Astronauts on the International Space Station experience sleep inertia (grogginess upon waking) because they work in shifts, are rolling a chronic sleep debt, and see 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours, among many other factors.

I experience sleep inertia because my pre-schooler doesn’t believe in sleeping through the night. And that build-up of broken sleep makes me feel punch-drunk some mornings.

I tried easing the grogginess with caffeine, but it didn’t work. And after speaking with Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans, Director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center, I now know why…

“Caffeine takes time to take effect, so it’s not the best tool to use if you have to wake up and act quickly,” Dr. Flynn-Evans explains, whereas light activates retinal pathways immediately.

Well, my job doesn’t require me to perform complex tasks straight after waking. But my son is full bore from the moment he opens his eyes — sitting on the couch to watch him play while I'm still struggling to wake up fully is not an option.

Let there be (blue) light

While caffeine isn’t a fast-acting off-switch for post-sleep grogginess, the right type of blue light within 30 minutes of waking is.

Yes light therapy glasses and lamps can help to reduce sleep inertia, but devices cost money. For a $0 solution, Dr. Flynn-Evans says to step outside your front door: “Going outside when the sun is out will expose you to blue light from the sun naturally.”

Even though it looks yellow from Earth, the sun contains blue light (and many other colours). “There are specialized photoreceptors in our eyes that are very sensitive to blue-wavelength light that are different from the rods and cones that we use for vision,” explains Dr. Flynn-Evans.

“They are most sensitive to blue-enriched light, because the light that we receive from the sun has a strong blue component. When these photoreceptors detect light, they send a signal to our internal clock (circadian rhythm) to indicate that it’s daytime.

“This initiates a cascade of other effects throughout the body that promote alertness. For example, our bodies immediately stop producing melatonin when the photoreceptors detect light.”

Little wonder that blue light is being studied as a powerful off-switch for melatonin production (a master sleep hormone), and a powerful on-switch for wakefulness signals.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• The biological switch: Natural morning light triggers specialized photoreceptors in your eyes. These instantly signal your brain to stop producing melatonin.
• The $0 NASA solution: While blue light therapy devices are helpful for night-shift workers and in the darker months of the year, natural light outside contains all the blue-cyan light you need to help ease sleep inertia.
• Blue light isn’t a 24/7 enemy: Reduce your exposure at least one hour before bed, then embrace it soon after waking to reduce grogginess.
• The weekend trap: Sleeping in creates ‘social jetlag’, which throws off your circadian rhythm and makes your sleep inertia worse on Monday.

6 a.m. cement brain

At the start of this year, my son started going through a rough patch with sleep and my father-in-law was receiving end-of-life care in hospital. I was stressed day and night, and my sleep took a hit.

It didn’t matter how many hours of sleep I got, either – because it was so broken, I felt deeply groggy each morning.

“Sleep inertia is the groggy feeling when somebody wakes up from a deeper part of sleep, and the body is still transitioning from sleep to wake, so they don’t feel fully alert yet,” explains Dr. Lindsay Browning, Chartered Psychologist, Neuroscientist and the founder of Trouble Sleeping.

It was winter when my grogginess drifted in. Sun-dappled mornings were replaced by deep black 6 a.m. skies, and I had lent my trusty Lumie Vitamin L light to a friend battling Seasonal Affective Disorder.

So I became reliant on a daily vat of caffeine to ‘power up’.

Call it divine timing (or forgetting that I had requested the product for testing), but a few weeks later I was sent a pair of 470nm blue-turquoise light-emitting glasses. My morning grogginess was beginning to ease up when wearing them, but they weren't an instant 'on' switch to take me from punch-drunk to instantly alert at 7 a.m..

“The circadian rhythm is a forward feeding cycle, so if you generally wake up at the same time each morning, your internal clock will anticipate when it’s time to wake up and begin to turn off sleep signals and turn on wake signals at your typical wake time," explains Dr. Flynn-Evans.

“You’re also likely to be exposed to light at about the same time in the morning if you get up around the same time, so any light you are exposed to may simply be interpreted by the body as the expected daily light signal.”

So if I always wake up at 7 a.m., my internal body clock already anticipates light at 7 a.m., so that burst of artificial blue light isn't a ‘shock’ system boost and won’t be as potent against sleep inertia as it would be at, say, 2 a.m. when I'm normally asleep.

The right light at the right time

“Bright light exposure soon after waking is one of the best ways of helping you feel more awake more quickly,” explains Dr. Browning.

Ok, but is there a difference between the blue light that helps wake us up versus the ‘melatonin-disrupting’ blue light we’re told to avoid before bed?

“Nope! It’s the same,” says Dr. Flynn-Evans. “The difference is that light in the evening shifts the drive to sleep and wake later. Light in the morning shifts the drive to sleep and wake earlier.

“As a result, most people need to minimize light in the evening in order to fall asleep, and maximize light in the morning to wake up.”

“Additionally, physically getting up out of bed and moving can also help you wake up and feel more refreshed,” adds Dr. Browning. “Staying in bed, repeatedly pressing snooze, is unlikely to help you quickly wake up.”

This is a trap many of us fall into on weekends; a time when we feel we deserve a lie-in, or have the chance to catch up on sleep.

Truth is, this ‘social jetlag’ confuses our circadian rhythm and perpetuates our sleep issues. A consistent sleep schedule, especially your wake-time, is arguably the MVP of good sleep hygiene.

“Sleeping in later at weekends can shift your sleep-wake schedule later, making a Monday morning alarm feel more like waking up during your ‘biological night’,” Dr. Lindsay explains.

“This effect may be more pronounced in naturally later chronotypes (owls) compared to earlier chronotypes (larks)."

Less is more: How long to use blue light for

It’s important to remember that Dr. Flynn-Evans’s work at NASA is focused around how to help astronauts reduce sleep inertia fast when working in space.

Using enriched blue-light helps them go from groggy to alert when they wake up for a shift in a place where they have few circadian cues, yet many physical stressors.

Back on Earth, shift workers who sleep in the day and work through the night might also benefit from blue light exposure.

So how long should a person be exposed to this light before their brain switches from ‘sleepy and groggy’ to ‘awake and energized’?

“We don’t know exactly, because it depends on the time of day and the stage of sleep that a person has awoken from,” Dr. Flynn-Evans explains, before revealing more about her team’s lab protocol: “Our studies typically use a minimum of 20 minutes of bright light exposure.”

For most of us, getting outside soon after waking is still the gold standard approach for easing sleep inertia. Dr. Browning: “At the end of the day, natural daylight is easy, free and one of the most effective practical options for most people.” 

Why some people experience sleep inertia more than others

“If you wake up from a deeper part of sleep, particularly slow-wave sleep, you are more likely to experience sleep inertia.” Dr. Lindsay explains.

“If you wake up from a much lighter part of sleep, typically at the beginning or end of a sleep cycle, you are less likely to experience as much sleep inertia.

“Also, if you set your alarm for a different wake-up time from your usual one, either earlier or later, you might find yourself waking from a deeper part of sleep and therefore experience more sleep inertia.”

Dr. Lindsay's point rang true when I had to wake up around 3 a.m. for a family flight to Spain—not even the excitement of a holiday could override that crushing sleep inertia we all felt.

“Our sleep cycles tend to have more deep, slow-wave sleep in the first half of the night, and sleep tends to get lighter and less deep with each subsequent sleep cycle towards the morning,” Dr. Browning reveals.

“Therefore, if you wake up when your body clock thinks you should still be in the middle of your night’s sleep, you are more likely to wake up from a deeper part of sleep and experience sleep inertia.”

I used my light therapy glass to power through at the airport, giving me enough energy and concentration to lug my sleepy son in a hip carrier whilst also dragging a 20kg suitcase up a steep hill.

Other ways to reduce sleep inertia

In the lighter months where mornings are awash with daylight early doors, sleeping with your curtains partially open is a great way to harness natural light cues.

“Even through closed eyelids, you can sense the sunlight increasing, which has been suggested to help pull you from a deeper part of sleep into a lighter part of sleep.” Dr. Browning then recommends opening your curtains fully as soon as you’re up. “This helps to shift sleep inertia more quickly.”

A good sunrise alarm clock is an excellent solution here.

Her other top tip is to keep a consistent wake time, even on weekends. “This helps your body get used to that time as ‘wake-up time’, and it helps your body shift to that time being a more natural waking point between sleep cycles rather than from a deeper part of sleep.

“So, in summary," continues Dr. Browning, "getting some natural daylight shortly before waking and as soon as you wake up, and having a consistent wake-up time, may both help to reduce the likelihood of sleep inertia.”

When to see a doctor

“People who consistently wake up exhausted often have an undiagnosed sleep disorder," explains Dr. Flynn-Evans, "so the first thing I would recommend is talking with your doctor about a referral to a sleep clinic.

“For those who do not have sleep disorders, it’s important to maintain a regular bed and wake time, with regular bright morning light exposure.

“Night owls tend to struggle with waking up in the morning, which makes it more important for night owls to turn down the lights before bed and maximize morning light exposure to adapt to their work or social schedule." Dr. Flynn-Evans says. "It’s also important to have an appropriate cool, dark, and quiet sleep environment.”

Dr. Browning adds: “If you find that you experience severe sleep inertia most mornings, or it doesn't shift after waking and the sleepiness and grogginess persists long into the day, then this might be a sign that you aren't getting enough sleep, you might have circadian misalignment, or you might possibly have another sleep disorder such as sleep apnoea.”

If you only occasionally experience sleep inertia, it’s nothing to worry about: “Making sure that you get enough sleep is more important than worrying about avoiding sleep inertia, because even if you wake up with sleep inertia, it will usually wear off fairly quickly.”

Sleep tech to help banish morning grogginess

Following their release in 2024, we rated the original Ozlo Sleepbuds as one of the best sleep headphones you can buy. Today, the sleep brand has announced the launch of the Sleepbuds 2, an updated and upgraded version of the much-loved originals

I’ve been testing the Sleepbuds 2 for the past week and they still deliver on everything we loved about the originals. Most notably their lightweight, low-profile design, which makes them super comfortable in all sleep positions — including devout side sleepers like myself. According to Ozlo, the Sleepbuds 2 set the standard as the smallest earbuds designed specifically for sleep.

To find out more about what we could expect from the Sleepbuds 2 ahead of their launch, I caught up with Charles Taylor, Ozlo President and co-founder, to get the lowdown on the latest model.

“The SleepBuds 2 are really our improvement after years of listening to customers and we realized there's a handful of things that people really care about, and we wanted to make sure that we release something that really knocks those out of the park,” Taylor tells me.

“The biggest differences are around battery reliability and connectivity, making sure that when you are going to sleep, that we are doing our job of really protecting the night,” says the former Bose employee.

That means you’ll get 14 hours of battery life vs the original 10, along with 2-3 extra charges from the Smart Case. Plus, you can expect seamless Bluetooth connectivity — and no more connection dropouts during the night.

“We protect [against] the disturbances that wake you up, and we help coach you to sleep in the first place,” says Taylor. This happens through excellent noise masking technology (they’ve doubled down on their decision not to include ANC — more on that below) and via environmental sensors built into the Smart Case that highlight which external factors are disturbing you.

New notable features also include phone-free access to key controls (you don't have to pick up your phone to play a sleep sound or silence your alarm). Plus 5 different Sleep Modes so you can choose when and how you access your audio throughout the night.

I expected the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 to help me drown out noise disturbances so I could sleep better — and they do. Combined with my silk blackout sleep mask, the superb audio quality and noise-masking tech made me feel like I was climbing into my own sensory deprivation tank each night.

What I didn't expect was how the environmental sensors built into the Smart Case, which include light, sound and temperature, could help me unpack why I kept waking up in the middle of the night.

At $279, they're undoubtedly expensive. But if noise disturbances are currently stopping you from snoozing, they're a worthwhile investment in peaceful sleep.

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Cheat Sheet

What is it? Ultra small soft silicone earbuds designed specifically for sleep
Who is it for? Those susceptible to noise disturbances during sleep, as well as those who like to fall asleep to sleep sounds or meditations
What does it cost? $279
What do we like? Comfortable, low-profile design and crisp audio for soothing sleep sounds
What don’t we like? Premium price (but we think they're worth it)

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Specs

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Price & availability

• The Sleepbuds 2 launch with a sale price of $279
• Premium price sits in line with biggest rivals, including QuietOn and Soundcore A30

Launching with a sale price of $279, the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are undoubtedly on the pricey side.

In comparison, the Soundcore A30 (our current #1 in our guide to the best sleep headphones) retails at $229.99/£199. Meanwhile, the QuietOn 4 ANC-only earbuds retail at $299/£232.99.

So the Ozlos are priced comparably to their rivals. And as the fit is superbly comfortable (yes, even for side sleepers), the sound is crisp and clear and the noise masking tech actively drowns out disturbances that could wake you up, I'd say the price is justified.

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Design & comfort

• The Sleepbuds 2 are the smallest earbuds designed specifically for sleep
• Lightweight, comfortable and sit flush to the ear
• Custom-fit soft, silicone wingtips ensure they stay in place all night

Like their predecessor, the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are small, lightweight and sit flush to the ear, which means they’re comfortable for all types of sleeper. That includes those who sleep on their sides, who require a low-profile fit in order to avoid dreaded pillow pressure and earache.

According to Ozlo, the Sleepbuds 2 set the standard as the smallest earbuds designed specifically for sleep.

To ensure they stay in place all night long, they come with custom-fit soft, silicone wingtips that act as an anchor. The sizes range from 0 (the smallest) through to 3 (the biggest).

They come with size 2 wing tips pre-loaded, but it’s well worth experimenting to see which wing tip size best suits the shape of your ear (too small and they’ll fall straight out and too large and they’ll bunch up and pop out).

This clever design is hugely effective — the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are the only earbuds I’ve worn to bed that have still been there in the morning. You don’t feel as though you need to wedge them into your ear canal, either. They sat comfortably in my ear and they stayed that way all night.

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Features

• The Sleepbuds 2 rely on noise masking (not ANC) to drown out disturbances
• Biometric sensors in earbuds provide basic sleep tracking
• Environmental sensors in the Smart Case track your sleep environment

Like the original Ozlo Sleepbuds, the Sleepbuds 2 have shunned Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). This, says Taylor, is down to the fact that ANC isn't as effective against night time noise disturbances as sound masking. Sound masking uses soft, consistent audio to cover up disruptive noises.

"Active noise cancelation, which is what your ANC is, is really effective for environments we understand," explains Taylor. "So think airplanes, with a very consistent noise. We found them less effective in a sleep environment.

"So when you're sleeping, it's already generally pretty quiet. There's not this large ambient noise. You get more jagged noises; the snoring of a partner, the bark of a dog. And ANC isn't really that great for that. It can ultimately be distracting in sleep."

Instead, the Sleepbuds 2 rely on noise masking technology to drown out noise disturbances so you can sleep comfortably all night long, regardless of what racket you're up against.

This does have some downsides when it comes to versatility. While sound masking might be good for sleep, if you want to use your earbuds on a plane or in the office, you don't have ANC to rely on. (An ANC earbud like the Soundcore A30 might be better for multiple use cases.)

The updated Sleepbuds also come with five new Sleep Modes, so you can customize how you listen. Plus, a Sleep Shield feature that blocks notifications while streaming from your phone.

Before bed, you can use your earbuds to steam music, audio books, or other content. But when you start to drift off, the in-built biometric sensors will detect you're falling asleep and automatically transition into sleep masking sounds. (Or you could set a timer, or ask it to make the switch once the content stops.)

I opted for the low-distraction mode of the Sleepbuds. That means as soon as I place them in my ear, they start playing my chosen sleep masking sound from the 30+ options available (Jade Static is my fave.) No scrolling on my phone or Bluetooth connection required.

As well as masking noise and protecting your rest (two things they do incredibly effectively), the Sleepbuds 2 provide basic sleep tracking. But, as Taylor point out, they are not a sleep tracker as such.

"We are not a tracker, and so we very much on purpose do not want to be a tracker," Taylor tells me. The sleep tracking provided, through accelerometers in the buds themselves, is able to detect sleep stages and timing.

This basic sleep tracking, combined with the light, sound and sleep temperature trackers built into the smart case, helps provide a picture of overall sleep quality. Including the disturbances that might be behind your late night wake ups.

Understanding your sleep patterns and environment will arm you with the knowledge of what you need to do to unlock better sleep, says Taylor.

"How cold or warm was the room? How loud was the external noise? How bright was it? So we try and give you all these data points, and then track how we think you're sleeping to ultimately let you make the decision on how to get better sleep," he explains.

For me, I liked being able to monitor the sound disturbances I encounter during an average night (note the 94-decibel sound my Smart Case detected at 03.17 a.m. the other morning).

As someone who frequently finds herself awake at 3 a.m., I found it useful to discover that noise disturbances could at least partly be to blame.

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Audio quality

• Redesigned audio system leads to richer sound quality
• New Audio Tuning feature allows you to tweak audio to suit chosen sound

The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 have been designed and engineered specifically for wearing to sleep, so they were never going to be heavy on the bass. However, the good-enough sound quality of the originals has been redesigned for improved sound clarity.

That means better sound masking capabilities and higher volume. A new feature for the Sleepbuds 2 is Audio Tuning, which adjusts the audio to suit the sound you're consuming.

