What Is Sleep Hygiene? 7 Easy Upgrades for Better Rest

If you’re constantly tossing and turning at night or waking up tired no matter how long you slept, your sleep hygiene may need a reset. Sleep hygiene refers to the habits and environmental factors that support quality sleep. Like brushing your teeth for oral health, these daily routines can strengthen your ability to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up more refreshed.

The good news? You don’t need a total life overhaul. With just a few intentional upgrades, your nights—and days—can change dramatically. Below, we’ll walk through seven simple but powerful ways to improve your sleep hygiene and set yourself up for deeper rest.

Why Sleep Hygiene Matters

Sleep is foundational to your health. It plays a vital role in supporting your immune system, metabolism, memory, emotional regulation, and focus. But sleep quality is just as important as sleep quantity. Even if you’re getting seven or eight hours, poor sleep habits can result in shallow, interrupted rest that leaves you feeling exhausted the next day.

Signs of poor sleep hygiene include difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, or feeling groggy in the morning. Over time, this can affect your energy, productivity, and overall wellbeing. That’s why improving your sleep hygiene is a smart—and sustainable—way to enhance your health.

1. Set a Consistent Sleep Schedule

One of the most important steps in improving your sleep hygiene is establishing a regular sleep-wake routine. Your body thrives on consistency thanks to its internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm. When you wake and go to bed at the same times each day, your body learns when to release sleep-inducing hormones like melatonin and when to help you feel alert.

Start by choosing a bedtime that allows for 7 to 9 hours of rest. Stick to that time daily—even on weekends. It might feel challenging at first, but your body will begin to naturally wind down and wake up at those hours, helping you fall asleep more easily and wake up without an alarm.

2. Develop a Relaxing Wind-Down Routine

Your brain doesn’t have an on/off switch—it needs time to transition from alert mode to sleep mode. That’s why creating a calming bedtime routine can be so effective. Instead of scrolling through your phone or watching TV until the moment you try to sleep, spend at least 30 minutes winding down.

This could include reading a physical book, listening to quiet music, stretching gently, or taking a warm shower. Avoid bright lights and stimulating activities, which can trick your brain into staying alert. The more often you follow this pattern, the more your body will begin to associate those habits with falling asleep.

3. Optimize Your Sleep Environment

The space where you sleep can dramatically affect how well you sleep. If your bedroom is too bright, noisy, warm, or cluttered, it can be difficult to fully relax. Instead, think of your bedroom as a retreat that should support your ability to rest deeply.

Aim for a cool temperature—around 65 degrees is ideal for most people. Block out unwanted light with blackout curtains or a sleep mask, and keep noise to a minimum with earplugs or a white noise machine if necessary. Just as important is your bed itself. Upgrading to soft, breathable sheets can make your bed feel more inviting and help regulate your body temperature through the night. When your sleep space is clean, comfortable, and consistent, your mind and body are more likely to relax the moment you get under the covers.

4. Watch Your Evening Habits

What you consume in the hours before bed can impact your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Caffeine, for example, can linger in your system for up to eight hours. If you’re having coffee or energy drinks in the afternoon, it may be keeping you up long after your head hits the pillow. Alcohol is another common disruptor. While it may help you fall asleep initially, it can interfere with deep sleep later in the night, leading to early wake-ups or restlessness.

Instead, aim to eat dinner earlier in the evening and limit caffeine to the morning hours. If you enjoy a bedtime drink, try something soothing like warm milk or herbal tea that promotes relaxation rather than stimulation.

5. Get More Daylight Exposure

Your circadian rhythm is heavily influenced by light. Natural sunlight helps signal to your body when it’s time to be awake, while darkness cues the release of melatonin to prepare for sleep. If you spend most of your day indoors, your body may struggle to maintain a healthy rhythm.

Try to get outside in the morning, even if just for 10 to 15 minutes. Take your coffee on the porch or go for a walk around the block. Later in the day, dim your lights as evening approaches to mirror the natural setting sun. These simple light cues can help your body stay in sync and make falling asleep at night much easier.

6. Keep Naps Short and Sweet

Napping can be a useful way to recharge, but long or poorly timed naps can interfere with your nighttime sleep. If you do need a nap, aim for one that’s no longer than 20 to 30 minutes and schedule it earlier in the afternoon. Napping late in the day may reduce your natural sleep drive, making it harder to fall asleep at bedtime.

That said, if you’re consistently tired during the day, it might be a sign that your nighttime sleep isn’t restful enough. In that case, it’s better to focus on nighttime routines and environmental improvements rather than relying on daytime naps to fill in the gaps.

7. Reserve Your Bed for Sleep

Your brain forms associations with specific environments and actions. If your bed is where you also work, scroll on your phone, eat, or watch TV, it sends mixed signals about what the bed is actually for. One of the cornerstones of sleep hygiene is using your bed only for sleep. That way, when you climb into bed each night, your brain understands it’s time to rest.

If you find yourself lying awake and unable to fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and do a quiet activity in another room. Return to bed only when you feel sleepy. Over time, this trains your brain to connect the bed with falling asleep, not with wakefulness or frustration.

Final Thoughts

Good sleep hygiene is less about being perfect and more about being consistent. Small changes—like keeping a regular bedtime, limiting evening caffeine, or upgrading your sheets—can make a surprisingly big difference. Your body craves rhythm and comfort. By building better habits and creating a restful sleep environment, you’ll support deeper, more restorative sleep each night.

Try implementing one or two of these strategies this week and see how your sleep quality begins to shift. With patience and consistency, restful nights can become the new normal.