Healthy Sleep Habits

What does it mean to get “good sleep”?

Good sleep describes the practice of getting high-quality sleep consistently. 

High-quality sleep consists of: 

• Sleeping seven or more hours every night.
• Cycling through all stages of the sleep cycle several times.
• Non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep: This contains three cycles. The first cycle is lighter sleep, and the last cycle is deeper sleep.
• Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep: This stage of sleep is when dreaming occurs.
• Sleeping without having your sleep cycle interrupted. 

How can you tell if your quality of sleep was good? 

If you slept well, which means that you cycled through all stages of sleep as many times as necessary, you should: 

• Feel refreshed when waking up
• Feel clear-headed and capable of paying attention throughout the day
• Look well-rested 

• Feel energized throughout the day 

What are the health benefits of getting enough sleep? 

Getting enough sleep every night can help you: 

• Boost your immune system
• Feel less stressed and be in a better mood
• Improve your concentration and memory
• Improve your heart health and metabolism
• Lower your risk of conditions like:
• Obesity
• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Stroke 

How can you practice healthy sleep habits? 

Practicing healthy sleep habits can help you get a good night’s sleep. Tips for improving your sleep hygiene can include: 

• Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. Go to sleep and wake up around the same time every day (even on weekends). Having a regular sleep schedule can improve your internal sleep-wake clock, which can boost your quality of sleep. If you must nap during the day, limit your naps to 20 minutes in the early afternoon. Napping for too long and close to bedtime can disrupt your sleep schedule.
• Keeping your bedroom quiet, relaxing, dark, and at a cool temperature. To further improve your room’s environment, you might find it helpful to only use your bed for sleeping. If you use your bed for other activities such as studying or eating, your brain may associate your bed with being awake and alert, which can make it more difficult to fall asleep. You might also find it helpful to use ear plugs or an eye mask while you sleep, if you find it difficult to keep light and sound out of your room.
• Practicing a nightly bedtime routine. This routine can help prepare your brain for bed, making it easier to fall asleep. Consider starting your routine 30 to 60 minutes before heading to bed. Your routine may consist of dimming the lights, turning off the TV, laptops, and phones, showering or taking a bath, or engaging in relaxing activities such as reading a book, deep breathing, or meditation.
• Avoiding large meals, alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine close to bedtime. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can prevent you from falling asleep if you consume them too close to bedtime. Eating large meals within a few hours of going to sleep can extend the time it takes to fall asleep. While alcohol can make you feel sleepy, it may lower the quality of your sleep. As your body processes alcohol, it increases your chances of waking up during the night.
• Maintaining regular physical activity and exposure to nature. Getting at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day can improve your sleep quality. Exposure to light during the day can help you sleep at night, so if you are able to, you may benefit from getting your physical activity done outside in the daytime.  

When should I visit a health care provider for my sleep problems? 

Some people struggle with getting enough sleep or high-quality sleep even when they practice good sleep habits.  

Some signs that you may be getting poor-quality sleep include: 

• Having trouble getting out of bed in the morning
• Feeling tired during the day
• Falling asleep during class, while in meetings, or doing other daily activities
• Consistently forgetting information or being unable to pay attention
• Experiencing brain fog or feeling “out of it”
• Feeling moody, anxious, or depressed
• Having more conflicts than usual with friends, family, or colleagues 

If you have been practicing good sleep habits and are still experiencing these signs of poor-quality sleep, you may want to consider speaking to a health care provider.