Three Sleep Hygiene Tips That Actually Work

Your evening screen habits are often the first thing standing between you and a proper wind-down.

• Phone away an hour before bed. Blue light delays the signal your body needs to start winding down.
• Charge your phone outside the bedroom. It removes the temptation to check "just one more thing."
• Swap scrolling for something low-stimulation. A book, some music, or simply quiet works far better than one more scroll.

The goal isn't to demonise your phone, it's to give your mind a proper runway before it's expected to land.

Before your mind can settle, your body usually needs to lead the way.

• Journal or do a brain dump before bed. Getting racing thoughts down on paper stops them looping.
• Hand on your chest, a few slow breaths. A simple cue that tells your body it's safe to switch off.
• Shake out your hands and shoulders. This releases tension you're not consciously holding onto.
• Gentle stretch, then stillness. Let the body slow down before you expect the mind to follow.
• A few long, slow exhales or humming. A quiet way to settle a system that still feels "switched on."

None of these take more than a couple of minutes, but stacked together, they signal to your body that the day is genuinely over.

Your environment does a lot of the work for you, if you let it.

• Blackout curtains or an eye mask. Even small amounts of light can disrupt deep sleep.
• Cool room temperature (around 16–18°C). This helps your body reach its natural sleep dip.
• Swap harsh overhead lighting for warm lamps in the evening. Softer light supports the wind-down rather than working against it.
• Keep the bed for sleep only. Not work, not scrolling, not TV, so your brain learns to link bed with rest.
• If you can't sleep after 20 minutes, get up. Do something calm elsewhere, then return when you feel sleepy.
• End the day with a gratitude or reflection note. Three good things from the day is enough to shift your mindset before lights out.

Here's the one most people miss: anxiety about not sleeping is often what keeps you awake in the first place. The more pressure you put on yourself to fall asleep, the harder it becomes. Give yourself permission to simply rest, even if sleep doesn't come straight away, the pressure easing off is sometimes exactly what lets sleep happen.

None of this needs a gadget, a supplement, or a complete life overhaul. It's a handful of small, repeatable habits, done consistently, that add up to a genuinely better night's sleep.