Healthy sleep habits

Small daily habits can make sleep easier. Doctors call them "sleep hygiene." They include when you get up, how much daylight you get, what you drink, and what your bedroom is like.

This page goes through the most common tips and what the research says about each one. It also explains what these habits can and cannot do. Good habits help many people sleep better, but they are usually not enough on their own to fix long-lasting insomnia.

How much sleep do you need?

Most adults need 7 or more hours of sleep a night. For people 65 and older, the CDC suggests about 7 to 8 hours.² Needs vary from person to person. A good sign is that you feel rested and alert most days.

As people age, sleep often gets lighter and more broken, and many people get sleepy earlier in the evening. Read more in sleep in later life.

Keep a steady wake time

Your body has an inner clock that runs on a roughly 24-hour cycle. It tells you when to feel sleepy and when to feel alert. This cycle is called your circadian rhythm.⁹

Getting up at the same time every morning keeps that clock on track. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) advises the same wake time every day, including weekends and vacations.³ If you must vary it, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) suggests keeping weekend times within about an hour of weekdays.¹

Sleeping in late after a bad night is tempting. But late lie-ins can throw off your body clock and make the next night harder.¹

Go to bed when you feel sleepy, not just because it is a certain hour.³ Lying in bed wide awake can teach your brain that bed is a place to toss and turn.

Use light to set your body clock

Light is the biggest signal to your body clock. A small area in the brain reads how much light reaches your eyes. In the evening, as light fades, the brain makes more melatonin (a hormone that helps you feel sleepy).⁹

In the daytime: Spend time outdoors every day if you can.¹ Morning light is a good habit to pair with your steady wake time. A walk, coffee on the porch, or sitting by a bright window all count.

In the evening: Keep lights lower in the hour or so before bed.^1,3 Bright light late at night can tell your brain it is still daytime. A dim night light is fine if you need one.¹

Screens before bed

Phones, tablets, TVs and computers give off bright light. The NIH says light from devices at night can confuse the body clock.⁹

In one lab study, adults read either on a light-emitting e-reader or a printed book before bed. With the e-reader, they took longer to fall asleep, made less melatonin, had a later body clock, and felt less alert the next morning.⁸ This was done in a sleep lab, so the effect at home may be smaller. Still, it is a reason to be careful.

The CDC and AASM both suggest putting devices away at least 30 minutes before bed.^2,3 Scrolling news or email can also keep your mind busy. If you like to read in bed, a paper book is a good choice.

Caffeine: why timing matters

Caffeine is in coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks and chocolate. It keeps you alert by blocking a natural sleep signal in the brain.

Caffeine lasts longer than most people think. Its half-life (the time it takes your body to clear half of it) is about 5 hours in an average adult.⁴ So if you drink a coffee at 3 p.m., about half of that caffeine may still be in your body around 8 p.m. The NHLBI notes that caffeine's effects can last up to 8 hours.¹

How fast you clear caffeine varies a lot. It can take longer during pregnancy, with liver disease, or with some medicines. Smokers tend to clear it faster.⁴ The FDA says people differ widely in how sensitive they are to caffeine.⁶

In one study, adults took a large dose of caffeine (400 mg, about what is in two to three 12-ounce cups of coffee) at bedtime, 3 hours before bed, or 6 hours before bed. Even at 6 hours before bed, it disturbed their sleep compared with a placebo (a look-alike pill with no caffeine).^5,6 The authors advised avoiding a lot of caffeine for at least 6 hours before bed.⁵

What this means for you:

• Try to have your last caffeinated drink by early afternoon. The CDC and AASM advise skipping caffeine in the afternoon and evening.^2,3
• Check labels. A 12-ounce soda can have up to 83 mg of caffeine, and black tea about 71 mg. Even decaf coffee has a little.⁶
• Some medicines can make you more sensitive to caffeine. Ask your pharmacist about yours.⁶
• If you drink caffeine every day and want to cut back, the FDA suggests doing it gradually.⁶

Alcohol: a poor nightcap

Many people have a drink to help them relax at night. Alcohol can make you drowsy, but it changes your sleep in ways that leave you less rested.

