What protocols are recommended for improving sleep?

Improve sleep with a consistent schedule, a dark and cool bedroom, regular exercise, and habits that protect sleep pressure and ease nighttime anxiety.

• Keep a regular schedule; dim lights before bed; keep the bedroom cool. Aim for consistent bed and wake times, dim household lights during the last hour before bed, and keep the room cool. 1 2 3
• Exercise regularly; limit naps and late caffeine. Regularly timed exercise can support the sleep environment and routine. If you nap, keep it short and avoid late-afternoon naps; cut off caffeine around 10 hours before bed. 4 5 6
• After a bad night, avoid compensating in ways that weaken sleep pressure. Keep your usual wake and bedtime, and avoid sleeping in, napping, or increasing caffeine. 7 8
• For insomnia, limit time in bed and shift the sleep window carefully. Bedtime rescheduling is a CBT-I tool intended to improve sleep efficiency; the guest cautions that it should be done with supervision, particularly when driving or operating machinery. 9 10
• If awake at night, break the bed-awake association and calm your mind. After roughly 20–25 minutes awake, get up and do something relaxing in dim light, returning only when sleepy. Meditation can also be part of a wind-down routine; writing worries down an hour or two before bed was described as another option. 11 12 13