before bed – the endorphins released during exercise can make it more challenging to get to sleep.⁹ 

12. Be careful with coffee

Coffee helps you wake up in the morning because it’s a stimulant – but that’s the opposite of what you need at night. Caffeine can make it difficult to fall asleep and disrupt healthy sleep patterns, so try to minimize overall consumption and avoid coffee, black tea, and soft drinks that contain caffeine after midday.⁷

13. Cut back on smoking

Nicotine is another sleep-disruptor. The nicotine in cigarettes is a stimulant that can make it difficult for smokers to fall asleep, particularly if they smoke just before bedtime.⁷ 

14. Keep drinks to a minimum

Like nicotine, alcohol can disrupt sleep patterns and lead to low-quality, disturbed sleep.⁷ If you do drink in the evenings, try to stop at least a couple of hours before bedtime to minimize the effects.⁷ 

15. Tweak your diet

Like exercise, your diet can impact your sleep patterns. Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, which includes plenty of veggies, fruit, unprocessed cereals, and healthy fats, is linked to falling asleep more quickly and sleeping for longer periods. Another plus? This type of diet is also good for your heart, longevity, and overall health.¹⁰ 

16. Keep dinner simple

Eating a big, rich, spicy meal before bed can cause heartburn and other types of digestive discomfort, which can make it harder to get to sleep.¹¹ You don’t have to avoid these foods altogether, but try to eat them at lunchtime or earlier in the evening so they’re less likely to interfere with your sleep patterns. 

17. Find a relaxing bedtime ritual

There are lots of different ways to relax before bed – a warm bath or shower, gentle music or an audiobook, meditation, or journaling. There’s no one thing that works for everyone, instead, it’s about finding a ritual that helps you release stress so you’re ready to sleep.  

18. Try a sleep technique

If getting to sleep is your main problem, breathing exercises and other sleep techniques may help you release tension and drift off more quickly. Some people swear by the ‘military technique’ (involving muscle relaxation, breathing and mind clearing), others use a form of meditation called body scan, while many use calming breathing techniques also used to dispel anxiety or ward off panic attacks.^12,13

19. Skip the sleep stress 

Ironically, feeling stressed and anxious about not being able to sleep can make it harder to sleep. ¹⁴ While it’s easier said than done, try to focus on restful thoughts rather than on not being able to sleep – go through your relaxing sleep techniques or get up and do a quiet activity for a while if you find yourself focusing on not being able to get to sleep.   

20. Keep a sleep journal 

It’s hard to improve if you don’t know what’s going wrong (or right). A sleep journal can be a good way to track your sleep patterns and identify the factors that might be messing with your sleep. Track your hours of sleep, wakefulness during the night, eating and drinking, and anything else that seems to impact your sleep. If you end up seeing a doctor or sleep specialist for help, your sleep journal could be a helpful way to show them the extent of the problem. 

Tried everything and still tired? 

What happens when you’ve tried all the sleep tips, but your sleep still doesn’t seem up to scratch? In other words, you’re getting enough sleep, but you’re still exhausted, headachy, and irritable in the mornings. If that sounds like you, it could be a sign of a deeper health issue.  

Chronic pain, stress, mental health issues, sleep apnea, and a range of other health problems can impact your sleep.¹⁵ Sleep apnea is probably the most common issue.¹ This sleep disorder causes tiny pauses or breaks in breathing throughout the night, which leads to disrupted sleep cycles and lower quality of sleep. Symptoms include loud snoring, gasping, or choking during the night, and signs of sleep deprivation during the day.¹⁶ 

If you have symptoms of sleep apnea or long-term sleep deprivation, it’s important to seek help from a health professional as soon as you can, so they can find the root of the problem and offer the right treatment. 

You may also be interested in reading:

• How much sleep do I really need?
• What are the stages of sleep? 
• What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

The content is for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for the medical advice of one’s healthcare provider.