Your physical and mental well‑being depends on quality sleep.
Yet more and more people are struggling with this important element of rest.
Although the causes can be varied (from food and drink to blue light exposure or room temperature), there are simple and effective tips that, when followed, can make your sleep routine equal to that of a royal.
Sleep, like a balanced diet or regular exercise, is a key aspect of a healthy lifestyle. It’s the time when your body effectively “recharges its batteries” and prepares for the day ahead. Over the past decade, however, sleep quality has declined significantly. In this article, you'll discover nine straightforward steps that can improve your sleep and your recovery, mood and energy levels.
1. Go to bed and wake up at the same time
The most fundamental tip is to maintain a consistent bedtime and wake‑up time. This is because your body runs on what's known as a circadian rhythm, essentially your internal clock. These rhythms function best when you follow a regular routine. Let’s say you go to bed at 10pm and wake at 6am consistently for a week. Once your body adapts to this rhythm, it will naturally begin to wind down at around 10pm, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
2. Let in some fresh air
The temperature of your bedroom plays a big role in how well you sleep. While everyone has their own preferences, most people are more comfortable sleeping in a cooler environment, around 20°C. Try opening a window for five to ten minutes before bed to let in some fresh air. It can make all the difference and help you drift off like a baby.
3. Avoid blue light in the evening
Blue light from phones, laptops and TVs is one of the most common culprits behind difficulty falling asleep and poor‑quality rest. Once again, this ties into your circadian rhythm, which becomes confused by blue light — essentially tricking your body into thinking it’s still daytime. This disruption suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for helping you feel relaxed and ready for deep sleep. So, next time, swap your evening screen time for a good book or your favourite podcast — you’ll likely drift off much more easily.
4. Move more during the day... and don’t skip the bedroom workout
Regular movement or physical activity throughout the day brings significant benefits to your sleep quality. By gently tiring out your body through exercise, you’ll find yourself naturally more ready to rest come evening. That said, try to avoid intense exercise too close to bedtime, as it can stimulate your nervous system and raise your core temperature, making it harder to wind down. A 2018 study published in Sports Medicine recommends finishing light activities such as walking at least an hour before going to bed.
On the other hand, sex is a notable exception. Evening intimacy not only contributes to better and deeper sleep but also encourages mental relaxation — helping you nod off more peacefully.
5. Limit caffeine in the late afternoon and evening
Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed stimulants and may be the reason you're struggling to fall asleep. Consuming it during the day is perfectly fine; it even has its benefits. Late afternoon and evening, however, it should be limited. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, which prevents your body from relaxing and, in turn, getting to sleep.
6. Try evening yoga and other rituals
Yoga isn’t just great for flexibility and strength—it can be a powerful tool for improving sleep. As part of an evening wind‑down routine, yoga slows your breathing, reduces your heart rate, and lowers your blood pressure, all of which send a clear signal to your body: it’s time to rest.
That said, yoga isn’t for everyone—and that’s fine! Any relaxing evening ritual can have a similar effect, such as listening to classical music, reading a book, or even brushing your teeth. These small, regular habits tell your brain it’s time to release the hormones needed to fall asleep smoothly and naturally.
7. Reduce alcohol consumption
While alcohol may help you fall asleep faster by inducing drowsiness, it significantly disrupts your REM sleep, which makes you feel refreshed and rested in the morning. The quality of your sleep therefore decreases rapidly with alcohol. The key to success is balance: you don't have to cut out alcohol completely, but limit it so that your priority is more on a healthy lifestyle.
8. Darkness: sleep's best friend
Light is one of the important factors affecting your sleep patterns. Above, we mentioned that blue light evokes daylight; hence, you cannot relax properly after being exposed to it and subsequently fall asleep. The same goes for light during sleep. Aside from the fact that darkness stimulates the time we should be sleeping, external light can also, like alcohol, disrupt our REM sleep.
9. Don't overeat in the evening
You probably saw this tip coming. Not only does eating later in the evening negatively affect falling asleep, but it also affects melatonin production. That's why you won't get any rest during the night and will feel drained and ill‑rested again in the morning. It is generally recommended not to eat for at least 2 hours before you go to bed and to focus on lighter foods such as vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates and white meat for dinner.
Bottom line
Although our sleep routines have been relatively neglected lately, they are very important for the proper functioning of our bodies. Sleep contributes greatly to your physical and mental well‑being, which the steps mentioned above can easily help you with. It is not only the process of falling asleep that is important, but also the quality of sleep throughout the night, especially the REM phase, which ensures precious rest and freshness during the following day.