"In part of adding a whole bunch of new things into the buds, one of those things is now the ability to do more audio tuning," explains Taylor. "So very simply, it's just changing the audio and changing the settings of the audio for an environment."

Playing around with the different profiles, which include Balance, Focus, Spoken Word and Airplane Mode, means you can choose a sound that suits your particular environment or audio.

The Focus Audio mode suits my needs best. It delivers crisp audio when listening to sleep mediations, masking noise disturbances or playing soundscapes.

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: App & controls

• Improved Bluetooth connectivity prevents connection dropping out during sleep
• Smart Case acts as connection bridge between phone and Sleepbuds
• App access is required for Sleep Mode and sleep feature alterations

A phone and an active Bluetooth connection are necessary to initially set up the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 and to stream audio.

However, you can configure your buds to automatically play your chosen built-in sleep sound as soon as you take them out of the case (which, as a recovering doomscroller who's trying to kick the habit, I choose to do).

To access the Ozlo app you need to flick open the Smart Case and connect to your phone. It sounds like a fuss, but connection is seamless and happens within seconds.

Bluetooth connection in the Sleepbuds 2 is an improvement on the originals, says Taylor. This translates to better reliability and a longer range. I haven't experienced any issues with my phone finding the Sleepbuds, or connection dropping out (which some customers reported on original version).

Once in the app you're able to control how you use your Sleepbuds. Here, you can select your soundscape, sleep masking sound, set your in ear alarm, adjust the volume or change your Sleep Mode.

For a piece of tech that claims not to be one of the best sleep trackers, I found the sleep insights useful (and largely married up with the findings from my Fitbit Inspire 3).

The earbuds track sleep consistency, efficiency (the time it takes you to fall asleep) and duration. They also collect data surrounding your sleep cycles and wakeful periods. This is useful to track alongside the environmental sensors, so you can see if your sleep issues are down to external factors.

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Battery life

• Battery life has been extended to 14 hours from 10
• The case includes an addition 2-3 charges
• I placed on charge after wearing to bed for five nights as a precaution

One of the biggest upgrades from the originals to the Sleepbuds 2 is the extended battery life. Thanks to their long-life, lithium-ion battery, the Sleepbuds 2 pack 14 hours of battery, compared to the original’s 10.

That roughly translates to two full night’s sleep of constant audio play, with the battery stretching longer when using shorter bursts of sleep sound. The case also packs an additional 2-3 charges. Approximately 28-42 hours more use.

Placing the buds back in their case after waking up tops them back up to full charge, while placing the case on charge every three days or so will mean your buds will always be operational. I listen to sleep audio at the beginning of the night, which means I can leave longer stretches between charges (I put on charge after five days as a precaution).

The case charges via a provided USB-C cable.

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Should you buy?

A tiny pair of earbuds that drowns out noise disturbances, the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 get my recommendation. Whether it’s my husband’s snoring, the busy street below or my cat yowling in my face at 5 a.m., I’ve found the Sleepbuds effective at creating a peaceful noise barrier so I can stay dreaming through disruptions and comfortable in all sleep positions.

It’s important to note, however, that this is done through noise masking technology, not through Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). There’s over 30 sleep sounds available, featuring soundscapes that help you fall asleep to soothing masking sound to drown out disturbances.

But if you’re someone who likes to drift off in complete silence, the Sleepbuds 2 won’t be right for you. Instead, I recommend a comfortable pair of ANC earbuds for sleeping, like the Soundcore A30.

However, in order to accommodate ANC, the A30s come with an ever so slightly bigger build. That means they could be uncomfortable for some sleepers (our lead reviewer noted slight discomfort when sleeping on his side).

For complete silence only (and no other sound), go for the QuietOn 4 earbuds — zero connectivity, just total, reliable silence and superbly comfortable in all sleep positions.

After trying the Sleepbuds 2, I can say that I personally prefer the reliable sound of noise masking. The immersive feeling of the soundscapes and the masking sounds are predictably soothing, regardless of what racket is actually happening in my bedroom.

Picture the scene: your to-do list is spiralling and you can't switch off. But you're so severely sleep deprived that you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow... only to then wake up at 3 a.m. on the dot.

This used to be my nightly reality, a nightmarish space where stress, anxiety and middle insomnia punctuated my sleep. As arguably the world's two best and well-known sleep doctors, Dr. Michael Breus and renowned Ted Talk superstar Dr. Matthew Walker, have now explained to me, stress-related cortisol is the main culprit.

Below, I'll explore what cortisol is (spoiler: it's not the enemy of sleep you might think it is), plus I'll share doctor-prescribed tips for lowering stress levels for better sleep.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• We produce cortisol as a stress response to enhance our physical and cognitive abilities. However, cortisol also plays a crucial role in regulating our sleep-wake cycles.
• Cortisol levels rise naturally around 3 a.m. but stress can cause cortisol levels to rise too high or too fast, causing us to wake up in the middle of the night.
• Tips for relieving stress levels, and therefore boosting your chances of sleeping through the night, include spending time in nature and writing a to-do list for the following day.

• Read more: I kept waking up exhausted until a NASA scientist shared her $0 lab-tested tip for beating morning grogginess — here’s how it works

What is cortisol and what role does it play in sleep?

Cortisol is a hormone commonly associated with stress. Our bodies produce cortisol as a response to stress in order to sharpen our physical and cognitive abilities. However, a response to stress isn’t its only function.

"One of the biggest myths I hear is that cortisol is the enemy of sleep," says Dr. Michael Breus, a double boarded Clinical Psychologist and a Clinical Sleep Specialist.

"It isn't. Cortisol is actually one of the hormones that helps you sleep and wake up at the right times — it should be low while you're sleeping and naturally climb before your alarm goes off."

"Cortisol is best understood not only as a 'stress hormone' but also as a timing hormone," adds Dr. Matthew Walker, sleep scientist and author of the best-selling book Why We Sleep.

"It follows a strong circadian rhythm: levels fall to their lowest point around the time we fall asleep, begin climbing in the second half of the night, and then surge sharply in the 30 to 45 minutes after we wake — what's called the 'cortisol awakening response'," explains Dr. Walker, a Professor of Neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas Dallas.

So the natural rise in cortisol in the early hours of the morning helps us feel alert upon waking. "That rise is not a malfunction," explains Dr. Walker. "It's part of how the body mobilises energy and prepares the brain for the day ahead."

Is cortisol waking me up at 3 a.m.?

If, like me, you're no stranger to 3 a.m. wake-ups, it's not a coincidence. As Dr. Walker explains above, cortisol levels begin to naturally rise around 3 a.m. as part of your Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR).

However, the steady rise in cortisol correlates with the drop off of sleep pressure – our hunger for sleep. As Dr. Walker explains, sleep pressure (or homeostatic sleep drive) has a "chemical signature: adenosine."

Adenosine, a byproduct of physical and mental activity, begins building the moment you wake and begins to drop when you fall asleep.

This means that when cortisol levels begin to rise around 3 a.m., we're more like to wake then than we would at, say, 11 p.m.

A higher than normal baseline level of cortisol, due to chronic stress or anxiety, could mean that when levels rise naturally at 3 a.m., it's enough to wake you up completely.

By then, "the mountain" of adenosine you had accumulated during the day has largely been discharged by sleep.

"You are, in a real sense, running low on the very substance that makes sleep happen," explains Dr. Walker.

"Rising cortisol then tilts an already precarious situation further toward wakefulness. That's why the small hours feel so uniquely, maddeningly alert, and why 'just go back to sleep' is such useless advice at 3 a.m."

Tired but wired

"If you're waking feeling alert, anxious, or with a racing mind, stress-related cortisol may be contributing," says Dr. Shelby Harris, a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Specialist at BetterSleep.

However, all of the experts I spoke to agree that cortisol isn't necessarily the only enemy here. As a woman in her 40s, Dr. Harris points out that hormonal fluctuation could also be to blame for my 3 a.m. wake-ups.

"For women in their 40s and beyond, early-morning awakenings are extremely common during perimenopause and menopause, when fluctuating estrogen and progesterone can make sleep lighter and increase nighttime awakenings," says the author of The Woman's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia.

Meanwhile, Dr. Breus, a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine, reiterates that rising cortisol levels in the early hours of the morning helps your brain and body prepare for wakefulness.

"The problem occurs when that rise happens too early, too quickly, or in combination with a hyper-alert nervous system, causing your brain to transition from sleep to wakefulness before you're ready," says Dr. Breus, who is also a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

"That's why recurring 3 a.m. awakenings can be linked to chronic stress, insomnia, sleep apnea, menopause, depression, alcohol, or circadian disruption," continues the sleep specialist. "The key isn't trying to 'lower cortisol' — it's identifying what's causing your stress system and biological clock to become misaligned in the first place."

5 ways to lower stress to combat 3 a.m. wake ups

Cortisol plays a crucial role in regulating our sleep-wake cycle, helping us to sleep deeper earlier in the evening and wake up feeling alert.

While cortisol isn't the enemy to our sleep, stress is — so here's some expert advice on how to lower your stress-related cortisol levels for better overnight sleep.

1. Spend time in nature — but don't feel obliged to walk

We've all been told that exercise, especially in the morning and outdoors, can help promote better sleep. And while that is true, Dr. Walker cites a study that indicates that simply spending time in nature can lower cortisol levels.

However 'spending time in nature' is not exercise by another name, urges Dr. Walker. The sleep scientist flags an additional study that indicates that spending a minimum of twenty minutes either sitting or standing in nature can improve cognitive performance.

"Get into a forest, and don't feel obliged to walk," urges Dr. Walker.

When I tried sleeping like the Amish, getting into nature (and away from screens) was a big part of it. As a result, I was less stressed and slept better.

2. Write a boringly specific to-do list for tomorrow

A spiralling to-do list and stress go hand in hand, but writing it down at bedtime could actually help you fall asleep faster.

"Write tomorrow's to-do list at bedtime — and make it boringly specific," says Dr. Walker, who acknowledges that this flies in the face of usual advice.

"In a polysomnography study, participants who spent five minutes writing a to-do list for the coming days fell asleep significantly faster than those who journaled about tasks they had already completed — and the more specific the list, the faster they fell asleep".

3. Take a warm bath

"Take a warm bath — but one to two hours before bed, not right before it," urges Dr. Walker. "Nearly everyone gets the timing wrong, and the timing is the active ingredient"

A 2019 study found that water at 40–42.5°C, for as little as 10 minutes, scheduled one to two hours before bedtime, significantly shortened the time taken to fall asleep and improved sleep efficiency, which is the time it takes you to fall asleep, says Dr. Walker.

Bathing two to three hours before bed gives allows your core body temperature to drop, which is necessary in order to fall asleep.

"Do it five minutes before bed and you get the warming without the cooling, which is the opposite of what you want," says Dr. Walker.

4. Stop working late at night

A small month-long study of IT employees found that checking emails outside of work hours was associated with worse sleep quality, regardless of how long ago they had finished work.

Findings from same study also indicated that those who worked late were more likely to experience a higher cortisol awakening response (CAR), indicating higher stress.

The takeaway? Finish work and don't come back to it. "An evening routine cannot out-run a nervous system that never actually clocked off," says Dr. Walker.

"Three glances at your inbox after dinner may undo more than a lavender bath repairs."

5. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule

In order to optimize your sleep-wake cycle it's important to stick to a regular sleep schedule, such as the 7:1 sleep rule. That's where you go to sleep within the same one hour window every night and accumulate at least seven hours of sleep.

"If you're trying to lower nighttime cortisol, don't waste your money chasing the latest supplement," concludes Dr. Breus, Chief Sleep Officer at Orion.

"The biggest wins come from rebuilding your body's natural rhythm: keep a consistent sleep schedule, exercise regularly, manage stress, and create a bedroom that's cool."

Air conditioning is a sleep saviour when heatwaves have transformed your bedroom into an oven, but it could be the reason why you keep waking up at 3 a.m. This year, research has found that air conditioners can reduce indoor air quality, and now a doctor is warning that the reliance on AC can negatively impact sleep.

"Sleep is critical for recovery and repair, so anything that impairs respiratory comfort can interfere with the body's ability to fully recover overnight," says Dr Dale Christensen, Chief Science Officer for Climatic Health and Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

But how exactly does air conditioning impair respiratory comfort? I asked Dr. Christensen to explain how AC can impact air quality and disturb your sleep. Plus, how to fix this issue in three simple steps.

• Read more: Stress was waking me up at 3 a.m. — until two of the world's best sleep doctors shared 5 fast fixes to lower my cortisol at night

Key takeaways: At a glance

• The best smart air conditioners with well-maintained filters have no negative effect on indoor air quality, but AC with neglected filters release harmful air pollutants.
• Airborne pollutants from unkept AC filters can block airwaves, leading to sleep issues such as frequent nighttime awakenings.
• The CDC says AC filters should be replaced every three months to lower harmful germs and viruses in the air and to reduce your chances of respiratory illness.
• The three simple fixes: Check and replace your AC filter every three months, increase ventilation in your bedroom, and avoid using room fragrances and products with high VOCs.

How air conditioners impact sleep

According to the United States Census Bureau, 90% of American households use air conditioning to keep them cool in the summer.

Dr. Christensen points out that air conditioning systems aren't inherently bad for indoor air quality, as long as their filters are properly maintained.

"Air conditioning systems that collect and pass warm air through regularly maintained conditioner filters have minimal effects on air quality since the filters have to allow high airflow in order for the system to cool the air," he explains.

However, as the 2026 DuraPlas Summer Cooling Report, 50% of homeowners admit they have skipped air conditioner maintenance to save money. This neglect not only affects the AC system's cooling performance, it also may lead to indoor air pollution.

"Poorly maintained HVAC systems build up dust, moisture and even mold in filters, ducts and cooling systems," warns Dr Christensen.

"This can actually add particulate matter and mold spores to the air and present an even greater risk for lung health than external air may present."

In fact, research has shown that clogged air conditioning filters can cause unfiltered dust and allergens to be recirculated right back into living spaces. According to Dr Christensen, these airborne pollutants can irritate the airways.

This irritation causes "congestion, coughing, and difficulty breathing", leading to those pesky 3 a.m. wakeups.

"Emerging research suggests that poor air quality may contribute to shorter sleep duration, more nighttime awakenings, and lower overall sleep quality," says Dr Christensen. "Even mild airway irritation can disrupt normal sleep patterns."

What other indoor air pollutants affect sleep?

However, it's not just a neglected AC system that can ruin your sleep; there are many household objects that significantly pollute indoor air and affect sleep quality.

"We usually talk about pollution in terms of traffic, factories, or wildfires, but the actual exposure people get is often a mix of small, repeated sources that add up over time, " says Ashlesa Mohapatra, a sustainability researcher and Senior Quality Engineer at ServerLIFT LLC

"At home or indoors, the biggest contributors are often the everyday things people don’t think twice about: gas stoves, candles, incense, air fresheners, and off gassing from certain materials," she adds.

Dr. Christensen agrees and says that indoor air can actually contain higher concentrations of pollutants than outdoor environments, particularly in "tightly-sealed buildings".

"Lesser known contributors include cleaning products that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and wood-burning fireplaces and fire pits," he says.

The health expert warns that these pollutants can interfere with our body's circadian rhythm, which regulates our sleep schedule.

"Exposure to pollutants has been associated with increased systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, which can affect the body's natural sleep-wake regulation," the doctor warns.

3 simple ways to reduce indoor air pollution for better sleep

1. Check your AC filters regularly

As mentioned above, an air conditioning system only functions properly when air filters are properly maintained.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AC filters should be replaced every three months to lower harmful germs or viruses in the air and reduce your chances of respiratory illness.

However, there are filters you can use to keep your home's air cleaner besides well-kept HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) filters.

"Portable air purifiers with HEPA filters, along with regularly maintained HVAC filters, can also help capture airborne particles such as dust, pollen, and other pollutants, but make sure you have your windows closed when running them," advises Dr. Christensen.

2. Ventilate your home

There are plenty of sleep hacks that involve increasing your bedroom's ventilation, from bedroom burping to German sleep tradition lüften. As it turns out, these refreshing sleep hacks can also improve your house's air quality.

"For those who are looking to reduce their exposure to indoor pollutants a good place to start is by improving ventilation," advises Dr. Christensen.

"That means running kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans and opening windows when outdoor air quality is favorable can help remove pollutants before they build up indoors."

3. Reduce VOCs

If you're worried about indoor air pollution, Dr. Christensen says the good news is that indoor air quality is generally more manageable than outdoor air quality.

The health expert says that the best ways you can manage indoor air quality is by choosing products (such as paints, cleaning products, and furnishings, with low VOCs)

"Limiting the use of heavily fragranced products and aerosol sprays can also help lower indoor chemical exposures," he suggests.

In recent years, magnesium has become a bedtime must-have, promising to help you stop waking up at 3 a.m. by preparing your body for deep, peaceful sleep. I've been taking magnesium in the evenings for a while, but lately I've been wondering if I should take melatonin instead.

Both are popular sleep supplements, but is magnesium or melatonin better for reducing 3 a.m. wake-ups? "Neither magnesium nor melatonin is a guaranteed solution, but both can be helpful in certain situations," says Dr Shelby Harris, a board-certified clinical psychologist and behavioural sleep medicine specialist.

Here I ask Dr Harris and Vanessa Rissetto, a Registered Dietician on the Vitamin Shoppe’s Wellness Council, if either melatonin or magnesium can help you sleep through the night and stop you from waking up at 3 a.m., and what the pros and cons of each are. Here's what they said...

