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Bedtime planner
Choose the time you need to get up in the morning and how much sleep you are aiming for. The planner allows about 15 minutes for falling asleep.
How much sleep you are aiming for
The recommended amount for adults is 7 hours or more a night.
- 22:45Time to go to bed
- 21:45Dim the lights and put screens away: about 1 hour before bed
- 16:45Last coffee or tea: at least 6 hours before bed
Getting up at the same time every day, weekends included, is one of the most effective ways to settle into a regular sleep pattern.
Sleep and pain
Sleep and pain feed into each other: pain breaks up your sleep, and poor sleep makes you more sensitive to pain. In healthy volunteers, even a single night without sleep has been shown to increase sensitivity to pain. That is why, if you live with low back, neck or joint pain, improving your sleep is part of your treatment.
- If you sleep on your side, a pillow between your knees can ease your lower back and hips.
- If you sleep on your back, a pillow under your knees can ease your lower back.
- Choose a pillow height that keeps your head in line with your shoulders; you will find more detail in the neck pain guide.
- If pain wakes you every night or does not ease with rest, see a doctor.
Habits for good sleep
On their own, these habits will not always solve chronic insomnia, but they give you a good foundation.
Get up at the same time
Get up at the same time every day, weekends included. Getting out into daylight in the morning sets your body clock.
Keep the bed for sleep
If you cannot fall asleep within about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm in dim light; go back to bed when you feel sleepy.
Stop caffeine early
Stop having coffee and tea by early afternoon; caffeine keeps working for hours.
Move during the day
Regular movement, daylight and keeping naps short all support your night-time sleep. A morning routine can be a good place to start.
If your mind is busy before bed, breathing exercises can help.
Video
Why does sleep matter so much?
A widely watched TED talk in which sleep scientist Matt Walker explains the role sleep plays in learning, immunity and heart health.
Sleep Is Your Superpower
Some of the more striking claims in the talk are debated among scientists; its core message, that regular and sufficient sleep matters, is widely accepted.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours should adults sleep?
According to a joint recommendation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, adults aged 18–60 should regularly sleep 7 hours or more a night. Whether sleeping more than 9 hours a night is linked to health risks is uncertain.
Does coffee in the afternoon affect my sleep?
It can. In one study, 400 mg of caffeine (about 2–3 cups of coffee) taken 6 hours before bed cut measured sleep time by more than an hour. If you have trouble sleeping, try stopping coffee and tea by early afternoon.
What is the first-choice treatment for chronic insomnia?
The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the first treatment for chronic insomnia. It works on your sleep pattern, the link between your bed and sleep, and your worries about sleep. Decide together with your doctor whether or not to use sleeping pills.
Does snoring matter?
Snoring on its own is not always a sign of illness. If loud snoring comes with pauses in breathing during sleep, waking up as if choking or excessive sleepiness during the day, see a doctor to be checked for sleep apnoea.
When should you see a doctor?
Sleeping badly now and then is normal. But see a doctor if:
- You have struggled to fall asleep or stay asleep on most nights for weeks, and you feel the effects during the day
- Loud snoring comes with pauses in breathing during sleep or waking up as if choking
- You are excessively sleepy during the day, especially if you nod off while driving
- An unpleasant feeling in your legs in the evening, with an urge to move them, stops you from falling asleep
- Your sleeplessness comes with marked low mood or anxiety
Sources
- Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. J Clin Sleep Med. 2015;11(6):591-592.
- Drake C, Roehrs T, Shambroom J, Roth T. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. J Clin Sleep Med. 2013;9(11):1195-1200.
- Qaseem A, Kansagara D, Forciea MA, et al. Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2016;165(2):125-133.
- Krause AJ, Prather AA, Wager TD, Lindquist MA, Walker MP. The pain of sleep loss: a brain characterization in humans. J Neurosci. 2019;39(12):2291-2300.
- Staffe AT, Bech MW, Clemmensen SLK, et al. Total sleep deprivation increases pain sensitivity, impairs conditioned pain modulation and facilitates temporal summation of pain in healthy participants. PLoS One. 2019.