What is sleep hygiene?
Sleep hygiene is a shorthand for everyday habits and surroundings that support sleep: your schedule, evening activities, and bedroom setup. It is a useful starting point for thinking about your routine, rather than a test you pass by following every rule.
You can download our free sleep-habits checklist, read the HTML checklist, or start with one of the ideas below. No purchase or email signup is required.
A practical sleep hygiene checklist
The following starting points draw on NHLBI’s healthy sleep habits. Choose the one that fits the friction you actually notice.
| Starting point | A small version to try |
|---|---|
| A steady schedule | Pick bed and wake times you can reasonably repeat, including weekends. |
| A quieter evening | Set aside a little time for a calming activity; reduce bright screens and intense activity close to bed. |
| Earlier caffeine | Move a late caffeinated drink earlier. Its effects can last up to eight hours. |
| A comfortable bedroom | Aim for quiet, darkness and a comfortably cool room; use a dim nightlight if needed. |
| Daylight and movement | Make space for time outdoors and physical activity during your day. |
| Lighter late evenings | Avoid a large meal or alcohol near bedtime; a light snack can be okay. |
These are general suggestions, not a personalized treatment plan. Start with a manageable version and adjust around your responsibilities and comfort.
Give your schedule an anchor
A repeatable schedule is easier to work with than a different plan every night. As an editorial planning exercise, choose a wake time that fits your obligations, then look at whether your evening allows enough sleep. For adults aged 18–60, CDC recommends at least seven hours; older adults have age-specific ranges. CDC: sleep duration.
If your schedule involves shifts or frequent changes, avoid forcing an example routine onto it. Write down the constraint first. A clinician can help with sleep difficulties that persist around an unusual schedule.
Think about light and screens together
Light and darkness help time the body clock. Bright artificial light late in the evening can interfere with the normal sleep–wake signal. NHLBI: your sleep/wake cycle.
Our practical suggestion: look at the whole room before buying a screen accessory. Could you turn off an unnecessary overhead light, lower a lamp, or move an engaging task earlier? CDC includes putting electronics away at least 30 minutes before bed in its general tips. CDC: better sleep habits. Choose a change you can repeat rather than chasing a perfectly controlled evening.
Match the bedroom change to the problem
“Improve the bedroom” is too vague to act on. Name what bothers you: light reaching the bed, a recurring sound, or waking hot. Then try one adjustment and notice comfort the next morning.
Our guides to bedroom light, bedroom noise and a room that feels too hot offer specific starting points. The interactive bedroom planner lets you explore those ideas before choosing a change in your own room. Its illustration does not measure your room or predict your sleep.
An example of a simple wind-down
This is our example, not a clinical protocol. Adapt the order and timing to your evening:
- Prepare: put tomorrow’s essentials in one place, so the final task is small.
- Lower the stimulation: finish the demanding screen task and choose a softer light.
- Do something quiet: read a few pages, listen to something gentle, or sit for a few minutes.
- Leave room for a shorter version: on a busy evening, keep one easy step rather than abandoning the plan.
Set out what you need in advance. If the routine itself becomes another chore, simplify it. An ordinary, repeatable evening is a more useful experiment than an elaborate routine you can only manage once.
Keep observations without grading the night
You could note the change you tried, anything unusual, and how you felt the next morning. CDC describes a sleep diary as one way to record sleep timing and relevant daily habits for discussion with a healthcare provider. CDC: sleep diaries.
Our seven-night notebook is a simpler reflection tool. Its prompts and energy categories are original editorial choices, not a validated clinical diary. One good or bad morning does not prove that your change caused the result. Use the week to decide what seems comfortable enough to keep, adjust, or discuss.
When sleep hygiene is not enough
Persistent insomnia can need more than habit advice. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is generally the first treatment recommended for long-term insomnia. It includes structured approaches beyond this checklist. Ask a qualified professional about appropriate care; do not invent your own sleep-restriction regimen from routine tips. NHLBI: insomnia treatment.
The checklist is a place to begin noticing habits, not a promise of a seven-day cure.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
One change. A few observations.
Use a simple notebook to notice what helps, without grading your nights.
Open your seven-night notebook →Sources are linked beside the relevant claims. This guide is educational and has not been individually reviewed by a clinician. Our editorial approach.