Key takeaways: Magnesium vs melatonin at a glance

• While neither magnesium nor melatonin are guaranteed to prevent middle-of-the-night wake-ups, both are effective at helping you to sleep better.
• Magnesium can be used to reduce nighttime awakenings if your broken sleep is caused by stress, tension, or a magnesium deficiency.
• Melatonin is more effective to fall asleep faster, rather than helping you to stay asleep.
• Always speak to your doctor before taking melatonin, as it isn't suitable for everybody.
• When taking melatonin, use the lowest effective dose possible, and discuss dosage times with your sleep specialist first.

What is magnesium for sleep?

According to Rissetto, magnesium is an essential mineral involved in hundred of reactions throughout the body. One such function is promoting calmness as it supports normal muscle relaxation and healthy stress response.

"I often tell people to think of magnesium as creating the right conditions for good sleep rather than forcing you to fall asleep," shares Rissetto.

However, the registered dietician also warns that magnesium "isn’t a magic sleep supplement".

"If someone is deficient, correcting that deficiency can absolutely improve sleep quality, reduce muscle cramping, and ease restless feelings at night," she explains. "But if your magnesium status is already adequate, the effects are usually more subtle."

Dr Harris agrees, explaining that, while magnesium isn't a sleep medication, evidence shows it may help people who are deficient or experiencing stress-related insomnia "by promoting relaxation and supporting healthy sleep quality".

"Certain forms, such as magnesium glycinate, tend to be better tolerated and are commonly used for sleep," the board-certified doctor adds.

What is melatonin for sleep?

Rissetto says that one of the biggest misconceptions about melatonin is that it's nothing more than a "nightly vitamin" or a supplement.

"It's actually a hormone your brain naturally produces in response to darkness, " she clarifies.

The dietician explains that the hormone is an integral part of our body's natural sleep schedule, which is know as our circadian rhythm, sending the body and "internal signal that it's time to wind down".

"As evening approaches, melatonin levels rise, helping prepare your body for sleep, and then they decrease again in the morning," she explains.

However, both Rissetto and Dr. Harris point out that melatonin should not be seen as a sleeping pill.

"As a supplement, it works by signalling that it's time to sleep rather than acting as a sedative," Dr. Harris tells me.

Dr. Harris says that it's most effective when being used for people who are experiencing issues with their circadian rhythm, such as travellers with jet lag and shift workers.

"Though the data behind its use specifically for insomnia isn’t very strong," she warns.

Magnesium vs melatonin: Which is better for deep sleep?

Before we compare the effects that magnesium and melatonin have on disrupted sleep, both Rissetto and Dr. Harris stress the importance of identifying the underlying cause of these nighttime awakenings.

"I’d be asking bigger questions," says Rissetto. "Is the person drinking alcohol? Is menopause playing a role? Do they have sleep apnea? Is blood sugar fluctuating? Are they under chronic stress?"

"Neither magnesium nor melatonin is particularly good at preventing middle-of-the-night awakenings if there’s an underlying cause," she adds.

Magnesium: Pros and cons

For Rissetto and Dr. Harris, magnesium seems to be the clear winner when treating nighttime awakenings caused by stress, nighttime anxiety, muscle tension or magnesium deficiency.

"Magnesium may promote relaxation and improve overall sleep quality, particularly in people who are deficient," says Dr. Harris.

"Magnesium may help some people feel more relaxed, especially if low magnesium levels, muscle tension, or stress are contributing to fragmented sleep," Rissetti tells me.

"Still, the evidence for reducing nighttime awakenings is mixed," the dietician adds, referring to research that indicates further investigations are needs to clarify the relationship between magnesium and sleep.

However, magnesium is still the experts' pick when choosing between the two supplements. "For someone who’s stressed, tense, or not meeting their magnesium needs through diet, magnesium may offer more benefit," Rissetto concludes.

Melatonin: Pros and cons

While melatonin has proved to be a popular aid for helping people fall asleep fast, both Rissetto and Dr. Harris agree that it's not the best option if you want to sleep through the night without waking up at 3 a.m.

"Melatonin primarily helps people fall asleep by supporting the body's natural sleep-wake cycle," says Dr. Harris.

"For someone with jet lag or a disrupted sleep schedule, melatonin may be the better fit as it's generally more helpful for helping you fall asleep than it is for helping you stay asleep," says Rissetto.

"I generally think of melatonin as a tool, not a long-term solution. If someone is using it every night for months because they can’t sleep, that’s a sign we should be asking why they’re not sleeping in the first place," she adds.

Is taking melatonin bad for you?

A November 2025 study found that people using melatonin supplements long-term had around a 90% higher chance of heart failure over five years — causing searches for "is melatonin bad for you?" to balloon the same month.

So, is it best to avoid melatonin supplements altogether, even if they do help you to fall asleep?

"In the U.S., it’s sold as a supplement, so dosing isn’t regulated as tightly as prescription medications, and studies have found that some products contain much more — or much less — melatonin than what’s listed on the label," warns Rissetto.

If you want to try a melatonin supplements for sleep, Risetto says to choose a high quality, reputable brand and remember that more isn't always better.

"Many products contain 5, 10, or even 20 milligrams, when research suggests much smaller doses, often around 0.3 to 1 milligram, may be sufficient for many people," she advises.

Dr. Harris agrees with smaller dosing, saying that melatonin is safest when used at the "lowest effective dose".

"Try 1-3mg max an hour before bed," says Dr Harris. "If you need more than 5mg of melatonin to sleep at night, it likely isn’t the appropriate treatment for you as 5-10 mg is quite a moderate to large dose."

"Working with a sleep specialist can be useful here to figure out specific timing," says thethe board-certified doctor.

As a sleep editor I get the opportunity to test a huge range of sleep tech and products, all geared towards helping us in our collective quest for a decent night’s sleep. I have everything I need for a good night’s rest, and yet I still struggle with middle insomnia.

Middle insomnia is characterised by falling asleep with ease, only to then wake in the middle of the night. For me, I go through periods of waking up at 3 a.m., unable to fall back to sleep. While unpicking the root cause of my nighttime awakenings is an ongoing process, I’ve learnt that there are habits that make the issue worse.

Below, three leading sleep doctors weigh in on the nighttime routine mistakes I’m making, like falling asleep in front of the TV. Plus, they share the three simple switches I can make in order to better manage my middle insomnia.

• Read more: Stress was waking me up at 3 a.m. — until two of the world's best sleep doctors shared 5 fast fixes to lower my cortisol at night

Why do I keep waking up at 3 a.m.?

• Sleeping in on the weekends: Breaks your natural circadian rhythm and causes 'social jet lag.'
• Falling asleep in front of the TV: Falling asleep in front of the TV diminishes your sleep pressure, making it harder to both fall and stay asleep.
• Getting inadequate exercise: Incorporating less movement into my day when I'm tired perpetuates the cycle of poor sleep.

3 simple doctor-approved daily routine switches to help you sleep through the night

I strongly suspect that the underlying cause of my 3 a.m. wake ups is due to elevated baseline levels of cortisol, the 'stress' hormone.

While there's no quick fix to dealing with stress and anxiety, there are several nighttime routine mistakes that I wasn't aware were contributing to my middle insomnia.

Below, sleep doctors weigh in on why certain common daily habits wreak havoc on my rest, plus the simple switches I can try instead for better sleep.

1. The 3 a.m. culprit: Sleeping in on the weekend

As a parent, sleeping in on the weekend isn’t something that I get to do all too often. But if the opportunity arises to sleep in past my usual wake time, I tend to grab it with both hands — especially following a broken night’s sleep.

But, according to experts, this is one of the biggest sleep routine mistakes I could be making.

“Even after a poor night's sleep, maintaining a consistent wake time can help restore healthy sleep patterns more effectively than sleeping in,” says Dr. Joshua Roland, medical director at Dreem Health.

Dr. Matthew Walker, a leading sleep scientist, agrees. "Irregular wake times, particularly across weekends, can create social jet lag: a mismatch between biological time and clock time, even without travel."

The swap: Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule

Following a consistent sleep schedule, like the 7:1 sleep rule where you go to bed within the same one hour window and achieve a minimum of seven hours of sleep, ensures you have enough time to build adequate sleep pressure throughout the day.

Sleep pressure is your biological urge to sleep. It’s also referred to as your homeostatic sleep drive. It starts building from the moment you wake up, reaches its peak as you nod off, before levels begin to drop again.

When you sleep in later than usual, you aren’t giving your body enough time to build enough sleep pressure to both fall and stay asleep all night.
The best way to fall into a consistent sleep schedule is by anchoring your wake up time — even on the weekend.

“A fixed wake time determines the length of the waking day, stabilizes the accumulation of sleep pressure, and provides a repeatable circadian cue when paired with morning light,” explains Dr. Walker, neuroscientist and professor of neuroscience and bioengineering at the University of Texas at Dallas.

“A consistent wake time is arguably one of the most important anchors of the body's circadian rhythm because it helps set the timing of hormone release, body temperature cycles, alertness, and subsequent sleep pressure,“ agrees Dr. Roland, a Board-Certified Sleep Medicine Physician.

2. The 3 a.m. culprit: Falling asleep in front of the TV

Falling asleep in front of the TV is my guilty pleasure, particularly on the weekend. I'm not alone, an estimated 61% of us fall asleep in front of the TV every night. However, doctors warn that it could be contributing to my middle insomnia.

“A [mistake] is the brief evening doze, often during television or reading," Dr. Walker has previously explained. "Even twenty minutes of sleep in the evening can partially discharge sleep pressure and make it harder to initiate sleep later."

Falling asleep in front of the TV or napping during the day is a common mistake that Dr. Roland also encounters.

“Many people compensate for sleepiness by resting on the couch or napping throughout the day, which can relieve sleep pressure and make nighttime sleep more fragmented,” explains the sleep doctor.

What's more, when we push past our natural sleep window, it can trigger the production of wakeful chemicals, such as orepinephrine, dopamine, orexin and, my biggest foe, cortisol.

"When we push past our natural bedtime, we create a tug-of-war inside the body. Sleep pressure has been building all day; natural melatonin is rising, and every signal is telling you it's time to rest," Dr. Roland has previously explained.

That can result in a tired and wired feeling, which is when you're physically exhausted but feel too mentally stimulated to fall asleep.

The swap: Pay attention to sleep cues and go to bed when I’m tired

Instead of napping through a film or falling asleep when reading, Dr. Walker stresses the importance of staying in tune to our natural sleep window.

“Adequate sleep pressure is usually signalled by increasing eyelid heaviness, yawning, reduced alertness, impaired sustained attention, and the repeated loss of focus while reading or watching something,” explains Dr. Walker, who notes that artificial lighting, screen time and stimulation late into the night can impair your natural sleep cues.

“These [sleep] signals are often missed because evening light exposure, screens, and mental stimulation can override or obscure the biological drive for sleep," explains the author. "Think of the system like an instrument panel: the body is displaying reduced alertness, but environmental stimulation can distort the reading."

3. The 3 a.m. culprit: Getting less exercise on the days I feel tired

Forget the under eye bags — a quick glance at my fitness tracker stats will tell you if I’ve had a good night’s sleep or not.

On the days when I’m existing in a fog of sleep deprivation, my step count is pitifully low. But when I’ve had a good night’s sleep I tend to move more.

Why does this matter? “Moving less during the day can make it harder to get a good night's sleep,” explains Dr. Shelby Harris, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in behavioral sleep medicine.

“But it’s really a cycle because when people don't get enough sleep, they're also often more fatigued the next day, which can lead to spending more time sitting and being less physically active.”

The swap: Incorporating movement into my day to build adequate sleep pressure

Instead of leading into exhaustion and barely getting out of my chair, Dr. Harris recommends incorporating movement into my day — even after a terrible night's sleep.

“Regular physical activity helps build the body's natural drive for sleep, supports a healthy sleep-wake cycle, and can reduce stress and improve mood,” says Dr. Harris, author of The Women's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia.

However, that doesn’t mean you need to push yourself too hard. “If you're exhausted after a bad night's sleep, don't put pressure on yourself to do an intense workout," says Dr. Harris. "Even getting up to stretch every hour, taking a short walk during lunch, or walking while you're on a phone call can make a difference.”

How to fall back to sleep when you're awake at 3 a.m.

• Don't check the clock: If you're anything like me, rolling over and checking the time can stress you out further. It can also lead to the temptation of scrolling on your phone, making it even harder to go back to sleep.
• Practice the 15 minute sleep rule: When I do wake up at 3 a.m., the advice from experts is clear — get up and leave the room and do something relaxing. This prevents creating a negative association with your bed and bedroom.
• Try the cognitive shuffling method: This is a visualisation technique or random objects and helps empty my mind of racing thoughts. To practice it, think of a word and spell out as many objects as you can beginning with each letter.

Just when I think I’ve got my sleep problems under control and I'm finally getting the rest I need, my 3 a.m. wake ups make an unwelcome return. During these periods of middle insomnia (the most common cause of insomnia) I wake with a jolt and my heart pounding in my chest.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Doctors pinpoint three potential causes of my 3 a.m. wake ups, which include a lack of adequate sleep pressure, elevated cortisol levels and blood sugar fluctuations
• Daily habits such as napping and sleeping in on the weekend are unexpected causes of middle insomnia
• Tips for sleeping through my 3 a.m. wake ups include eating my evening meals earlier and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule
• Doctors also recommend spending more time in nature to manage anxiety and lower cortisol levels

Staring at the clock and willing myself to fall back to sleep just isn’t cutting it, so I spoke to leading sleep doctors to help pinpoint the cause behind my 3 a.m. wake ups — and how, crucially, I can better manage them for improved rest.

Together, they’ve helped identify the three main culprits behind my middle of the night awakenings, along with simple routine strategies I can use to try and sleep through once and for all.

• Read more: Stress was waking me up at 3 a.m. — until two of the world's best sleep doctors shared 5 fast fixes to lower my cortisol at night

Doctors pinpoint the top 3 causes of my 3 a.m. wake ups

Whether it's a health condition such as sleep apnea, a late-afternoon caffeine habit that you can't quite kick or environmental factors (like noisy neighbors or a sweltering heatwave), many of us go through periods of waking up at 3 a.m.

My middle insomnia has ramped up over the past five years or so and I'm determined to find a solution. But in order to do so, I need to find the root cause. Here, doctors outline the likely culprits behind my 3 a.m. wake ups.

1. Lack of adequate sleep pressure

Sleep pressure can also be referred to as your sleep hunger or homeostatic sleep drive. Essentially, it's how tired you feel in the run up to bedtime. Driven by neurotransmitter called adenosine, sleep pressure begins building from the moment you open your eyes, dropping once you go to sleep.

As cortisol levels naturally begin to rise around 3 a.m., insufficient sleep pressure means you're more susceptible to being woken up by the alerting impact of cortisol. So, if your homeostatic sleep drive is on the lower side before you go to bed, you're more likely to experience fragmented sleep.

Sedentary lifestyles, excess caffeine and late afternoon naps are all examples of factors that can negatively affect your sleep pressure.

After a disrupted night's sleep, I know I'm guilty of reaching for more coffee to help me get through the day. On those low-energy days, I'm also less inclined to exercise and I'm more inclined to snatch time for a nap — and that's a big no-no.

"Think of a late-afternoon nap like snacking just before dinner: it takes the edge off your appetite," explains Dr. Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and bioengineering at the University of Texas at Dallas.

"In the same way, a late nap can blunt your sleep hunger, leaving you with less biological force driving you down into sleep at night," explains the leading sleep expert.

2. Elevated cortisol levels

Cortisol has a bad reputation as being the 'stress' hormone, but it also plays a pivotal role in our sleep-wake cycles. Cortisol levels begin to naturally rise in the early hours of the morning, before peaking upon waking. That's called your Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR). It's part of what helps us feel alert when we start the day.

However, if your baseline level of cortisol is higher — often caused by stress or anxiety — that slight increase of cortisol at 3 a.m. can be enough to wake you up. That's why, for some of us with middle insomnia, those awakenings are accompanied by a racing heart and feelings of anxiety.

"The Cortisol Awakening Response is when your cortisol begins to rise early in the morning, a few hours before you get out of bed, which transitions your body from sleep to wake by raising blood sugar, blood pressure, and mental readiness," Dr. William Lu, a sleep medicine physician, has previously explained to me.

"However, if this increase happens too early it can wake you at 3 or 4 a.m. This usually happens when you are on high alert from stress, anxiety, or blood sugar instability," says Dr. Lu, medical director at Dreem Health.

3. Blood sugar fluctuations

As a busy working parent, there are times during the week that I don't get the opportunity to sit down and eat my evening meal until around 8-9 p.m. While going to bed soon after eating doesn't exactly feel comfortable and often means I have difficulty actually falling asleep, I didn't know that late, heavy meals could also be contributing to my middle insomnia.

“One of the most common reasons for waking around 3 a.m. is a drop in blood sugar during the night,” Conny Wade at Wade Wellness, a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P) and practicing Nurse Practitioner, previously explained to us.

“If you eat dinner too late or the meal is unbalanced, your body may release stress hormones to bring blood sugar back up, and that can wake you suddenly,” Wade explains.

Again, the culprit here is rising cortisol levels, which our bodies produce as a reaction to low sugar and insulin levels — which can wake you up.

