How to sleep better: what to change first
Try six free changes to your routine before you buy anything. See what the Sleep Health Foundation says about each, and when to get help.
Most of us want better sleep. Changing our evenings to get it is the hard part.
Most of what helps is simple, free and well researched. Try things in this order. Each claim below links to the Sleep Health Foundation page it came from, so you can read the original.
Keep a regular routine
The Foundation puts routine first. Its advice is: “Try to go to bed at the same time each night.” It explains that your body runs on an internal clock.
That clock settles when your sleep and wake times stay the same. For most people, getting up at the same time every day, weekends included, helps more than an extra hour in bed.
Get outside during the day
Light is the main signal your body clock responds to.
The Foundation’s advice is simple: “Being out in the natural daylight during the day will improve sleep at night.” It says this helps set your body clock.
So take a walk at lunchtime when you can.
Watch the caffeine and alcohol
Caffeine stays in your body for a long time. The Foundation says its effects “can then last 3 to 7 hours, but it may take up to 24 hours to fully eliminate caffeine from the body”.
Advice on when to stop varies, and the Foundation says so. “Some say caffeine should be avoided for at least 3 to 7 hours before going to sleep. Others say no caffeine after lunch time if you have sleep problems.”
Alcohol can help you fall asleep but disturb the rest of the night. It makes you feel sleepy. But in the Foundation’s words, it “will also disrupt your sleep by interfering with sleep architecture”. In the second half of the night, that can mean “more frequent awakenings, night sweats, nightmares and more frequent awakenings to use the bathroom”.
The Foundation also notes that “even modest amounts of alcohol can significantly increase other sleep disorders including snoring and the frequency and intensity of obstructive sleep apnoea”.
Mind what you do on screens
Screen colour settings get a lot of attention.
In practice, what you’re doing on the screen matters more. Checking email can keep your mind busy, whatever the display is set to.
Get up if you can’t sleep
The Foundation’s advice here is clear. “If you are not asleep within 20 to 30 minutes of going to bed you should get up. Go to another darkened room and sit quietly.”
The aim is to keep your bed linked with sleep, rather than with lying awake and feeling frustrated.
Know when to get help
The Foundation gives a short list of signs. “If you are having ongoing trouble sleeping, persistent problems with mood, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or wakening unrefreshed, make sure that you go and see your doctor.”
Loud snoring together with daytime sleepiness is worth raising early. The Foundation lists both as possible signs of obstructive sleep apnoea. Other signs include someone noticing you stop breathing, and “waking up often during the night, sometimes gasping or choking”.
This can’t be assessed over a video call. The Foundation recommends an overnight sleep study to find out for sure, because it “measures your sleep, breathing and oxygen levels”. Your GP can arrange one for you.
Tried these changes and still sleeping badly? Book an appointment. In a sleep health consultation, your practitioner will go through your history, your routine and anything you’ve already tried.
Sources
- Sleep Health Foundation. Sleep hygiene: good sleep habits. Routine, daylight, and the 20 to 30 minute rule.
- Sleep Health Foundation. Caffeine and sleep. How long caffeine lasts, and the cut-off advice.
- Sleep Health Foundation. Caffeine, food, alcohol, smoking and sleep. Alcohol, sleep architecture and snoring.
- Sleep Health Foundation. Insomnia. The signs that it is time to get help.
- Sleep Health Foundation. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Features of OSA, and the overnight sleep study.