Minute Tip · Sleep

One bedtime habit to try tonight

Pick one, not all of them.

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The tip

You do not need a whole new evening routine. The National Institute on Aging lists habits that may help you sleep: going to bed and getting up at the same time, a relaxing bedtime routine, a comfortable room, and avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and screens in the bedroom.

Pick one. Maybe it is reading for ten minutes before the light goes out. Maybe it is leaving your phone in another room.

Try it tonight and see how it feels. These are tips to try, not a treatment, and results vary.

If you often cannot sleep, talk with your doctor.

The claim behind this tip

Moderate evidence The National Institute on Aging lists habits that may help you sleep better, including a regular schedule, a bedtime routine, a comfortable room, and avoiding late caffeine, alcohol, and screens in the bedroom.

Supportive guidance exists, with more limits or less consistency than a strong rating. Source-checked on . This rating is proposed, pending confirmation by a person. No clinician has reviewed this page.

Limits: NIA presents these as tips to try. They are not a treatment for a sleep disorder. Results vary from person to person.

Limits: NIA presents these as tips to try. They are not a treatment for a sleep disorder, and results vary. General education, not medical advice.

Try it today

Pick one bedtime habit to try tonight. Choose one habit from a short list and try it tonight: going to bed at your usual time, a relaxing wind-down such as reading or soft music, or keeping screens out of the bedroom. About 5 minutes.

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