The sleep doctor-recommended routine switches to help manage middle insomnia

Unfortunately, there's no one silver bullet solution to overcoming 3 a.m. wake ups. However, I have learnt that there are a series of small actions you can take every day for sleep better at night.

I've noticed that each small habit outlined below supports the others, which helps to improve my overall sleep hygiene and reduce middle of the night awakenings.

1. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule for improved sleep pressure

Sleeping in later than usual can feel like an enticing prospect following a rough night of broken sleep. However, an erratic sleep schedule can lead to insufficient sleep pressure — which is a common culprit of middle insomnia.

Instead, sticking to a regular sleep schedule — like the 7:1 sleep rule — allows an adequate amount of time for adenosine to build, which makes you less susceptible to nighttime awakenings.

"A consistent wake time is one of the strongest behavioral anchors for the circadian system," explains Dr. Walker, who notes that while a consistent bed time is also important, sleep onset can't be forced and is therefore difficult to control.

"Waking at a stable time, followed by morning light exposure, provides the brain with a reliable daily timing cue that helps synchronize the 24-hour rhythm," says the best-selling author of Why We Sleep.

2. Forest bathing to help soothe my stressed nervous system

Forest bathing might sound like the act of rolling around on the muddy forest floor but is actually an ancient Japanese mindfulness practice that involves immersing yourself in nature.

I've written before about how making the time for a twenty minute mindfulness walk through my local woods helped calm my frazzled nervous system. However, once I saw an improvement in my stress levels and sleep, forest bathing slipped down my list of priorities.

Now that my 3 a.m. wake ups have returned, making time for activities that actively lower my baseline level of cortisol and increase my sleep pressure (adenosine is a natural by product of exercise) is something I need to prioritize.

"Science shows that spending mindful time in nature significantly lowers cortisol (our stress hormone) and blood pressure," says Gary Evans, director and co-founder of The Forest Bathing Institute in the UK.

If possible, spending time outdoors within the first 60 minutes of waking has the added benefit of natural daylight exposure, which helps build sleep pressure and anchor the circadian rhythm.

"Morning light helps stabilize the circadian signal, while daytime physical activity can strengthen the depth and continuity of subsequent sleep," explains Dr. Walker.

3. Eating evening meals earlier to regulate my blood sugar levels

Instead of carb-heavy comfort meals close to bedtime, a nutritionally balanced meal around three hours before my chosen bedtime allows my body enough time to digest dinner before hopping into bed.

Your circadian rhythm is your body's internal clock, helping you to feel tired and alert at the right time. And as well as orchestrating your sleep-wake cycle, your circadian rhythm regulates your metabolism.

“The human body thrives on routine,” Emma Zengh, a certified nutritionist, previously explained to us. “Which means that eating dinner at the same time every night helps keep the hormones in the body in check.”

So, as well as allowing enough time to digest my food (and prevent a spike in cortisol due to low blood sugar levels), eating mealtimes at roughly the same time every day is another way to cement my circadian rhythm.

Quick tips to falling back to sleep when you wake at 3 a.m.

Waking up at 3 a.m. can feel debilitating. However, I have learnt how to better manage them in the moment in order to fall back asleep faster. These are some of the strategies I find useful...

• Practice the 15 minute sleep rule: Staying in bed when you can't sleep leads to a negative association with your bed. The advice from experts is clear — if after 15 minutes you're still awake, get up and leave the room and do something relaxing. Then, when you feel tired, go back to bed.
• Don't immediately check the clock: Rolling over and checking the time can cause further feelings of anxiety. It can also lead to the temptation of scrolling on your phone, making it even harder to go back to sleep.
• Try cognitive shuffling to stop rumination: If you're waking with anxiety, it can be hard to turn off the chatter in your brain in order to fall back to sleep. To help, I try cognitive shuffling, a relaxation technique. To do it, pick a random letter then think of different words beginning with that letter.

I'm a Certified Sleep Coach but early motherhood means I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in nearly four years. Most mornings I battle with sleep inertia — that dense, groggy feeling when your brain refuses to reboot. I’ve been relying on caffeine for an energy boost, but it’s interfering with my sleep (caffeine has a half-life of up three to seven hours in adults).

To break the cycle, I decided to stop propping up my morning brain with caffeine and start biohacking it instead. That’s how I ended up testing the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses (from $249/£249 at Ayo)—lightweight phototherapy frames that use blue-enriched light to fine-tune my circadian rhythm.

NASA’s Fatigue Countermeasures Lab team, led by Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans, is doing some interesting research into blue light as a way to reduce sleep inertia, so I was curious to see how effective AYO’s blue light glasses were. Here’s my experience after testing them for three months…

• Read more: I kept waking up exhausted until a NASA scientist shared her $0 lab-tested tip for beating morning grogginess — here’s how it works

At a glance: Key takeaways

• The AYO+ glasses effectively reduce sleep inertia: The 470nm blue-turquoise light effectively flushes out deep, heavy brain fog after waking.
• They help stave off afternoon slumps: In my case, implementing a 20-minute ‘blue light boost’ session after lunch stopped me from crashing later that afternoon.
• Total freedom of movement: Unlike traditional 10,000-lux light boxes, you can go about your morning routine, get dressed, and pack lunches when wearing the AYO+ glasses.
• AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses are not an overnight miracle: It took around three weeks of consistent daily use for me to feel a noticeable biological shift.
• Some people need to exercise caution: Light therapy glasses aren’t suitable for everyone. People with cataracts, bipolar disorder, or lupus should speak to their doctor first.

What are AYO+ Light Therapy glasses?

• 10,000-lux equivalent: Because they sit in close proximity to your eyes, the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses produce the same powerful wake-up signals as a clinical grade light therapy box.
• Targeted blue-turquoise light: The AYO+ emit a 470nm wavelength, which studies show as the sweet spot for stimulating your internal body clock and boosting daytime energy.
• Eye-safe: These narrow-band LEDs are free of harmful UV rays and infrared rays, making them safe for daily wear.
• Optimized light strength: They deliver a peak irradiance (light intensity) of 250 µW/cm² – that’s an effective clinical dose of phototherapy without causing glare or eye strain.

AYO+ are the next-gen version of the original AYO Light Therapy Glasses, which began life as a Kickstarter in 2019. They’re often pitted against rival phototherapy glasses such as Luminette, and are fall into the circadian tech bracket – a branch of sleep tech designed to regulate, fine-tune and strengthen your circadian health.

The AYO+ glasses emit a blue-turquoise light at around 470nm (nanometer), with a ‘light strength’ (irradiance) of 250 µW/cm² (250 microwatts of light energy per square centimeter).

This targeted 470nm wavelength works by stimulating specialized receptors in our eyes called ipRGCs. Neuroscientists at Harvard discovered these receptors are uniquely tuned to blue-turquoise light for regulating sleep and alertness.

I wear contact lenses and prescription glasses and the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses work well with both.

On an eye health note, I haven’t experience any side effects since using the glasses, but on its website AYO lists possible side effects while your body adjusts to the glasses. These include headaches, eye strain and dizziness.

The glasses themselves are incredibly lightweight and can easily be worn over prescription eye glasses, emitting light downwards into your eyes via four light-emitting diodes.

The glasses turn on as soon as you open up the arms, kick-starting a 20-minute light therapy session. In the app you can change the duration of your session from 5 minutes (minimum) up to 90 minutes.

The light intensity can also be customized – choose from low, medium or high (most effective), or a custom intensity from 10% to 100%.

You also have the option of finishing your blue light therapy session with three minutes of red light.

There’s lots to dig into with narrowband red light, but in a nutshell it can stimulate the "powerhouses" of your cells (the mitochondria) to produce more energy. In terms of eye health, narrowband red light can help lower inflammation and give retinal cells a boost.

The root cause of my sleep and energy issues

There are two pain points in my day: feeling like a zombie when I wake-up, and hitting the wall, energy-wise, around 2.30 p.m. most afternoons.

In my defence, my sleep hygiene is excellent. I keep a consistent sleep schedule, follow the same bedtime routine, and go device-free and switch to circadian lighting an hour before bed. I drink water and eat soon after waking to give my body those wakeful cues, and I start moving my body.

None of that is a match for my wakeful three-year-old.

Sleeping has always been hard for him, for various health reasons. So I’m awake multiple times a night with my son, and that’s without my daytime caffeine habit fuelling more overnight chaos.

I can easily get through four or more cups of tea or coffee by 3pm. If I had to guess, I’ve probably been consuming around 400mg of caffeine in an eight-hour period (7am to 3pm) most days.

Caffeine can stay in your system for up to seven hours, which can make falling asleep within a decent time frame (20 minutes is average) quite tricky.

And according to the National Institutes of Health, even if you can fall asleep after a day on the caffeine train, high doses can reduce the amount of deep sleep you get. They can also trigger overnight awakenings.

Trading caffeine for circadian-optimized shots of blue light

I’ve tested many traditional light therapy boxes throughout my career working across Tom’s Guide, T3, TechRadar, and Top Ten Reviews, and while these S.A.D. lamps are highly effective, they require you to sit still.

The AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses are my first long-term experience using wearable phototherapy — and they’ve been a revelation.

Instead of being stuck at my kitchen table for 20 minutes each morning sat near a lightbox, I simply pop the AYO+ glasses soon after waking and get on with my morning routine.

From a productivity perspective alone, being able to move around the house while getting my daily dose of light therapy is convenient. And honestly? I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a stationary light therapy box.

But convenience wasn’t my main motive for testing the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses. Instead I was desperate to tackle three major, interconnected issues:

• Intense grogginess upon waking – that heavy, stubborn sleep inertia that makes me feel like a zombie.
• Regular afternoon slumps – the ones that left me reaching for caffeine long past the recommended midday cut-off.
• Frequent overnight wake-ups – which I strongly suspect my caffeine habit was worsening.

To break the cycle, for three months I used the AYO+ glasses for 20 minutes soon after waking every morning. I wanted to see if they could reduce my morning fatigue and help me gain day-long energy without hammering the caffeine.

Here’s what happened…

My 90-day testing experience with the AYO+ Light Therapy glasses

When you’re rolling a huge sleep debt and feel so tired each morning that you want to crawl back into bed, setting up fiddly tech is a hard no. Luckily, the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses are easy to use.

I keep mine next to my bed, nestled in the pill-shaped hard travel case they come in. My routine is simple: wake up, get out of bed, put on the AYO+ glasses, and go about my morning.

Here’s how effective, or not, the glasses were against each of my three big interconnected energy and sleep issues…

Sleep inertia

The AYO+ glasses were shipped to me during deep winter with its pitch black mornings. I’d given my Lumie light therapy box to a friend who was struggling with Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), so I’d been without a light therapy device for weeks at that point and I was really feeling it.

The AYO+ glasses came packed in a white reinforced cardboard box with the brand’s logo on the outside. Inside was a hard travel case, housing the glasses, a white charging cable, and a small dust bag / soft travel pouch.

After charging the glasses (a full charge takes around three hours and lasts for around nine 20-minute sessions), I placed them on my nightstand ready for the morning.

I chose my normal wake-up time of 7 a.m. as the approximate start time for each daily session, as numerous studies have shown that light therapy is most effective within an hour of waking.

On my first day of testing I used the pre-set 20-minute session. While the glasses were a novelty – they look quite ‘Tron-esque’ when switched on – I didn’t feel any benefit.

I was still yawning after taking them off, and by mid morning I was flagging and hitting the caffeine. At 2.30 p.m., despite staying hydrated, eating a good lunch and going for a brisk walk, I was firing up the kettle.

AYO states that it can take a few days to a few weeks (or longer, depending on the individual, severity of symptoms, and lifestyle habits) to see any improvement.

So I persevered for a week to see if repeated daily use would nudge my body into easing off the melatonin and ramping up the cortisol and other wakeful hormones soon after waking. But it didn’t.

Come week two, however, I was beginning to feel less groggy in the mornings.

I usually need a cup of coffee before leaving the house for work or nursery drop-off. On the morning of day eight I didn’t. Instead, I had my first cup of tea at around 11 a.m. However, I was flagging again in the afternoon.

This became my pattern for another week. During my third week of testing, my morning grogginess had vastly reduced. In fact, I was waking up a few minutes before my alarm and feeling energised to boot.

And from a caffeine perspective, I was down to one cup at 11 a.m. These were huge wins for me compared to even a month before when I would be finishing my third cup by 10 a.m.

The afternoon slumps were still hell though, so I went back to the biohack drawing board. That was when I decided to introduce what I now call my ‘2 p.m. blue light boost.’

It was a game-changer…

Goodbye, afternoon slumps

Ever heard of anticipatory anxiety? It’s a phenomenon where you have a feeling of dread or worry about something that hasn’t happened yet.

Mine would start creeping in soon after lunch, when I’d begin worrying about the inevitable energy slump waiting to ambush my afternoon.

I’d panic about not having enough fuel in the tank to get through my work-load, or to keep up with my busy bee of a son for another five hours.

So after three weeks of single-dosing with light therapy I started double-dosing. I wasn’t expecting it to work so fast, but it did; like a gentle bubbling up of fresh energy that carried me through the afternoon.

Was it as instantly powerful as a cup of coffee? No. But it also didn’t give me jitters, heart palpitations or interfere with my sleep at night.

This post-lunch, 20-minute blue light boost has become a reset button for my afternoons. And I no longer have a physical need to consume caffeine after midday.

I always finish my second dose of phototherapy by 2 p.m. too, as blue light exposure can affect sleep in some people when used later in the day.

Why the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses didn’t stop my overnight wake-ups

The AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses are an excellent tool for strengthening your natural circadian rhythm and for understanding the best times of your day to eat, exercise, be productive, sleep, and wake up.

When your body clock is properly anchored, your brain naturally learns exactly when to produce the right hormones at the right time — whether that’s cortisol to keep you energized during the most productive parts of the day, or melatonin to help you wind down for sleep at night.

Biologically, this predictable rhythm should help you settle down, fall asleep faster and boost your chances of sleeping through the night.

So why am I still waking up at 1 a.m., 2 a.m., 3 a.m. and on? I mentioned him earlier: my three-year-old who wakes regularly due to ongoing health issues. As effective as the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses are, they can’t help me there.

What I can say is this: when I do wake at night now, I fall back asleep fast. When I was necking loads of caffeine in the day, it took me an age to fall back asleep each time at night, even after practising techniques like 4 7 8 breathing or cognitive shuffling.

Energy levels rising, caffeine reliance dropping: Three months on

After three months of testing, the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses have become a daily essential for me.

I love putting them on each morning and seeing that slim band of turquoise-blue sitting above my eyes. It feels summery, tropical and mood-boosting, even on dark winter mornings.

Having spent years reviewing traditional 10,000-lux S.A.D. lamps across Tom’s Guide, T3, and TechRadar, the freedom of wearable phototherapy has been a revelation and one I wish I’d embraced sooner.

The AYO+ didn't solve my interrupted nights — no piece of wearable tech can reprogram a wakeful three-year-old. But by using clinical-grade blue-turquoise light to anchor my circadian rhythm and reduce my morning grogginess and afternoon slumps, it did something much better: it gave me my days back.

I no longer feel like a zombie in the mornings, I don’t hit the wall at 2 p.m., and I no longer have to chug several coffees just to survive the day.

My reliance on caffeine has plummeted from around 400mg a day to just one solitary, late-morning cup of tea – and some days I even skip that.

Is light therapy suitable for everyone? No. According to AYO, people with bipolar disorder, those with eye conditions such as cataracts, people on photosensitizing medications, and those with skin sensitivities such as lupus should be cautious when considering light therapy glasses.

I’d recommend speaking to your doctor or healthcare professional first.

My verdict

If you’re looking for a magic wand that instantly guarantees seven+ hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, the AYO+ glasses aren't it.

As a Certified Sleep Science Coach, my recommendations there are choosing a few good sleep hygiene tips and sticking to them, keeping a consistent wake-up time, investing in the best mattress you can afford, and not stressing too much about ‘perfect sleep’ (orthosomnia).

But if you are a parent, a shift worker, or someone drowning in sleep debt and looking to break free from a vicious cycle of morning fatigue and afternoon caffeine crashes, the AYO+ Light Therapy Glasses are worth it.

While there are plenty of cooling sleep products that promise to help you fall asleep during heatwaves, the key to a cooler night's sleep could actually be on your plate. Certain foods are excellent at managing body heat — but others can trigger night sweats and overheating.

However, it can be hard to know which bedtime snacks can offer a hydration boost and which ones can lead to a stuffy, sleepless night. Even the size and timing of your evening meal can make or break your sleep.

That's why I've called on Helen Tieu, registered dietician and founder of Diet Redefined, to share the best and worst foods to sleep through heatwaves. Read on to find out which light snacks can keep you refreshed all night, plus what time you should stop eating to avoid sleeping hot.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Manage temperature by opting for water-rich foods and light, hydrating snacks such as yogurt, fruit, and protein smoothies.
• Steer clear of heavy, fried or high-fat foods close to bedtime, as they force your metabolism to work harder and generate intense internal body heat during a heatwave.
• Hydrate throughout the day and stop eating two to three hours before bed to prevent heavy digestion from raising your core body temperature.

