Sleep Checklist

There are lots of things that can affect sleep, browse through our sleep checklist to see if you’re doing the right things for a great night of Zs.

1) Daytime Habits:

Wake up at the same time every day

Experts recommend maintaining regular bedtimes and wake up times to keep your biological clock on schedule.

Get regular physical activity

Physical exertion has been shown to improve mood and sleep.

Outdoor exposure to sunlight

Daylight helps to set your wake/sleep internal clock.

Avoid or limit daytime naps

If you need to nap, do it before 3 p.m. and keep it under 30 minutes.  Too long or too late can make it harder to fall asleep at bedtime.

2) Evening and Bedtime Habits:

Maintain a pre-bedtime relaxation routine

Activities such as light reading, relaxation exercises, calming music, or a warm bath can help you prepare for sleep.

Go to bed at the same time every night

Experts recommend maintaining regular bedtimes and wake up times to keep your biological clock on schedule.

Go to bed when sleepy

That sleepy feeling is your body telling you it’s time to settle down for sleep.  Ignoring it can cause stress and get you out of sync with your natural sleep cycles.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine intake

Stimulants can make it difficult to fall asleep.  Alcohol may initially make you drowsy, but can disrupt your sleep during the night.

Avoid large meals and drinks close to bedtime

Eating and drinking too much and too late can make it hard to sleep.  Avoid foods that can cause heartburn or indigestion.

Avoid use of electronics

Smart phones, tablets, and TV screens emit bright blue light which has been shown to interfere with body’s natural sleep-wake cycles.  Learn more

Some sleep hacks that can help protect you from bright blue light

Avoid looking at the clock

Playing “watch the clock” can really increase your anxiety and make it even harder to go to sleep.  Set your alarm and turn the clock so it faces away from you.

3) Sleep Environment:

Sleep on a comfortable bed

An old mattress with poor support for your body can make it harder to fall asleep.  Learn more

Keep it quiet

Nuisance noises can keep you from falling asleep and keep you out of restful deep sleep even when you’re not awake.  Experts recommend you turn off your TV or radio.  Try using ear plugs or white noise if there are surrounding sounds you can’t get rid of.

Some sleep aides that can help deal with nuisance noise

Some sleep aides to help with snoring

Keep it dark

Bright light can interfere with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle and keep you from feeling sleepy.  Even small amounts of ambient light can affect melatonin production and keep you from getting quality sleep.

Some sleep aides you can use to block out nuisance light

Keep it cool

Colder room temperatures help your body’s natural sleep process.  Studies suggest that a room temperature between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit (16 – 19 Celsius) is optimal for sleeping.

4) Health:

Adjust your meds

Some over the counter and prescription medicines can interfere with sleep.  Learn more

Check for sleep disorders

An underlying sleep disorder can sabotage your sleep.  Millions of people are living with undiagnosed sleep apnea and don’t know it.  Learn more

Check for other health issues

Health conditions such as allergies, arthritis, asthma, chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease can affect sleep.  A doctor can review your medical history to see if there’s something else contributing to your insomnia.  Learn more

Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.

-Thomas Dekker

Sleep checklist tips:

After going through this list, hopefully you’ve learned about the things you’re doing right and the things you could do better.

How did you do?

If you couldn’t check off a lot of things, don’t get discouraged.

The idea is to simply show you the different things that affect sleep and how many of them are in your control.  This means you can actually do something about them.

We encourage you to:

• Start taking sleep as seriously as breathing and eating (yes, it’s really that important)
• Do something today
• Start working on what you can
• Work on developing lifelong habits for healthy sleep

Also, keep in mind you’re not alone.  Millions of people fight insomnia every night.

Be sure to enlist the help of your bed mate and family as you make changes – people you spend a lot of time with can really help or hurt your progress:

• Be clear about what you need help with (going to bed on time, exercising, etc.)
• Let them know how important this is for your sleep and health
• Share with them how this can also help their sleep (this should be obvious, but sometimes gets taken for granted)
• Share with them how this will make things better for everyone during the day

We also encourage you to talk your doctor.  Underlying sleep disorders and other health issues can really hurt your sleep even if you have the best sleep habits in the world.

Finally, a checklist is only as helpful as what you do with what you’ve learned.

So, start making changes today and keep learning about sleep!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

-Lao Tzu

You may also be interested in:

The best thing to do before bed and pitfalls to avoid

More ideas to get to sleep fast

Foods to try for better sleep

How insomnia and other sleep disorders are diagnosed

The stages of sleep