A 2025 review combined 27 studies of healthy adults. Alcohol made people fall asleep faster only at high doses, about five standard drinks. But even a lower dose, about two drinks, delayed and reduced REM sleep (the dreaming stage of sleep). The more alcohol people drank, the more REM sleep they lost.⁷

The NHLBI and AASM both advise avoiding alcohol before bedtime.^1,3 If you drink most nights to get to sleep, talk with your doctor. Read more about alcohol in later life.

Food, drinks and nicotine

• Big meals: Avoid heavy or large meals within a few hours of bedtime. A light snack is fine if you are hungry.^1,3
• Fluids: Drinking less in the evening may cut down on bathroom trips at night.³ Do not cut back on fluids during the day without asking your doctor.
• Nicotine: Like caffeine, nicotine is a stimulant that can disrupt sleep.¹ If you want to quit, ask your doctor about free help.

Move your body, but not right before bed

Regular exercise is part of healthy sleep habits.^2,3 Daily movement, especially outdoors, also gives you daylight.¹

Try to avoid hard workouts in the last hour before bed.¹ Gentle stretching, tai chi or a slow walk in the evening are usually fine.

Naps

A short nap can boost alertness. But if you have trouble sleeping at night, naps may make it worse. The NHLBI suggests that adults who nap keep it to 20 minutes or less and nap earlier in the afternoon, or limit naps.¹

Dozing in front of the TV in the evening counts as a nap. It can take the edge off your sleep drive and make bedtime harder.

Make your bedroom work for sleep

• Quiet, dark and cool. Keep the room quiet, dark and at a comfortable, cool temperature.^1,3 Earplugs, a fan, or heavy curtains may help.
• Bed is for sleep. The AASM advises using your bed only for sleep and sex. That means no TV, work or long phone calls in bed.³
• Hide the clock. Watching the minutes tick by can make you more anxious about sleep. Turn the clock away from you.
• Build a wind-down routine. A warm bath, soft music, or a calming practice can signal that sleep is coming.^1,3 Try muscle relaxation, a body scan, or cyclic sighing.

If you can't fall asleep

If you are still awake after about 20 minutes, get out of bed. Do something quiet in dim light, like reading a paper book, until you feel sleepy. Then go back to bed. Avoid screens during this time.³

This may feel hard at first. Over time, it helps your brain link bed with sleep again instead of worry. It is one of the main parts of CBT-I, explained in CBT-I lesson 3: retraining bed for sleep.

If racing thoughts keep you up, try writing down your worries and a short to-do list earlier in the evening. Our calm plan and CBT-I lesson 4: calming thoughts about sleep can help.

What sleep habits can and can't do

Sleep habits are a good starting point. But studies show they work much less well than a full treatment for people with chronic insomnia. Chronic insomnia means trouble sleeping on most nights for months (see insomnia).

A 2018 review looked at 15 studies. People who only learned sleep hygiene improved a little. But they did clearly worse than people who got CBT-I.¹² For this reason, the AASM's 2021 guideline advises against using sleep hygiene by itself as a treatment for chronic insomnia.¹⁰

Instead, the AASM strongly recommends CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia).¹⁰ The American College of Physicians also recommends CBT-I as the first treatment for chronic insomnia in all adults.¹¹ Strong evidence CBT-I includes sleep habits, but adds stronger steps. These include setting a sleep window, retraining your bed for sleep, and changing worried thoughts about sleep.^10,11

You can start with our free lessons, beginning with the sleep diary. Read more about insomnia and CBT-I.

When to get help

Talk with your doctor if:

• Poor sleep lasts more than a few weeks, or happens 3 or more nights a week
• You feel very sleepy in the daytime or nod off while driving
• You snore loudly, gasp or stop breathing in your sleep. These can be signs of sleep apnea.
• You have an urge to move your legs at night. See restless legs syndrome.
• Low mood or worry keeps you up. See sleep, mood and anxiety.
• You use sleeping pills, alcohol or over-the-counter sleep aids most nights. See sleep medicines: what to know.

Bring a list of every medicine and supplement you take. Some can disturb sleep. Never stop or change a medicine on your own. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist first.

For caregivers: when a person living with dementia has sleep problems, the causes and solutions can be different. See sleep problems in dementia and sundowning.

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.