The 2 best foods for sleeping well during heatwaves

1. Food rich in fiber and protein

The first bedtime snack that Tieu recommends is one that can top up fluid levels while ensuring your glucose levels remain consistent through the night, with studies showing a link between stable nocturnal glucose and better sleep quality.

"I would focus on lighter, cooler, hydrating snack that still include protein and fibre to help keep blood sugar stable throughout the night," the dietician recommends.

She highlights the following snacks as good options for keeping cool throughout the night:

• Greek yogurt with berries
• Protein fruit smoothie
• Fruit with cottage cheese
• Fruit with hard boiled eggs
• Salad with protein

For example, yogurt is an excellent choice as it's been shown to contain electrolytes, which assist hydration by managing fluid balance, and plenty of protein.

2. Water-rich foods

Water-rich foods, such as watermelons and celery, consist of 70% to 96% water, and Tieu says these hydration boosters can help your body manage its temperature overnight.

"Water-rich foods can help, including cucumbers, oranges, berries, tomatoes, zucchini, leafy greens, and soups served chilled," the diet expert advises.

The 3 worst foods for sleeping during heatwaves

1. Spicy and hot foods

If you're someone who likes there to be a real kick to your meals, you may want to think twice before reaching for the ultra-hot spices.

"Very spicy foods can trigger sweating or acid reflux for some people when consumed close to bedtime," warns Tieu.

The temperature of your food can also raise the temperature of your body, so make sure your meal has cooled down a little before you take a bite.

"Meals served in hot temperatures can make it harder to sleep as digestion itself produces heat, especially if the room is already warm," Tieu tells me.

2. Fried and fatty food

A lot of research has emphasized how fried, fatty food can contribute to poor sleep quality, but did you know that they can also cause hot sleeping and night sweats?

And it's all to do with a phenomenon that research calls thermogenesis, the metabolic heat generated as your body works to digest and process heavy fat.

"High-fat meals and fried foods can contribute to feeling overheated or less comfortable in bed," Tieu warns.

3. Heavy meals

Tieu warns that eating a large or heavy carbohydrate meal like spaghetti can lead to blood sugar spikes, which in turn cause night sweats.

"Not to mention heavy meals can lead to acid reflux, indigestion, or discomfort from going to bed on a full stomach," she tells me.

A dietician's top 3 rules for sleeping during a heatwave

1. Reduce fluid intake 3 hours before bed

Tieu points out the importance of drinking water throughout the day during hot weather, as it keeps you cool and hydrated. However, most of your fluid intake should be reserved for the daytime.

"It is ideal to hydrate more earlier in the day rather than drinking lots of water at night time or right before bed," the health expert advises.

While Tieu says you don't need to stop drinking in the evening completely, but it's best to avoid "chugging large amounts of fluid right before sleeping".

"I’d recommend reducing fluid intake 2 hours before bed if nighttime bathroom trips are an issue," she says.

2. Finish your dinner before 2-3 hours before bed

As mentioned above, digestion itself can raise body temperature, so Tieu advises following the 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule and finishing your last meal of the day two to three hours before bedtime.

"This gives enough time for the body to digest before lying down, which can help to prevent reflux, discomfort, and feeling warm in bed," she explains.

However, while you should leave a few hours between dinner and bed, Tieu assures that it's fine to have a light bedtime snack.

"Just keep it simple with balanced whole foods, such as yogurt with berries, whole grain toast with peanut butter, cottage cheese with fruit, a protein shake, veggies and dip, or a small protein smoothie," she says.

3. Avoid alcohol

Alcohol can reduce REM sleep, but it can also exacerbate sleep issues during heatwaves, with studies finding that alcohol triggers sweating by widening blood vessels and increasing blood flow to the skin, which tricks your brain into feeling warm.

"It may initially lead to feeling more sleepy, but it can worsen sleep quality, worsen hydration and lead to worse temperature regulation overnight," warns Tieu.

More from Tom's Guide

• Experts reveal the bedroom window heatwave mistake making your sleep worse — and the 4-step cooling fix
• 4 sleep experts share how they fall asleep fast and skip waking up at 3 a.m. in hot weather — 4 steps to take tonight
• From the 'caveman method' to the 'frozen salt water fan trick' — 7 expert-approved ways to cool your bedroom and sleep well in a heatwave

If you're having trouble sleeping, there's no better resource than the experts. Board-certified sleep specialists can offer personalized and effective science-backed sleep guidance based on your unique health and lifestyle factors — if you can access a professional, that is.

However, many people are turning their backs on medical professionals for the convenience of AI. Research shows that 15% of the UK consult AI chatbots instead of a doctor, while a survey found that 49% of insured Americans have asked AI tools for medical advice. But can can a chatbot ever truly fix your insomnia?

To find out, I asked three of the most popular AI-generative assistants — Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot — the same request for sleep health advice. I then called on Mattress Firm's Dr Jade Wu, a board-certified sleep specialist, to evaluate and rate each response. Here's what she had to say and why AI's response might seem good at first but can't delve beneath the covers to provide long-lasting help.

My experience with Gemini, Copilot, and ChatGPT

To see whether AI chatbots can actually give sound sleep advice, I asked Gemini, Copilot, and ChatGPT the exact same question, prefaced with the prompt; "Act as a board-certified sleep doctor," to ensure each assistant knew I wanted it to replicate expert-level advice. Here's the full prompt:

"Act as a board-certified sleep doctor. I average 6 hours of sleep a night and have an erratic bedtime and wake-up schedule. In 3 actionable steps, advise me on how I can fall asleep fast, sleep through the night and increase my average sleep duration to 7 hours a night."

Each one delivered guidance in an instant and that split-second response set off alarm bells. But then I read the responses...

I frustratingly couldn't find any flaws. To me, each answer offered sound recommendations, with tips that seemed to come straight out of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) textbook (and, on reflection, quite probably did.)

"If you're awake in bed for roughly 20–30 minutes, get up and do something quiet in dim light until you feel sleepy again," said ChatGPT, bringing up the gold-standard sleep rule.

"Get 10–15 minutes of outdoor light within the first hour of waking — this accelerates melatonin shutoff and makes it easier to fall asleep at night," advised Copilot, displaying knowledge about our circadian rhythm and the morning sunlight rule (...that I already follow.)

"Waking up at the same time every day builds 'sleep drive' (the biological hunger for sleep) throughout the day," Gemini told me, promoting the sleep consistency that experts have always championed.

Still, some cracks started to show. For a start, I was being given advice I already followed, rather than being questioned on my routine.

Gemini was also the only AI that came with a flat-out disclaimer to remind me that it's not a doctor. (However, Copilot did mention that if experiencing persistent insomnia, loud snoring, or breathing pauses at night, it’s important to speak with a healthcare professional — but this caveat wasn't as prominent as Gemini.)

"This is for informational purposes only", warned Gemini at the beginning of its answer. "For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional."

And when I showed all three responses to Dr Wu, she highlighted all the ways that disclaimer rang true.

A board-certified sleep doctor rates sleep advice from 3 AI assistants

Is ChatGPT sleep advice trustworthy?

When evaluating ChatGPT's advice, the first thing Dr Wu noticed was its lack of a disclaimer.

"Instead, it just launched right into advice with 'I' sentences spoken from the perspective of a medical professional," the board-certified doctor pointed out. "I don't love that."

While Dr Wu did say that ChatGPT's sleep guidance was "mostly evidence-based and sound", she tells me that the problem lies in its generalizing.

"It did not ask any follow up questions to try to figure out what exactly the sleep problem is, making its advice generic and not necessarily relevant — it may even backfire," she warned.

Dr Wu's ChatGPT rating: 2 out of 5

Is Copilot and Gemini's sleep advice trustworthy?

First of all, Dr Wu is pleased that both Copilot and Gemini did come with the caveat that it's always best to speak to a healthcare professional, but both still suffered from one-size-fits-all responses.

"They're better than ChatGPT's rating because at least there are disclaimers, but it's not 5 because, again, it did not do any assessment to see what the sleep problem actually is and what other contextual factors might be at play," she says.

Follow up questions the sleep expert herself would ask include "Are there any other symptoms, like signs of sleep apnea?" and " What have they already tried, and how well did it work?" She would also delve into daytime habits (such as whether the person naps) and work schedules, and why my question is fixated on getting 7 hours of sleep if I feel rested.

"Depending on the person's age, lifestyle, genetics, and many other factors, 6 hours might be enough, or perhaps even 7 is not enough," Dr Wu says.

"And we're just scratching the surface...I haven't even gotten to co-morbid health conditions, social factors and family history," she adds.

Dr Wu's Copilot and ChatGPT rating: 3 out of 5

Did any of the AI assistants provide good sleep advice?

While all AI assistants presented oversimplified advice without taking into account personal factors such as age, genetics, and lifestyle, Dr Wu didn't have any major concerns about the advice itself at a surface level.

"I like that all the models started with anchoring the wake up time and stabilizing sleep-wake schedule," she tells me. "The morning light exposure and evening wind-down period are also very good."

"All of them provide 'okay' advice in the sense that none of it is egregiously wrong, and there are some reasonably universal tips that would be good for almost everyone, such as stabilizing wake timing if possible," she continues.

That said, she admits that she can't look past the lack of questioning. Depending on what the sleep problem is, the advice could be "very different, or even opposite," she says.

"None of them even begin to try to understand what the real sleep problem might be," the sleep specialist says. "And all of them take the person's prompt question at face value, without pushing back at all or questioning the assumptions in the question itself. "

Dr Wu's 3 tips on how to ask AI for health advice

1. Be specific with your questions

According to Dr Wu, most flaws in the AI assistant's advice are a result of a vague or uninformed question you've asked. That might mean you're missing the real issue with your sleep or getting advice you already follow (see Copilot telling me to go outside in the morning.)

But without sleep advisor training, it's hard to identify these gaps in your knowledge.

"The main thing to remember is that you don't know what you don't know," she explains. "And that's not your fault! If you're not a Board-certified sleep clinician, why would you understand sleep neuroscience or clinical treatment at a deep level?"

2. Don't let faulty assumptions guide your questioning

There are lots of assumptions around what 'healthy sleep' looks like. But Dr. Wu points out that sometimes these assumptions are wrong, and she uses my 'fall asleep fast' prompt to illustrate this.

"Falling asleep fast is not necessarily a good thing," she explains. "In fact, it may indicate being sleep deprived, having sleep apnea, or having another problem."

So before you start grilling ChatGPT, remember that a healthy sleep onset latency is 15 to 30 minutes and falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow is likely a sign of sleep deprivation. Be clear, keep to the facts and share relevant details to get better advice.

3. Make the AI model push back or ask questions

As mentioned above, Dr Wu says that follow-up questions are a sign of a good sleep advisor.

"If the model doesn't push back on your assumptions or doesn't ask a lot of good follow up questions to figure out your holistic sleep situation, then you're not going to get good advice," she warns. "You may even get advice that backfires or delays you from getting real sleep diagnostics done."

While the AI chatbot can give you an overview of general sleep hygiene tips, without drilling into your exact circumstances, it's never going to get to the root of your sleep problems. For that, it's worth the effort of finding a specialist.

Let's face it, trying to sleep during heatwaves can be excruciating. You're frustrated, sweaty, and wide awake at 3 a.m. trying to calculate how many hours of sleep you could still salvage before you need to get up.

As a sleep writer who lives in a building without air con, I've tried practically every TikTok sleep hack that promises a cooler night's sleep, only to be left largely disappointed. But how do sleep experts mange to fall asleep during heatwaves? And what cooling sleep hacks do they use that actually work?

To find out, I've got in touch with four leading sleep experts who've shared the five hacks that help them swerve insomnia and night sweats during heatwaves. Plus, they reveal the three things you should avoid at all costs...

Key takeaways

• Ensure windows are closed and blackout curtains are shut during the day to trap cool night air in your bedroom
• Cooling hacks include switching to lightweight, breathable bedding, and taking a lukewarm shower to trigger your body's natural cooling process
• Avoid heavy or spicy meals and vigorous exercise close to bedtime, as both significantly raise your core body temperature.
• If sharing a bed with a partner generates too much heat, try sleeping separately temporarily or adopting the Scandinavian sleep method of using two individual duvets.
• If you are struggling to sleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed to rest in a cooler room and only return when you are genuinely tired.

5 things sleep experts do to fall asleep during heatwaves

1. The 'Caveman Method' for bedroom windows

This may be an obvious one, but the first thing you should do is try to cool down your room as much as possible. However, what isn't as obvious is how to keep your bedroom (especially when you have no air conditioning).

"Many people open their windows when it’s hot outside, but if the outside air is warmer than inside, you’re actually letting this heat in to the room," says Dr. Lindsay Browning, a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist at TroubleSleeping.

To avoid hot air streaming into your home, it's best to go full-on caveman method, and turn your room into a cool cave.

"I recommend keeping your blinds, curtains and windows closed during the day to stop the sun heating the room, then later in the evening once the outside air has cooled down you can open the windows to let the cooler evening air in," advises Browning.

2. The lukewarm shower trick

Dr. Saema Tahir, a quadruple board certified sleep and pulmonary specialist, swears by a warm shower 90 minutes before bed.

"It pulls blood to the skin surface and accelerates heat loss, triggering the core temperature drop that sleep requires," she explains.

“Not cold — lukewarm," agrees Sammy Margo, a sleep physiotherapist at Dreams.

"While it might seem obvious to take a cold shower to cool down before bed, stepping out of a lukewarm shower triggers your body’s natural cooling process and promoting relaxation, which in turn may make it easier to fall asleep comfortably,” elaborates Margo.

If you want to try this hack, aim for a water temperature between 104 °F and 108 °F (40°C and 42.5°C), which has been shown to be optimal for sleep.

3. The lightweight bedding switch

If you're using the same thick duvet or comforter that kept you warm in winter, then it'll likely make you sleep even hotter during summer.

"It still baffles me that people are still using the same duvet throughout the seasons," says researcher Hannah Shore, Head of Sleep at MattressOnline. "We need to be swapping out those thick duvets for a much thinner, lower tog duvet."

Even if you feel you're bedding is still lightweight, even the material may be trapping heat.

"Synthetic bedding, like polyester, traps humidity against the skin, preventing sweat from evaporating," says Dr. Tahir. "Loose-weave linen or cotton makes a significant difference, especially on humid nights."

"Natural fibres like cotton or linen are fantastic because they allow air to circulate and wick away moisture from your body, which may help you to keep fresh and cool throughout the night," agrees Margo.

"My favourite choice is lightweight, percale weave cotton sheets with a thread count between 200-400 as they provide optimal comfort,“ she adds.

4. The wet towel fan hack

No, we're not talking the Egyptian sleep method (which involves sleeping under cool, damp towels). We're talking about two fixes where you can use a wet towel to evaporate heat for a cooler bedroom.

The first one is a fan hack recommend by Dr. Tahir. "I point the fan across a wet towel rather than circulating hot air; it's basic evaporative cooling that can drop perceived temperature by a few degrees," says the board-certified physician.

The second tip is brought to you by sleep expert Shore, who often keeps a cold, damp towel on her nightstand in case of 3 a.m. wake ups.

"When I wake throughout the night, I can then apply this to my wrists and the back of my neck to help cool me down further," explains Shore. "Pick points on the body where the blood is closer to the surface, like your wrists, as this helps to cool your body internally as well as externally."

5. They get a (temporary) sleep divorce

This hack might be a little controversial, but it may be worth a shot if you share a bed with your partner, as Margo points out that “sharing a bed can double the body heat, making it harder to stay cool during warmer nights."

"If possible, you may wish to temporarily sleep in separate beds from your partner during a heatwave," advises Dr Browning.

If a sleep divorce seems too extreme, then you can try another sleep hack that gives you your own space while still sharing a bed.

"One simple but effective solution is the Scandinavian sleep method, using two separate duvets, which allows each person to regulate their own temperature and reduce overheating," says Margo.

3 heatwave mistakes sleep experts avoid

1. They avoid eating too late

Meal ingestion has been shown to increase body temperature, which is why you shout eat dinner earlier during heatwaves.

"Try to avoid doing things in the evening that can raise your core temperature, so leave a couple of hours between eating large meals," warns Shore.

"I also avoid heavy or spicy meals late in the evening, as these can make you feel warmer and more uncomfortable at bedtime," says Dr. Browning.

2. They avoid evening workouts

A 2025 study found that vigorous exercise within a four-hour window before bedtime can disrupt sleep. That's because the maintenance of a healthy sleep function is characterized by a decline in core body temperature.

Exercise, says Dr Browning, increases core body temperature and makes you feel even hotter during heatwave.

"Even though I am naturally an evening person and enjoy exercise in the late afternoon and evening, during a heatwave I specifically avoid vigorous exercise too close to bedtime," says Dr. Browning.

3. Clock watching

Still cant sleep in the heat? Just remember the one thing you should avoid: worrying.

"Most heatwaves are relatively short-lived," assures Dr Browning. "People are remarkably resilient at coping with short periods of poor sleep, and one bad night, or even a few disrupted nights during a heatwave, is unlikely to cause any lasting harm."

Shore says that clock-watching and counting the hours will produce "wake-promoting hormones, leading to further struggles", so the best thing to do is distract yourself.

"If you are struggling to sleep, don’t be afraid to get up, cool down elsewhere, do something to take your mind off things, such as reading or listening to a podcast, then head back to bed when you're tired," advises Shore.

