Sleep hygiene: 10 rules for falling asleep and sleeping through the night

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is a term from sleep medicine. It refers to rules of behaviour and conditions that support healthy sleep. The idea behind it: your internal clock needs clear, recurring signals every day. Bright light in the morning, fixed sleep times and a calm evening tell your body when it is time to be awake and when it is time to sleep.

Good sleep hygiene is not a question of perfection but of regularity. If you consistently apply the most important rules for two to three weeks, you often notice that falling asleep becomes easier and the night calmer.

The 10 rules of sleep hygiene

1. Fixed sleep times, including at weekends

Get up at roughly the same time every day. Your wake-up time stabilises your sleep-wake rhythm more than your bedtime. At weekends you should sleep in by no more than an hour.

2. Get daylight in the morning

10 to 20 minutes of daylight shortly after getting up sets your internal clock. Even a short walk or your coffee by an open window helps.

3. Caffeine only until midday

In many people, caffeine continues to act for 6 hours or longer. Stop drinking coffee, black or green tea, cola or energy drinks after about 2 pm.

4. Avoid alcohol in the evening

Alcohol may make you tired, but it worsens sleep quality in the second half of the night. Many people then wake up early and struggle to get back to sleep.

5. A light dinner, 2 to 3 hours before sleeping

Heavy, fatty or very late meals keep your digestion active. A light dinner with enough time before going to bed is better.

6. Dim the lights in the evening

Dim the lights 60 to 90 minutes before sleeping and use warm light. Bright, bluish light from screens signals daytime to your body.

7. Put screens away 1 hour before sleeping

Not just the light but also stimulating content keeps you awake. Reading, calm music or a conversation are better companions for the last hour.

8. A cool, dark and quiet bedroom

Ideal are 16 to 19 °C, good blackout and as little noise as possible. A sleep mask and earplugs are simple aids.

9. Use your bed only for sleeping

Working, streaming and scrolling don’t belong in bed. That way your mind links the bed with sleep again.

10. Keep naps short

A nap is fine, but no more than 20 minutes and not after 3 pm. Otherwise you lack sleep pressure in the evening.

Fall asleep faster: 5 tips

• Only go to bed when you are tired: If you lie down wide awake, you often lie awake for a long time.
• 4-7-8 breathing exercise: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, breathe out for 8 seconds. Repeat several times.
• Write down your thoughts: Write to-dos and worries on a note next to your bed, so they are out of your head.
• Warm shower or foot bath: Afterwards your body temperature drops, which makes it easier to fall asleep.
• Don’t look at the clock: Constantly calculating how little sleep is left makes you more awake.

Sleep through the night better: what to do if you wake up at night and can’t sleep through?

Waking briefly during the night is normal; even people who sleep through well wake up briefly several times. It becomes a problem when you lie awake for a long time. Then this helps:

• The 20-minute rule: If you don’t fall back asleep after about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm in dimmed light. Only go back to bed when you are tired.
• No phone: Bright light and messages wake you up immediately.
• Drink less in the evening: If you need the toilet at night, it is better to drink most of your fluids by the early evening.
• Cool bedroom: Too much warmth is a common reason for restless nights.

If you have had trouble falling asleep or sleeping through for several weeks, are very tired during the day, or loud snoring with pauses in breathing is noticed, please have the cause checked by a doctor.

Evening routine for better sleep: an example

Sleep hygiene checklist: all the rules at a glance

• Get up at the same time every day
• 10 to 20 minutes of daylight in the morning
• No caffeine after 2 pm
• Little or no alcohol in the evening
• Light dinner, 2 to 3 hours before sleeping
• Dim the lights 60 to 90 minutes beforehand
• Put screens away 1 hour beforehand
• Bedroom at 16 to 19 °C, dark and quiet
• Use your bed only for sleeping
• Naps of no more than 20 minutes

With this sleep hygiene checklist, you create the foundation for falling asleep more easily and sleeping through the night better.

Complementing sleep hygiene: magnesium

Sleep hygiene is the foundation of good sleep. Some people also complement their evening routine with magnesium:

• Magnesium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system. You can read when it is best to take magnesium in the article Magnesium in the morning or evening?
• Vitamin B6 contributes to normal psychological function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

Frequently asked questions about sleep hygiene