Sleep better with small habits

1. Look after your wake-up time

Many people find that a similar wake-up time every day, weekends included, makes sleeping feel more natural. Pick a realistic time and shift your schedule gradually: 15 minutes a week, not an hour at once.

2. Turn the evening down

An hour before bed, start winding the day down:

• Dim the lights at home and use warm lamps.
• Keep your phone out of bed or charge it in another room. If scrolling is the problem, read our guide on putting the phone away at night.
• Avoid work and heavy conversations at the last minute; leave them for tomorrow.

3. Build a 20-minute ritual

Repeating the same steps tells your body the day is over. Pick two or three:

• Stretch or breathe slowly for a few minutes.
• Read a few pages of a paper book.
• Write three lines: how the day went and what comes next.
• Lay out clothes and your bag so you are not thinking about them in bed.

It does not need to be long. What matters is that it is always in the same order.

4. Watch your caffeine and dinner

Afternoon caffeine and heavy dinners affect everyone differently. Instead of following someone else's rule, run a small experiment: for a week, have your last coffee earlier or eat a lighter dinner, and see whether you notice a difference.

5. If you cannot fall asleep

Tossing and turning in frustration tends to make it worse. If you have been awake a while, get up, do something calm in dim light, like reading or stretching, and go back to bed when you feel sleepy. Avoid checking the clock over and over.

If this happens often, it is a good sign to talk to a health professional.

6. One change a week

Week 1: your wake-up time. Week 2: phone out of bed. Week 3: a 20-minute ritual. Week 4: adjust whatever did not work. Measure progress by the habits you did, not the hours you slept: obsessing over each night's number tends to get in the way.