"If you've been lying awake 20 minutes, get up, move somewhere cooler, and return only when sleepy,"agrees Dr. Tahir. "That's stimulus control therapy, the core of CBT for insomnia."

It's impressive how quickly my brain can pick up a thread of anxious thoughts when I find myself awake at 3 a.m. Known as middle insomnia, these late night wake-ups are plagued by a busy mind, making it hard to fall back to sleep and leaving me exhausted the next day.

I needed a technique that could put the brakes on anxieties so I could actually fall back to sleep at 3 a.m. That's when I was introduced to cognitive shuffling by Dr. Carlos Nunez Chief Medical Officer at Resmed.

This technique 'shuffles' your thoughts like a deck of cards, distracting your brain without overstimulating it. Instead of deadlines and debts, I'm thinking about ducks, dandelions, doorbells... Next thing you know, I'm snoozing. Here's how it works.

• Read more: I had no idea reading in bed could be causing my 3 a.m. wake-ups — an insomnia expert explains the simple switch for sleeping through

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Stress and anxiety causes cortisol levels to rise, keeping you alert. This makes it harder to fall asleep and leaves you prone to late night wake-ups.
• Cognitive shuffling randomizes your thoughts, as you focus on finding words beginning with a certain letter. This keeps your brain occupied, so it can't focus on anxieties.
• Using cognitive shuffling helps me fall back to sleep quickly. And on the nights it doesn't work, I get out of bed and relax until sleep pressure builds up enough that I'm ready to sleep.

What is cognitive shuffling?

I turn to cognitive shuffling on those nights when my thoughts are running around so fast sleep can't get a look in. Cognitive shuffling puts a stop to anxieties by simply directing your brain to random places. And I mean random.

I was introduced to the method by Dr. Carlos Nunez when discussing how stress is ruining sleep, who in turn was passed on the tip by a sleep doctor.

"I use it religiously," he explains, "because it works for me... even on the nights that I have the most trouble falling asleep."

Here's how to do it...

1. Start by picking a random word — nothing that might trigger stressful or anxious thoughts.
2. Focus on the first letter of your chosen word and think of other words that begin with that letter.
3. When you've run out of options, move on to the next letter in your starting word.
4. Repeat until you've reached the end of your word, and then start again with another randomly selected word.
5. Keep going until the repetitive patterns send you back to sleep.

So let's say your start word is teacup. You might go T is for telephone, top hat, turmeric... E is for elephant, elbow, eagle... and so on.

Dr. Nunez has another tip for those trying cognitive shuffling: focus on a specific room or place when choosing your words. He uses his workshop but it could be anywhere you're familiar with that won't result in stress (so you probably don't want to pick the office.)

"As I do this, I'm so focused on finding the third or fourth letter, I'm asleep," he says. "You would think I'm getting stressed trying to find the letters, but it pulls your mind so far away from your daily stress."

Dr. William Lu, medical director at Dreem Health, explained to us that cognitive shuffling works because it occupies the brain just enough to prevent rumination, without causing extra stimulation; "essentially distracting your mind from stress while keeping your body relaxed."

"It seems to work every time," Dr. Nunez adds, "so I owe that sleep doctor a debt of gratitude."

Why does anxiety wake you up at 3 a.m.?

"When we experience stress — whether from a looming deadline, a difficult relationship, or financial worries — the body activates its fight-or-flight response," said Dr. Anita Raja, a sleep expert in partnership with Herbalife, to explain why stress keeps you awake.

Part of that response is flooding the body with the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Which is terrible news for your sleep.

"These survival hormones are extraordinarily good at keeping us awake and alert," she said.

And they don't just stop you from falling asleep. This flood of cortisol might be the reason you find yourself waking up at 3 a.m. and unable to drift off again.

"Cortisol levels — which should naturally drop at night — remain elevated [when you're stressed], suppressing the production of melatonin and preventing you from reaching the deeper, restorative stages of sleep," Dr. Raja noted.

That means when your circadian rhythm causes your cortisol levels to naturally rise again at 3 a.m. (in preparation for the morning), you're already primed to wake up. And thanks to that increased alertness, you might find your mind immediately starts racing, making it harder to fall back to sleep.

More ways to fall asleep fast when you wake up at 3 a.m.

Dr. Nunez notes that cognitive shuffling might not be for everyone but it's important to find another method that can ease stress and help you sleep.

"Whatever you can do that hour before bed," he says. "Put down the screen. Don't perseverate on the stress. Calm your mind."

4-7-8 breathing technique

Described as the "perfect, portable stress antidote" by Dr. Andrew Weil, who popularized the trick, the 4-7-8 technique is a meditative breathing method that encourages repetitive breath control.

To use the 4-7-8 method, breathe in through your nose for a count of four, hold for seven, and exhale through your mouth for eight.

Repeat this 3-4 times, keeping the focus on your breath.

While cognitive shuffling is easy to learn, the 4-7-8 technique requires practice to see the biggest benefits. We recommend using it twice a day, to become familiar with the routine. And with time, it can calm your body and mind quickly during unwelcome 3 a.m. wake-ups.

The military sleep method

Created for military personnel trying to sleep in high stress situations, the military sleep method can help you drift off quickly even during anxious late night wake ups.

It's the go-to method of our Sleep Editor (and Certified Sleep Science Coach) Claire Davies, who describes it as "a great way to reduce any stress or anxiety you might be feeling in bed."

To use it, picture yourself lying in a canoe on a still lake under a clear sky, or in a hammock in a pitch black room. Methodically drop tension from your muscles, working from the head down. Imagine a warm sensation spreading through your body, wiping away all thoughts.

As with the 4-7-8 method, the military sleep technique requires practice. But once you've mastered it, it can help you fall asleep in minutes.

The 15 minute rule

The 15 minute sleep technique is best employed when you've tried other calming methods but still find yourself lying awake. If after 15 minutes of lying in bed you feel no closer to sleep, get up and move to another room.

Getting out of bed helps prevent negative connections from forming. You want to see the bed as a place of sleep but the longer you spend lying awake, the more your brain associates it with stress.

When you leave the room, make sure to maintain a calm state. Keep the lights dim and pick up a relaxing hobby, like reading or stretching.

Once enough sleep pressure has built enough that you begin to feel tired again, return to bed and reengage with your preferred calming technique.

9 sleep products we're testing and loving

For me, decent sleep is hard to come by. I wake most mornings feeling like I haven’t slept enough and vow to make a change. And yet, more often than not, I clock around five hours of broken sleep a night. Juggling work, life and parenthood means my to-do list never ends and sleep-disrupting nighttime anxiety is the result.

However, with multiple studies pointing towards the poor health outcomes associated with people who sleep less than six hours a night, I’m making a concerted effort to sort out my sleep. I’ve started with the 7:1 sleep rule, where the aim is to get seven hours of sleep per night and go to bed within the same one hour window.

At first, I found it difficult to stick to until a doctor suggested a simple routine switch: stop obsessing over bedtime and anchor my wake time instead. Once I made this shift, I went from sleeping five hours a night to seven — and now I feel like I’ve finally cracked the code to sleeping better and for longer. Here's what happened...

• Read more: I kept waking up at 3 a.m. until doctors explained that falling asleep in front of the TV was destroying my sleep pressure

Key takeaways: At a glance

• The 7:1 sleep rule recommends regularly getting at least seven hours of sleep a night, and going to bed within the same one-hour window at least five nights a week.
• At first I found the 7:1 sleep rule hard to stick to, until sleep doctors told me to focus on my wake time – and not both my bedtime and wake time.
• Once my wake time was anchored and I had a consistent schedule, my sleep duration has increased from five hours a night to seven.

What is the 7:1 sleep rule?

The 7:1 sleep rule is a snappy term to describe the practice of achieving a minimum of seven hours of sleep and going to bed within the same one hour window (half an hour on each side), at least five times a week.

It is a concept developed by researchers from Vitality and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) who, after analyzing 47 million nights of sleep data as part of a groundbreaking study, found that those who followed this sleep hygiene rule could live up to four years longer.

How I used the 7:1 sleep rule to go from 5 hours sleep a night to 7 hours

Once I had decided to make my sleep a priority, I turned my attention to the 7:1 sleep rule. However, I initially found it difficult to stick to it as I rarely felt tired at the same time every night.

And that’s because of a sleep routine mistake I didn’t even know I was making — waking up at a different time each morning.

While the 7:1 sleep rule focuses on falling asleep within the same one hour window, little mention is made of how important it is to anchor your wake-up time.

According to experts, a regular wake time is the best place to start when attempting to add consistency to your sleep schedule.

“A consistent wake time is arguably one of the most important anchors of the body's circadian rhythm because it helps set the timing of hormone release, body temperature cycles, alertness, and subsequent sleep pressure,” Dr. Joshua Roland, a Board-Certified Sleep Medicine Physician and medical director at Dreem Health, tells me.

So, instead of focusing solely on the time I fall to sleep — which can be influenced by all sorts of external factors, like the temperature, whether I’m feeling particularly anxious or whether I have plans that might mean I stay up later — I switched my attention to regulating my wake time. And that’s when I began to see an uptick in my sleep duration.

By stipulating a wake time and (mostly, I’m not perfect) sticking to it, I feel tired around the same time each night. Which meant I started to fall asleep faster and clock up more time asleep.

From someone who got in the region of five to six hours per night, I’m now getting seven. And I'm not the only one who's seen the benefits; one of my team finally hit the 90s with her sleep score after using the 7:1 rule. According to Dr. Roland, that’s entirely expected.

“While a regular bedtime is beneficial, wake time tends to have a stronger influence on stabilizing your internal body clock, and is easier to control than when we fall asleep,” says the sleep expert.

“Even after a poor night's sleep, maintaining a consistent wake time can help restore healthy sleep patterns more effectively than sleeping in.”

3 other routine changes I made to get more sleep

As well as following the 7:1 sleep rule in my quest for better sleep, I’ve also been paying close attention to my sleep pressure. Sleep pressure, also referred to as homeostatic sleep drive or sleep hunger, is a term that essentially describes your urge for sleep.

It begins to build from the moment you open your eyes and starts to drop when you go to sleep. The higher your sleep pressure, the easier it is for you to fall asleep. So, with that in mind, here’s what I’m doing to make sure I have enough sleep pressure in the tank to fall asleep within that golden one-hour window.

1. Getting plenty of exercise

First, a quick bit of science. Your sleep pressure is largely fuelled by a neurotransmitter called adenosine. And adenosine is a byproduct of, among other things, physical movement.

That means that even though sleep pressure naturally builds over the course of the day until you feel tired at night, moving your body helps push it even higher.

So, getting plenty of exercise — whether it’s walking, running or just taking the stairs in the office — helps contribute to your homeostatic sleep drive, helping you to later feel tired at the right time.

As someone with a desk job and therefore fairly sedentary for a large part of the day, I know that incorporating movement into my daily schedule is helping me to get more rest.

2. Natural daylight, especially in the morning

Most of us are lucky that, during the spring and summer months, it’s light when we wake up. — and that sends a strong signal to our circadian rhythms that it’s time to be awake.

Exposure to natural light, particularly within the first 30-60 minutes, helps suppress the ‘sleep’ hormone melatonin and boost the production of get-up-and-go hormones, like cortisol and serotonin.

So, instead of spending twenty minutes scrolling on my phone, I open the curtains wide and allow light into my room. If I have time, I’ll drink my first cup of tea in the garden.

Much like lowering the lights and avoiding screens in the evening helps prepare us for sleep, natural daylight helps us feel alert and ready to take on the day. And that helps build sleep pressure so we can feel tired at night, and stick to our one-hour sleep window.

3. No more lie-ins

Dr. Roland cites sleeping in on the weekend as one of the worst habits you can form when attempting to stick to a consistent sleep schedule. For me, the opportunity for a long and leisurely lie-in are few and far between.

However, after a rough night’s sleep on the weekend, I would often rely on staying in bed longer to try to make up for lost sleep — and, according to the experts, that’s a big no-no for sticking to a consistent sleep schedule like the 7:1 sleep rule.

While waking up early on the weekend initially felt like a wrench, they’re starting to feel easier and I’m now starting the day with much more energy.

How sticking to the 7:1 rule helped me get more sleep: My verdict

By making a few small tweaks to my daily routine, like waking up at roughly the same time every day and making the time for exercise, I’ve managed to increase my overall sleep duration considerably.

And, as someone who previously often slept for less than six hours a night, that feels like a significant achievement.

My sleep routine is by no means perfect. And I’m still making plenty of mistakes along the way (like the recent night that I spent scrolling on my phone instead of sleeping).

However, one of the most important things I'm realizing is that consistently great sleep doesn't happen overnight. And I'm reminded that sticking with it and trying again the following night is another step towards better sleep and overall health.

Sleep products we love right now

My dad has always struggled to sleep. From work stress to a snoring wife, there's always something disrupting his rest, so by lunch he's exhausted and struggling to keep his eyes open. And it's not just my dad – a 2025 survey found that 72% of adults struggle with daytime sleepiness.

However, lately I've noticed my dad has a spring in his step, particularly in the afternoons. I asked him what changed and he let me in on a simple sleep solution that gives him energy throughout the day without causing 3 a.m. wake ups. Every afternoon at 2 p.m. he sets a timer for 20 minutes, takes a quick nap, and then as soon as the alarm goes off he's up and ready to go.

It's a solution that comes approved by various sleep experts. I spoke to Dr. Shelby Harris of BetterSleep, to learn how naps can help people with insomnia and sleep deprivation to maintain energy throughout the day, plus she shares her expert tips on how to nap properly without ruining your sleep at night.

• Read more: I kept waking up at 3 a.m. until doctors explained that falling asleep in front of the TV was destroying my sleep pressure

Key takeaways

• 72% of adults experience daytime sleepiness and exhaustion that gets in the way of their everyday activities
• A nap can help you reclaim energy and feel more awake in the afternoon but they can also destroy your sleep quality the following night
• To nap properly, set an alarm for 20 minutes, get up once your nap is over and finish napping by mid-afternoon
• If you feel like you need to nap everyday or you think your naps are impacting your overall sleep quality, speak to a healthcare professional about other ways to improve your sleep quality

How napping alleviates insomnia symptoms

My dad's tried everything to improve his sleep — from meditation to pre-bed yoga — and while a regular schedule has helped him sleep longer, he still goes through periods of 3 a.m. wake-ups and fatigue-filled mornings.

And when exhaustion is dragging him down, a nap is my dad's go-to response for a quick energy boost. But it's a balancing act. Nap too long or too late and you might find yourself groggy with sleep inertia all afternoon.

His trick is deceptively simple and comes approved by the experts — he sets a 20 minute alarm before his nap and gets up as soon as it chimes.

"A short nap, around 20 minutes, can improve focus and energy, especially if you’re dealing with short-term sleep loss," Dr. Harris advises.

She explains that my dad, like many others, is experiencing "lighter, fragmented" sleep that leaves you feeling unrested even after hours in bed. This can be caused by things such as too much screen time, an erratic sleep schedule, or "higher levels of stress" (ding ding — that's my dad!)

"It’s very possible to get a full night of sleep and still feel exhausted, because sleep quality and consistency matter just as much as duration," she says. As you haven't got enough the deep sleep essential for energy restoration, you might find yourself running on fumes by lunchtime.

That's where a nap comes in, providing you with that boost of extra energy to reclaim some of what you lost in the night.

Can naps cause insomnia?

To get a healthy night's sleep, it's important to build up enough sleep pressure. This is that yawning, heavy-eyed feeling you get before bed and it's the result of the chemical adenosine building during the day.

Naps help clear some of that adenosine, reducing sleep pressure but also potentially making it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Too much napping, therefore, can be the reason you're tired in the first place and Dr. Harris emphasizes better sleep at night should take priority over naps.

"Naps can help in the moment," says Dr. Harris, "but they’re not a substitute for consistent, restorative sleep overnight."

Napping can't substitute better sleep quality

Regular napping can be a way to off-set poor sleep and give yourself a boost of energy in the afternoon. However, if you're napping daily or fighting drooping eyes at your desk, naps might be a bandaid over a bigger problem.

"If you feel like you need a nap every day just to get through the day, that’s often a sign your nighttime sleep or overall schedule needs attention." explains Dr. Harris.

She advises following the tips below for napping perfection and to pay attention to your overall sleep health.

"If that level of fatigue continues, it’s worth checking in with a healthcare provider or sleep specialist to rule out underlying issues," she advises.

How to take the perfect nap

1. Keep it under 20 minutes

The alarm hack is for people willing to accept napping self-responsibility: you won't wake up naturally, so set an alarm. Because it's far too easy to promise yourself a 'few minutes shut-eye' and find yourself startled awake hours later.

A 20-minute nap is enough time to shake off some sleep pressure without eating into your sleep at night. And the alarm means you definitely will wake up when you promised yourself you would.

2. Finish napping by early afternoon

Timing is everything when it comes to naps, in both senses. First, you want to keep it under a certain amount of time (as noted above.) Second, you have to pick the right time of day.

"I recommend earlier in the afternoon, so it doesn’t interfere with nighttime sleep," says Dr. Harris.

The ideal nap time for adults is between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This aligns with a natural sleepy dip in your circadian rhythm and leaves ample time for sleep pressure to build up again before bed.

3. Try a 'nappuccino'

A nappuccino, or coffee nap, combines the power of caffeine with the refreshment of a quick lie-down, to supercharge your naps.

