Sleep hygiene checklist
The habits that add up to good sleep — and specific, evidence-based tips for the ones you haven't built yet. Check what you already do; the list scores itself and tailors your next steps. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
How to use this
Check the habits you already keep. As you go, the checklist tallies your score and — for anything left unchecked — offers a specific, evidence-based tip you can try. There's no "perfect" number; the goal is to find one or two changes worth making. Nothing you check leaves your browser.
Check the habits you already keep
0 of 18 habits in place
A steady schedule
Your body clock thrives on regularity — this is the single most powerful lever you have.
A wind-down routine
Sleep is a landing, not a light switch — give yourself a runway.
A sleep-friendly bedroom
Cool, dark, quiet, and reserved for sleep.
Daytime habits
Good nights are built during the day.
Food, drink & substances
What you consume — and when — shapes the night.
A settled mind
When sleep won't come, the goal is to reduce pressure, not force it.
Your personalized next steps
18 habits to consider — start with just one:
A steady schedule
A fixed wake time anchors your whole body clock. Pick one time you can keep seven days a week — even after a rough night — and let bedtime follow naturally.
A steady schedule
Aim for a consistent bedtime window. Drifting more than an hour night to night effectively gives you jet lag without leaving home.
A steady schedule
Sleeping in or napping late erodes your drive to sleep the next night. If you must nap, keep it under 20–30 minutes and before mid-afternoon.
A wind-down routine
Build a short, repeatable pre-sleep ritual — dim lights, stretch, wash up, read. Doing the same steps nightly cues your brain that sleep is coming.
A wind-down routine
Phones and TVs deliver both bright light and a steady stream of alerting content. Try charging your phone outside the bedroom and swapping the last scroll for a book.
A wind-down routine
A few minutes of paced breathing or progressive muscle relaxation lowers arousal. Meridian's guided breathing and PMR tools are built for exactly this moment.
A sleep-friendly bedroom
Even dim light can suppress melatonin. Block streetlight and standby LEDs, or wear a comfortable eye mask.
A sleep-friendly bedroom
Your core temperature needs to drop slightly to fall asleep. A cooler room helps; so does a warm shower an hour before bed, which triggers the drop afterward.
A sleep-friendly bedroom
Sudden noises fragment sleep even when they don't fully wake you. Steady white noise or a fan can mask disruptions.
A sleep-friendly bedroom
Working, worrying, or scrolling in bed teaches your brain that bed is for being awake. Keep those activities in another room so bed means sleep.
Daytime habits
Morning light sets your body clock for the day. Even 10–20 minutes outside helps — especially valuable through New Hampshire's dark winter months.
Daytime habits
Regular movement deepens sleep. Aim for activity earlier in the day; very vigorous exercise in the last hour or two before bed can be alerting for some people.
Food, drink & substances
Caffeine can linger 6+ hours. Coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and chocolate late in the day all cut into deep sleep — try a 2 p.m. cutoff.
Food, drink & substances
Alcohol may help you fall asleep but fragments the second half of the night and suppresses REM. Leave a few hours between your last drink and bed.
Food, drink & substances
Heavy or spicy meals late can cause reflux and discomfort. If you're hungry, a light snack is fine — a big dinner within an hour of bed is not.
A settled mind
Lying awake and frustrated links your bed to stress. Get up, keep the lights low, do something quiet and boring, and return only when you feel sleepy.
A settled mind
Jotting tomorrow's tasks or a few racing thoughts on paper earlier in the evening gives your mind permission to stop rehearsing them at 1 a.m.
A settled mind
Clock-watching fuels the math of 'only 4 hours left' and ramps up anxiety. Turn the clock away so nighttime wakings pass with less pressure.
When to talk to someone
Sleep hygiene helps most people, but it isn't a cure for every sleep problem. If trouble sleeping lasts three months or more, happens most nights, and affects your day, the most effective treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)— more effective long-term than sleeping pills. Persistent insomnia can also travel with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, or sleep apnea, so it's worth raising with a clinician.
These tools are for self-help and skill practice. They are not a substitute for professional care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room.