10 Simple Habits for Better Sleep, Starting Tonight
Small changes to your evening routine can make a big difference to how quickly you fall asleep and how refreshed you feel in the morning.
Good sleep isn't only about how many hours you spend in bed. Your daily habits, often called sleep hygiene, have a big effect on how fast you fall asleep and how deeply you rest. Here are ten habits that are easy to start tonight.
1. Keep a consistent schedule
Go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day, including weekends. A regular rhythm helps your body clock know when to feel sleepy and when to feel alert. Nidoria recommends a bedtime and wake time each night to help you stay on track.
2. Give yourself a wind-down window
Your brain needs time to shift out of "busy" mode. Spend the last 20 to 30 minutes before bed doing something calm: reading, stretching, a warm shower or listening to a soothing sound. Nidoria's bedtime reminders can nudge you 10, 20 or 30 minutes before bed so you don't lose track of time.
3. Watch the caffeine clock
Caffeine can stay in your system for many hours. If you have trouble falling asleep, try avoiding coffee, strong tea, energy drinks and cola from early afternoon onwards.
4. Make your bedroom dark, cool and quiet
A slightly cool, dark room is ideal for most people. Blackout curtains or an eye mask help with light, and a steady background sound like rain or white noise can mask disruptive noises from traffic or neighbours.
5. Dim the screens
Bright screens and endless scrolling keep your mind engaged when it should be winding down. Try putting your phone face-down on the nightstand once you've started your Nidoria session, and leave the notifications for the morning.
6. Get morning light
Natural daylight soon after waking is one of the strongest signals for your body clock. A short walk or breakfast near a window helps you feel more alert in the morning and sleepier at night.
7. Go easy on late meals and alcohol
A heavy meal close to bedtime can make it harder to get comfortable. Alcohol may make you feel drowsy at first, but it often leads to lighter, more broken sleep later in the night.
8. Keep naps short and early
If you nap, keep it to around 20 minutes and avoid late afternoon naps, which can make it harder to fall asleep at night.
9. Save your bed for sleep
Working, gaming or watching TV in bed teaches your brain to associate it with being awake. Keeping your bed for sleep helps strengthen the link between lying down and drifting off.
10. Don't fight a sleepless night
If you can't fall asleep after what feels like 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet in dim light until you feel sleepy, then return to bed. Lying there worrying about sleep tends to make it harder.
Track what works for you
Everyone's sleep is different. The best way to find out which habits help you is to track your sleep while you try them. Watch your Sleep Score and stage timeline over a week or two, and build your streak as you go.
If you regularly struggle with sleep, feel very sleepy during the day, or someone notices you stop breathing while you sleep, please speak to a doctor.