Working on the principal that caffeine takes about 15 minutes to kick in, a nappuccino encourages you to drink a cup of coffee just before you settle down for your nap.

Set your alarm for around 20 minutes and when you wake up you should be feeling doubly energized.

Best sleep products for a power nap

As a side sleeper who needs complete and utter silence to drift off, I'm pretty much the ideal candidate to test out the best sleep headphones — especially ones that purport to have cutting-edge ANC to drown out distracting noise.

The QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds, billed as the "world's smallest ANC earbud the designed specifically for sleep", came to my attention after reading glowing customer reviews. Deigned in Finland and engineered specifically for sleep, the QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds shot straight to the top of my to-test list.

After testing the ANC earbuds during a heatwave where my bedroom window was constantly open (allowing the racket of the busy city noise to stream in), I can honestly say these are the most comfortable sleep headphones I've ever tested. The QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds feel soft and non-invasive even when sleeping on my side, and the long 28-hour battery life is a big drawcard.

With an MSRP of $299, they are a premium purchase. For context, the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds, which we rate as the best earbuds for sleep you can buy, cost $229 at full MSRP. However, with their ultra tiny and comfortable design for all sleep positions, outstanding ANC and long battery life, I think the QuietOn 4 are well worth the investment. Here's why...

• Read more: The Ozlo Sleebuds 2 launch today and I’ve been testing them for a week — here’s how they're already helping decode my 3 a.m. wake ups and sleep through the night

QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds Review: Cheat sheet

What is it? The world's smallest ANC sleep earbuds that offer extensive sound reduction and long battery life
Who is it for? Side sleepers looking to block out noise and replace it with soothing sound, alongside gaining sleep tracking insights
What does it cost? From $299 at full price but some retailers offer discounts
What do we like? Excellent ANC, 28-hour long battery life; soft, side-sleeper friendly design
What don’t we like? Premium price, 15-second activation window

QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds Review: Specs

QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds Review: Price & availability

• $299 to $315 at MSRP, putting the QuietOn 4 firmly in the premium price tier
• Small discounts at some US retailers, reducing the earbuds to $280
• Free one-year warranty included, but shipping is $15+

The QuietOn 4's streamlined design, long battery life, and state-of-the-art ANC mean that you're looking at a premium MSRP of $299. QuietOn is a Eurocentric brand, so US customers won't find the 4 Sleep Earbuds at major retailers such as Walmart or Target.

In the US, the earbuds are sold at two retailers: HearFIT and Native American-owned Salish Medical & Dental Supply.

At the former, there is a small 6% discount that takes them down to $280, and QuietOn's one-year warranty for international customers. However, expect to pay at over $25 for shipping. At the latter, the MSRP is higher at $315, but shipping is $10 cheaper.

Return policies differ depending on which retailer you purchase from, but HearFIT offers a 30-day returns policy. This means that unopened QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds are eligible for a full refund while opened QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds may qualify for a refund minus a restocking fee. (QuietOn's own official web shop offer 30 days to return from delivery date.)

In comparison, the app-controlled Fitnexa SomniPods 3, which features an AI sleep coach, ANC, sleep tracking and soundscapes, are $189.99 at MSRP (and are often $30 off in the sales). However, the SomniPods have one glaring flaw: they only offer 6.5 hours of ANC on a single charge. For the average sleeper, this sound proofing won't cover a whole night's sleep.

Meanwhile our top-performing pick, the Soundcore Sleep A30, offers up to 10 hours of continuous ANC on a single charge and is priced at $229 (often reduced to $199 in the sales).

While there's little doubt that the QuietOn 4 Earbuds are a splurge (especially if you want sleep earbuds that come with a variety of additional features, such as sleep tracking and soundscapes), the longer 28-hour ANC playtime on a single charge makes them a foolproof sleep tool. The absence of apps and Bluetooth, also means there's no hidden costs or subscriptions.

QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds Review: Design & comfort

• Soft foam tips feel comfortable in ear canal
• Side-sleeper friendly, customizable, and compact
• Ultra-small dimensions for an ANC earbud

In terms of design, I'm going to begin with QuietOn 4's unique selling point: they are the world's smallest ANC sleep earbuds.

Three times smaller than the best wireless earbuds (such as Apple's Air Pods earbuds), the QuietOn 4 are barely an inch in length and the default earbud tips have a diameter of just 0.375" — and the tiny, streamlined size means the earbuds are incredibly comfortable and have a forget-they're-there feel.

The earbud tips are customizable and come with four different sizes. For me, the default Small (S) pair are a great match for my ears, but you can try the Extra Small (XS) , Medium (M), or Large (L) if needs be. The tips are made of a soft, spongey foam and they are easy for me to clean with a damp cloth dipped in soapy water.

The ultimate test for determining a earbud's comfort is side sleeping, as a chunky or hard earbud can feel as though it's digging into your ear as soon as the side of your head hits the pillow.

I found this discomfort when trying out the Fitnexa SomniPods, as the softness of the tips were cancelled out by the hard, metallic body. Meanwhile, testers for the Soundcore Sleep A30 felt the addition of ANC made the A30 model thicker and more uncomfortable than previous models.

However, I never had this problem while testing the QuietOn earbuds. They are small enough not to feel a nuisance and cushioning enough to eliminate any hardness, and the good news is that they are still nestled in my ear every morning.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the travel-friendly QuietOn 4 earbuds' sleek 4.5" black and silver case, which also doubles as a portable charger.

QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds Review: Features

• Ultra-quiet ANC, but you have 15 seconds to activate
• No internet connection, Bluetooth, or apps required
• Portable charging case included plus 28-hour battery life

No apps, no AI sleep coaches, no tracking, and no rainforest sounds — the QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds are only here to cancel out distracting noise for a silent sleep space.

And they deliver on that promise. The ANC is outstanding and is designed to eliminate lower frequency sounds, such as snoring or bass of techno music infiltrating through your walls, but still allow you to catch your morning alarm.

In the summertime, I have to open my windows wide to try and sleep cooler when I don't have air conditioning. Open windows mean city noises come flooding in to my room, but I didn't hear a single thing when wearing QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds.

There's a slight nuisance, though: You only have a 15-second ANC activation window. Basically, this window means that, once you take the earbuds out of their charging case, you only have 15 seconds to put them in your ears to activate the ANC. But I quickly got the hang of this.

If you're quick enough, the noise cancellation should begin within a few seconds. (When you first put them in your ears, you hear a slight static sound, followed by silence.)

The ANC, on the other hand, separates it from regular foam earplugs, such as the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs, and noise-masking (rather than active cancelling) earbuds such as the Ozlo Sleepbuds.

That said, if you do want earbuds that offer more than 'just' noise reduction, the Ozlo Sleepbuds do offer an in-ear personal alarms and sleep sounds (such as white noise and nature noises), while the Fitnexa SomiPods can track your sleep and provide an AI sleep coach.

However, as someone who has tried the latter product, I know that these AI powered tools can seem a little gimmicky and the sleep tracking can be rendered futile when the earbuds such as the Fitnexa never seem to still be in your ear upon awakening.

Overall, if you want a no-nonsense pair of ANC sleep earbuds that deliver the quiet night they promise without relying on Bluetooth and internet connection, then the QuietOn earbuds will be the right match.

QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds Review: Battery life

• Lasts up to 28 hours on a single charge
• Charging the case requires USB-C cable
• Charging takes three hours up to twice a week

A huge benefit of the QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds is the long battery life, which lasts up to 28 hours on a single charge (which takes around three hours).

This means that, for the average 8-hours sleeper, the QuietOn 4 earbuds last around three and half nights and require just one or two three-hour charges a week.

Compare this battery life to that of the the Fitnexa SomniPods (6.5 hours of ANC on a single charge) or the Soundcore Sleep A03 (up to 10 hours of ANC on a single charge).

To charge the case, I use the provided USB-C cable (the kind that you use to charge the iPhone 15 and its successors) to charge the portable charging case.

QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds: Should you buy?

While those who want a variety of sleep features from their earbuds, such as sleep tracking or nature sounds, will find the QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds too basic, I can honestly say the quality of their ANC is anything but.

The QuietOn 4's battery life and noise cancellation is a reliable way to create a distraction-free sleep environment all night. They're comfortable and snug enough to stay in your ear until morning, and its lack of reliance on Bluetooth and apps mean it has a failproof, no-fuss operation.

The 15-second ANC activation may seem like a hassle at first, but I got used to it after the first couple of nights. Their ultra small design and sleek portable charging case also makes them travel-friendly and perfect for anyone wanting to get some sleep in noisy environments like a a plane or shared hotel room.

Yes, it is a splurge at around $300 at MSRP, and I would totally understand if you'd rather spend your money on a sleep headphone that provides all the sensor-operating bells and whistles. But if all you're after is a night free of your neighbors' music belting out or or your partner's snoring, then QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds are worth it.

QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds: Alternatives to consider

My mom has always preached the benefits of an early night, so even as an adult it's been my go-to fix following a bad night's sleep. Turns out, going to bed earlier to catch up on sleep is the worst thing I could have done.

"People often assume that if they're tired or sleeping poorly, the solution is to go to bed earlier," explains Dr. Joshua Roland, medical director for Dreem Health. "But this can create a mismatch between your sleep opportunity (time in bed) and your actual sleep need."

Here's why your 'early nights' might actually be causing your poor sleep and 3 a.m. wake-ups too, and how you can properly catch up on rest without sabotaging your quality of sleep...

• Read more: I kept waking up at 3 a.m. until doctors explained that falling asleep in front of the TV was destroying my sleep pressure

At a glance: Key takeaways

• Early nights are seen as a healthy way to catch up on sleep, however they can disrupt your circadian rhythm and lead to middle of the night wake-ups.
• When you go to bed early, you may not have built up enough 'sleep pressure,' so you might struggle to drift off. This can cause some people to mistakingly think they have temporary insomnia.
• But if you're yawning and feel drowsy, a slightly earlier bedtime (around 20 minutes earlier than normal) can help — but experts say to avoid significantly altering your sleep schedule.

How early nights caused my overnight wake-ups

Early nights might sound sensible but our sleep schedules thrive on routine. When that routine gets disrupted, even if you think you're doing the right thing, your sleep can suffer.

"When people extend their time in bed significantly beyond what they're used to, they may find that sleep becomes more fragmented," explains Dr. Aric Prather, sleep scientist and licensed clinical psychologist at BetterSleep.

"One reason for this is that the body is still operating on its usual timing," he says. "Sleep is regulated by both circadian rhythms and sleep drive, and an earlier bedtime doesn't necessarily shift those systems immediately.

Here are three ways it impacted my sleep...

I started waking up at 3 a.m.

I assumed an early night would simply add hours to my usual sleep routine but my good intentions flew out the window when I found myself waking up at 3 a.m.

As Dr. Rolands explains, this is because while my schedule has changed, my body clock is sticking to its usual routine.

"Someone who normally sleeps from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. may fall asleep at 9 p.m. if they're tired, but their body clock is still programmed for a later schedule," explains Dr. Roland. "As sleep pressure fades overnight and the circadian system begins preparing for wakefulness, they may wake at 2, 3, or 4 a.m. and struggle to fall back asleep."

This is because around this time of night, your hormones shift. Levels of melatonin, the sleepy hormone, drop off while cortisol, the awake hormone, begins to rise.

If you've already clocked up enough sleep, this hormone change can be enough to wake you. And because sleep pressure (the need for sleep) has faded, you can't drift off again.

"In some cases, an 'early night' can actually contribute to middle-of-the-night awakenings rather than improve sleep," says Dr. Roland.

I couldn't fall asleep

Despite yawning my way through the afternoon, I often find when I go to bed at an earlier hour, I lie awake until my regular sleep time arrives. What gives?

Sheree-Ann Michelle, Pharmacist and Functional Medicine Health Coach at The Wellnaissance, explains that the longer you're awake, the more the chemical adenosine builds up and it's this that makes us feel sleepy (in other words, the more you're awake, the more you feel pressure to sleep.)

"When you go to bed before that sleep pressure has had sufficient time to build, your body simply is not ready to enter or sustain deep sleep, even if you feel tired or stressed," says Michelle. "The result is that people who go to bed unusually early often find themselves lying awake."

It's like turning up early for a train. You're ready to go but the train is sticking to its schedule.

I struggled to sleep the next night

When your early nights haven't accomplished what you hoped for, you might feel tempted double down — keep moving your bedtime forward until those cumulative hours have finally killed off your sleep deprivation.

However, all this time spent in bed not sleeping can have a long reaching impact on your sleep health.

"One reason that early nights can backfire is that getting into bed before sleepiness leads the brain to connect bed with laying awake," says Dr. Jessica Weatherford, psychologist at Catalyst Psychology.

That means when you go to bed, your brain doesn't think: 'this is where sleep happens.' Instead, it might start to assume, based on experience, that you're lying there with the intention of staying awake.

How to sleep better after a bad night's sleep

So my early nights might not actually help me catch up on sleep. But as it's my go-to solution when I've clocked up under seven hours the night before, I asked the experts what I can do instead.

1. Move your bedtime slightly earlier

After a bad night's sleep you might be tempted to crawl into bed as soon as possible but Dr. Roland advises sticking as close to your usual sleep schedule as possible.

"I'd recommend recovering from a poor night's sleep by maintaining a consistent wake-up time," he says, "moving bedtime only slightly earlier if needed."

That means rather than an additional hour in bed, you take an extra 15 to 20 minutes. Doing so maintains your sleep cycle, limiting disruption (while still getting a touch more snooze.)

2. Aim for a few good nights, not one 'mega night'

"Consistency' is your watchword when it comes to good sleep as your body clock thrives on repetition. So when you're trying to catch up on rest, don't do it all at once.

"Prioritize several consecutive nights of adequate rest rather than relying on a single 'recovery' sleep marathon," says Dr. Rolands.

"Additionally, your body can only make so much sleep," notes Dr. Prather.

To get through the day in between, try a quick nap. But quick is the operative word: the 20-minute nap hack is the best way to regain energy without ruining your sleep pressure.

3. Make sure you're actually sleepy

There's a difference between feeling worn out and feeling tired. If you go to bed when you're experiencing the first but not the second, you might find yourself lying awake.

Dr. Weatherford encourages looking for "signs of sleepiness", including yawning and heavy eyes.

When these sleepy signals are clear, it's time to go to bed, even if you're (slightly) ahead of your usual bed time.

Many of us want to know the secrets behind how to fall asleep fast and sleep through the night. I've learned a lot during my time as a Tom's Guide sleep writer, but I want to know how one of the world's most renowned experts on insomnia and other sleep problems does it.

Dr Lindsay Browning is a neuroscientist and chartered psychologist, and the founder of sleep clinic TroubleSleeping. Through her work Dr Lindsay has helped thousands of people to learn how to fall asleep easily and quickly, and to skip unnecessary overnight wake-ups.

Here she shares her the four things she does every evening to fall asleep fast and sleep through the night. Plus, her golden rule about what not to do if she ever wakes up at 3 a.m.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Dr Browning goes to bed at the same time each night (an important aspect of the 7:1 sleep rule), and uses 'sleep cues' including nighttime tea and a pillow spray to signal to her brain that it's time to sleep.
• She uses 'Do Not Disturb' settings on her phone to silence non-essential notifications overnight while still allowing emergency calls from close family.
• Dr Browning avoids using her phone in bed and never checks the time if she's having trouble sleeping. She also blocks unwanted light with an eye mask.

The 4 things an insomnia expert does every night to fall asleep fast and sleep through

1. Keeps a consistent bedtime

I know from the 7:1 sleep rule that bedtime consistency is key to better long term health, but studies show that reducing day-to-day variability in bedtime can also help treat insomnia.

And Dr Browning definitely takes this key finding into consideration when planning her nighttime routine.

"I try to go to bed at a similar time each night to allow me enough time in bed before my morning alarm," Dr Browning tells me.

"Even if I have things left to do, I really try to prioritise sleep because I know that if I get enough sleep, I will be better equipped for the next day," she adds.

• Read more: I kept waking up at 3 a.m. until I ditched this 'healthy' sleep habit — an expert explains why I had to stop it

2. Follows the same wind-down routine

The best teas for sleep contain ingredients such as lavender and chamomile that studies have found improve sleep quality, but Dr Browning tells me the very act of brewing and drinking a caffeine-free beverage every evening can send a message your brain that it's time to wind-down.

According to the psychologist, there is a "psychological association" between the tea's smell and taste and the fact that sleep will be soon.

"Having the same warm drink before bed each night helps signal to my brain that it’s time to wind down for the night," she shares.

3. Uses aromatherapy

I am a big fan of lavender pillow mist and lavender's proven sleep-inducing effect, so I was pleased to hear that Dr Browning "always use a lavender scented pillow spray before bed on my pillow". A spritz of lavender is also her secret travel sleep hack.

"Having these consistent pre-bedtime rituals means that when I travel I take my tea and pillow spray with me, which brings a sense of familiarity from home wherever I am," she reveals.

4. Silences most phone notifications

Can't wind down because your phone is constantly lighting up? Dr Browning doesn't have this problem as she helps her phone prepare for sleep, too.

"I ensure that my phone has an automatic night setting which silences all notifications," the neuroscientist says.

