The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate

What is sleep hygiene?

This means habits that help you get good-quality sleep. Good-quality sleep means getting sleep that is long enough and is restful.

The things we do throughout the day and before bed can affect how well we sleep. We might do things that might make our sleep worse without realizing it. Good sleep hygiene is about understanding how to get better sleep.

Why is sleep important?

You need sleep to feel awake during the day and to be alert enough to do your normal activities. It's also important for keeping your body healthy. For example, sleep:

● Helps you learn and form memories – As you sleep, your brain processes and stores information and experiences from when you were awake.

● Can help lower your risk of getting sick, or help you get better faster if you are sick

● Helps babies and children grow – This is because the body releases more growth hormone during sleep than during the day.

● Helps children and adults build muscles and repair cells and tissues in the body

Not getting enough sleep can have negative effects. These can include:

● Feeling irritable, anxious, or depressed

● Relationship problems, especially for children and teens

● An increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes

How much sleep do I need?

It depends on your age, lifestyle, and general health. Your doctor or nurse can help you understand exactly how much sleep you or your child needs.

The general recommendations for sleep are:

● Newborns (0 to 3 months) – 14 to 17 hours a day

● Infants (4 to 11 months) – 12 to 15 hours a day

● Toddlers (1 to 2 years) – 11 to 14 hours a day

● Preschool-aged children (3 to 5 years) – 10 to 13 hours a day

● School-aged children (6 to 13 years) – 9 to 11 hours a day

● Teens (14 to 17 years) – 8 to 10 hours a day

● Adults (26 to 64 years) – 7 to 9 hours a day

● Older adults (65 years or older) – 7 to 8 hours a day

If you do not get enough sleep each night, you build up a "sleep debt." For example, if a school-aged child gets 8 hours of sleep instead of 10, they have a sleep debt of 2 hours. People with a sleep debt might need more than the recommended number of hours of sleep until they catch up. Catching up on sleep can be difficult. The healthiest thing to do is to sleep the recommended number of hours each night. But if this is not possible because of your job or other responsibilities, try to catch up on sleep when you can.

The length of sleep is important, but the quality of sleep is just as important. This is because your brain and body move through "sleep cycles" as you sleep. Each cycle has a different purpose. If you do not sleep deeply, or if you wake up often throughout the night, you might not get enough time in each sleep cycle.

How can I get better sleep?

Practicing good sleep hygiene means you:

● Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day.

● Avoid eating close to bedtime – Try not to eat a large meal soon before you go to bed. It is better to eat a healthy and filling (but not too heavy) meal in the early evening. Try to avoid late-night snacking.

● Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.

● Avoid or limit alcohol, especially near bedtime. Alcohol affects sleep quality. Drinking might make you feel sleepy at first, but then wake up later.

● Avoid smoking, especially in the evening.

● Keep your bedroom dark, cool, quiet, and free of reminders of work or other things that cause you stress.

● Try to solve problems before you go to bed.

● Get plenty of physical activity, but not right before bed – Exercising 4 to 6 hours before bedtime has the best impact on sleep.

● Avoid looking at phones or reading devices ("e-readers") that give off light before bed – This can make it harder to fall asleep. There is not good evidence wearing special "blue light-filtering" glasses works to improve sleep.

● Keep your bedroom quiet and dark – If needed, you can use a white noise machine or ear plugs to block out sound. Blackout curtains or an eye mask can help block out light.

● Do not check the time at night – Try to keep alarm clocks, watches, or smartphones out of your line of sight. Checking the time in the middle of the night can make you feel more awake, and can make it hard to fall back asleep.

● Avoid long naps if you have trouble sleeping at night, especially in the late afternoon. Short naps (about 20 minutes) can be helpful, especially if your work schedule changes day to day and you need to be alert at different times.

What if I am having trouble sleeping?

Everyone has a bad night of sleep sometimes. But if you regularly have trouble with sleep, see your doctor or nurse. They can check to see if you have a sleep disorder. Then, they can work with you to treat the problem.

Call for advice if you or your child:

● Regularly do not get the recommended amount of sleep

● Have a lot of trouble waking up in the morning

● Feel tired or have trouble focusing during the day

● Wake up often throughout the night and can't get back to sleep

● Have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night

● Have other problems related to or caused by sleep

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete.

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Apr 15, 2026.

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