To put her mind at ease and soothe nighttime anxiety, she's also set an override so that her closest family members can call her during the night even when her phone is set to do not disturb. .

"This helps me to sleep peacefully knowing that I can be contacted in an emergency but without the disruptions from unnecessary notifications that can wait until the morning," she explains.

3 things an insomnia expert avoids at night for better sleep

While the above tips help her sleep through the night, trouble sleeping and nighttime awakenings are more common than you think.

So, when she finds herself struggling to sleep or awake at 3 a.m., here are the 3 things she avoids to help her fall back asleep.

1. Clock watching

When you wake up in the middle of the night, it's tempting to grab your alarm clock or phone to check the time. However, this will just prolong your nighttime awakening.

"I advise my clients that clock watching is almost never helpful in the middle of the night because it typically just makes you more anxious and frustrated about how little sleep you've had or how long it is left until morning," she says.

"Instead, I always set an alarm and if the alarm has not gone off yet, I know that it's not morning yet," she adds.

2. Bedroom light

There's plenty of research that shows how artificial light and seasonal changes can disrupt sleep, with one study finding that even a small amount of light can lead to nighttime awakenings.

Whether it's light from a device or from traffic, Dr Browning says there's a simple product you can buy to avoid sleep-disrupting light.

"If my husband is staying up later in bed to do something on his phone, or it is summer and there is light coming through the curtains, I will use an eye mask to block out the unnecessary light that might otherwise disrupt my sleep," she says.

3. Scrolling

And finally, we have one of the worst offenders for disrupting sleep: scrolling.

Research has even shown that one hour pf phone use in bed can increase insomnia by 59%, which is why Dr Browning avoids reaching for her phone whenever she finds herself awake in the middle of the night.

"I try to resist reaching for my phone because scrolling through social media instead of sleeping will make it less likely that I'm going to be able to go back to sleep again," she says.

Our top 3 gadgets for better sleep

I recently started tracking my sleep with an Apple Watch, and it's told me something I already knew: I sleep for around six hours a night. While expert guidelines recommend that adults should sleep seven or more hours a night for optimal health, my sleep tracker consistently awards me high sleep scores.

So, does this mean six hours of sleep is enough?

To find out, I recently showed my Apple Watch's sleep tracking data to board-certified sleep medicine physician and medical director at Dreem Health, Dr. Joshua Roland. My aim was to find out if I could be part of a small percentage of people whom research finds are genetically predisposed to sleeping less than seven hours a night.

Here's what Dr. Roland had to say about my sleep, the rare short sleeper trait, and whether sleeping for six hours is ever enough. He also breaks down the ramifications of sleeping six hours a night, plus the benefits of sleeping for seven hours or more.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• My high sleep scores from my sleep tracking device don’t mean my average sleep duration of six hours is enough — most research still supports seven hours as the minimum for long-term health.
• Only a very small number of people are true 'short sleepers' genetically; for most, consistently getting less than seven hours is linked to higher health risks and reduced life expectancy.
• Chronic sleep deprivation impacts the whole body, including cardiovascular, immune, and hormonal systems — even if you feel mentally fine in the short term.
• Sleep quality matters (stages, consistency, few awakenings), but it doesn’t replace sufficient duration; the best outcomes come from both good quality sleep and at least seven hours of sleep a night.

My average sleep time and sleep scores

When I began tracking my sleep, I knew I'd be getting sleep duration averages of around six hours — maybe even five or four on nights when I'm pulling an all-nighter or experiencing a bout of insomnia.

My average sleep duration varies. Some weeks my average sleep time is around 6 hours and 11 minutes. Other weeks, particularly during my menstrual phase, I get an average of 5 hours and 52 minutes. Basically, I'm getting nowhere near the amount of sleep that sleep experts recommend.

However, my Apple Watch sleep scores are consistently high. For example, on Tuesday, April 7, I was awarded a high score of 90 on just 6 hours and 24 minutes of sleep. On Wednesday, April 15, I got an 86 on 6 hours and 2 minutes of sleep. So, what gives?

Is 6 hours of sleep enough?

While there has been research that found six hours or more of sleep is actually markedly better at reducing the risk of serious health issues, compared to less than six hours sleep, Dr. Roland says that there's an overwhelming amount of studies that warn seven hours is actually the minimum.

"There's definitely variation, genetics and age and health conditions that affects the sleep need but, as a ballpark, we recommend at least seven to eight hours minimum for most people," he tells me.

"Genetically, maybe some people can get away with six, but probably very few can chronically get away with it without it impacting health and cognitive function," he adds.

So, how does sleeping for less than seven hours affect our health? Dr. Roland points to recent research that highlights sleep deprivation's impact on life expectancy, such as a 2025 study that reported sleeping less than seven hours decreases your life expectancy more than poor diet or lack of exercise.

"Studies on duration show that mortality goes up if it's less than seven," he says.

The sleep expert also points out that even those who don't feel the effects of less than seven hours of sleep "cognitively" may be overlooking the effects a lack of sleep can have on the body.

"If you go a long time where you're not sleeping enough, you might feel like you're getting used to it, but sleep is such an ingrained part of our biology that every organ system needs sleep to recover and repair," he warns.

"Even if you feel OK mentally, your cardiovascular system, your immune system, your endocrine system, pretty much every system in the body needs sleep to restore itself and recover from day-to-day damage," adds the board-certified doctor.

Dr. Roland warns that, while a night or two of sleeping less than seven hours is unlikely to do any substantial harm, years of sleep deprivation can accumulate serious sleep debt.

"Over the course of years, it takes a major toll on life expectancy and long-term health if you're not getting the sleep you need," he warns.

But what about those who experience short sleeper syndrome? Do they need at least seven hours of sleep for their bodies to recover, even if they have an innate tendency to sleep for less?

"In a lot of ways, the short sleeper syndrome is kind of a sleep myth as short sleep is usually behaviorally driven," he argues.

According to Dr. Roland, modern life, from social obligations to media consumption, have driven us to stay up late and follow an "unnatural" schedule which shortens our sleep.

"The way we live now is very different than our ancestors lived for millions of years, and our bodies aren't built to live this way quite yet. " he warns.

The sleep medicine physician also explains that there are certain groups of people who need more sleep than others.

"Anyone growing or recovering needs more sleep, so infants, kids, teenagers, even some in their twenties need higher than that, along with anyone recovering from illness or requiring more energy for athletic performance," explains Dr. Roland.

The benefits of sleeping for 7+ hours a night

Okay, so we've established how sleeping for less than seven hours a night can affect our overall and long-term health, but what are the benefits for sleeping seven hours or more?

Dr. Roland says that one major benefit of sleeping for at least seven hours is increased metabolism.

"The way we regulate glucose and really most hormones in the body are regulated on based on sleep, he says.

In fact, a study found that sleeping for around 7 hours and 18 minutes every night may be the ideal amount of time for reducing the risk of insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.

Another benefit is a boosted immune system, as Dr. Roland explains.

"A boosted immune system is important to fight off disease and can look at our cells and identify cancer cells," he tells me.

However, probably the most talked-about benefits is increased life expectancy.

Earlier this year, a groundbreaking study by Vitality and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) discovered that getting at least 7 hours of sleep and going to sleep within a 1-hour window can help you live up to four years longer. This has led to a gold-standard sleep guideline: the '7:1' sleep rule.

3 sleep scores just as important as duration

While it's clear that I need to boost my average sleep duration for better long-term health, what isn't as clear is why I'm consistently achieving high sleep scores.

As it tuns out, sleep duration isn't the only sleep metric that's worth paying attention to. Here, Dr. Roland explains why sleep quality, a consistent sleep schedule, and the number of nighttime awakenings are just as important as sleep duration.

1. The quality of my sleep

After looking at my sleep tracking data, Dr. Roland says one major factor for my high sleep scores is the quality of my sleep.

"It's not just how much sleep you get, it's also the quality of your sleep," he tells me.

"You can be getting a good 8 hours of sleep, but if it's poor quality sleep, it's not the same as getting a good healthy 8 hours of sleep," Dr. Roland adds.

One of the key metrics I always pay attention to is my sleep stages (in other words, the type of sleep I'm getting throughout the night): core (light sleep), deep sleep, and REM sleep. According to Dr. Roland, these sleep stages all serve specific functions that are crucial for optimal health.

"REM sleep is really important for cognitive functioning, and deep sleep is important for the immune system," he explains. "In nights that you didn't have as high a score as others, you had a little bit less REM sleep and deep sleep and that's because those are important for health."

2. Number of nighttime awakenings

Waking up during the night is a normal part of sleep (most of the time, we have no memory of it the next day), and my sleep tracking data shows that my nighttime awakenings are minimal and last no more than a minute.

However, waking up at night can become an issue if nighttime awakenings become frequent.

"If sleep is fragmented, you're not getting the uninterrupted sleep that allows you to get the amount of REM sleep and deep sleep the way that you should," warns Dr. Roland.

3. Consistent bedtime

My sleep score is always boosted when I go to bed within a 1-hour window, and that's because a consistent sleep schedule is in line with my circadian rhythm.

"Your body is on a 24 hour cycle, and even if you're taking a long sleep period during the day, it's not quite the same as a consistent sleep period where your entire body is resting and synchronised," explains Dr. Roland.

Bottom line

After looking at my sleep data, Dr. Roland has left me some words of advice — and it turns out I'm not wired to be sleeping as little as I am after all.

"My guess is you probably need a little bit more than you're getting, so try to get to bed 15 minutes earlier for a couple of weeks, and add another 15 minutes if that's going well," he advises.

"See if you can shoot for a half hour to an hour earlier," he adds.

However, he also advises that I don't push myself by trying to extend my sleep duration too much.

"You don't wanna create a goal that's really high and then get stressed out over trying to get eight hours when you're averaging six," he warns.

As for whether six hours is enough, Dr. Roland says that for the majority of people, it's a hard "no".

"The literature really points to at least seven hours for long-term health and longevity the board-certified doctor explains. "For most people, six hours is not enough for overall health, lifespan and the body to repair itself.”

Tech that helping me get enough sleep

The Fitnexa SomniPods are taking on the sleep headphone market by stuffing as much as possible into two tiny earbuds. This is your one stop sleep tracker, audio library, calorie counter and personalized AI coach.

That’s a lot, and a lesser earbud might be overwhelmed. But at the core of the Fitnexa is a solid design that impresses as both a sleep aid and headphones. Plus, the integrated AI wellness coaches add an exciting layer of hands-on self-improvement to an otherwise standard sleep tracker... if you pay to subscribe, that is.

Some necessary compromises hold the Fitnexa back from taking on its biggest competitors (the Soundcore Sleep A30, namely.) I might expect better sound for the price and the cluttered app meant it took me more days than I'd like to admit to figure out basic functions like the alarm.

However, the Fitnexa SomniPods certainly pack in enough features to take on the best sleep headphones we've tested. Learn more in my full Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Sleep Earbuds review below.

• Fitnexa SomniPods 3 at Fitnexa for $189.99

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Specs

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Price & Availability

• Currently $189.99 and only available from Fitnexa
• Similar price to competitors Ozlo and Soundcore
• AI Coach and advanced health tools require a subscription at $49.99 per year

The Fitnexa SomniPods 3 cost $189.99 at Fitnexa US. They are shipped to Canada, Europe and Australia — but you'll have to convert the currency yourself.

That puts them in the same price bracket as the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds — undoubtedly the SomniPods closest competitor — which typically retail at $199.99. Although the Soundcore earbuds have the benefit of being completely subscription free.

While Fitnexa does offer a variety of features for free (including sleep tracking), a subscription opens you up to the AI Coach and the full-range of health tracking features, but adds another $49.99 per year.

As the SomniPods 3 only came onto the market in November 2025, I'm twiddling my thumbs waiting to see what discounts we can expect. If it's anything like the Soundcore sales, I predict you'll need to wait for Black Friday for the biggest discounts.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Design & Comfort

• Comfortable for side sleeping and back sleeping
• Hard body can cause some soreness
• IPX4 waterproofing

Beige and compact, the Fitnexa SomniPods are designed to fit snugly in your ears and get lost easily in your sheets. Thankfully there's a 'find my earbuds' function, or this whole thing would have been a bust from night one.

But the compact design serves an important purpose: comfort. Unlike your standard wireless earbuds, the SomniPods are almost flat, so they won't dig painfully into your ear as soon as your head hits the pillow.

It’s this super thin design that contributes most to the comfort of the SomniPods because while the included silicon ear wings offer some padding, the shell of the earbud itself is hard. Lying on my side, it took some maneuvering to get my ear, earbud and pillow playing nice and I'd often wake up to some soreness. That's not unusual in a sleep earbud — the Soundcore has a similar problem for side sleepers — but it's worth noting.

Back sleepers, however, are golden. And if you’re traveling or working, the lightweight SomniPods are comfortable to wear for extended time periods.

However, I’d be remiss not to mention the experience of my colleague, Frances Daniels. She’s been testing the SomniPods as well and has yet to start the morning with them still in her ears. Maybe she just has freakish ear canals but as she wears the Loop Quiet 2 ear plugs regularly and they manage to stay in during the night, I think the problem lies elsewhere.

We've experienced this problem with both the Soundcore Sleep A30 and Soundcore Sleep A20 too, so it's not an isolated Fitnexa issue.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Controls & App

• Touch controls can be customized
• But require a firm hand to work
• App is packed-full but not the most user-friendly

The Fitnexa SomniPods use touch controls, which can be customized in the app. It's a fairly standard set-up; the hardest part is actually finding the function in the user interface.

The tap controls aren’t particularly sensitive and require a firm hand before they take notice — I use the JLab Go Pods day-to-day and they're much more responsive. However, the upside is that it's hard to errantly change settings in the night, a problem we noticed from time to time while testing the Soundcore A30s.

The app isn’t the most user-intuitive, which I attribute to Fitnexa trying to do so much with it. As well as sleep sounds, ANC and sleep tracking, you can monitor fitness goals, log meals and speak to an AI helper (more on that later.) As a result, some useful features get buried. It took me far too long to find the alarm setting, for example, despite being a basic addition.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: ANC & PNC

• Decent ANC and PNC
• Masks low-level noise and muffles more disruptive sounds

Active noise cancelation is expected nowadays from a sleep earbud at this price point and the SomniPods deliver with built-in ANC.

Overall, the quality is decent — the ANC alone blocked my ticking clock and the traffic passing by my open window. And while I don’t share a bedroom, I did give the ANC a whirl while my mom enjoyed a post-Sunday lunch nap (she really took one for the team) and it successfully muffled her snores.

Best of all, the SomniPods completely masked the sound of my neighbor’s son hitting a basketball against the side of the house over and over and over, something which had me close to pulling my hair out.

The Fitnexa SomniPods can’t beat the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds when it comes to ANC, but should put up a good fight against the Soundcore Sleep A30s. Once you have the ANC running and some white noise hissing, the rest of the world does almost disappear. Yes, even the basketballs.

The PNC (passive noise canceling) itself is good and with just the earbuds in, sounds were muffled but not blocked. If you are just after PNC with no bells and whistles, the SomniPods are outclassed by a pair of silicone Loop Quiet 2 earbuds.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Sleep features

• Impressive sleep library and integrated ANC help sleep
• Sleep tracker captures the basics well
• AI Coach offers personalized advice for a subscription fee

The combination of ANC and side sleeper comfort alone makes the SomniPods strong contenders for our guide to the top-rated sleep headphones and that's just the start of the dedicated sleep features.

First, you have access to a range of sleep sounds in the app, plus some basic sounds stored local to the earbuds. The local sounds are pretty uninspired and loop regularly, so if you have the battery life, go for the app.

I've been using the brown noise to pretend I'm sitting in first class, jetting off around the world (you can't judge another person's happy place), and I've been impressed with how quickly I drop off. And so is my AI coach, FYI.

Other features like integrated alarms and wind-down notifications add to the day-to-day usefulness of the SomniPods, even though these features are fairly standard among sleep trackers.

Wellness tracking

Integrated wellness tracking is the first of SomniPods big features, bar audio, and it goes hand-in-hand with the AI tools, which I'll dive into next. The app covers the basics I'd expect from any of the best sleep trackers: time to sleep sleep, time to wake, and sleep cycles.

Overall, I’ve found the SomniPods sleep tracking less accurate than my Withings Sleep Mat (although the Withings is the gold-standard here.) The timings are largely accurate but I'm not sure it's nailed my sleep stages — my Withings always tracks more deep sleep and, on a similar note, my colleague Frances found that on some nights, the SomniPods detected no REM sleep at all.

However, one metric I do like is position tracking. It’s a neat feature that trackers rarely include, but it might help identify the causes of aches and pains, or even heartburn (sleeping on your left side eases the digestion process.)

One thing to note is that it takes a moment for Fitnexa to get your sleep tracking data together, so don’t freak out when you open the app to discover you only got three hours last night. Like all of us, the SomniPods take a minute to pull themselves together in the morning.

Sleep is the most detailed and least 'hands-on' of the tracking features, but you can also log your meals, hydration and exercise. The AI meal identification is the stand-out here, although it needs some work — there's no way my brown roll racked up over 400 calories.

AI Coach

As a sleep nerd, I love getting data back from my sleep tracker but even I can admit the numbers aren't always that useful at fighting exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

So the SomniPods offer something different. Upgrade to the subscription plan and you gain access to your own AI 'Coach.'

So how does it work? First, set a wellness goal. Next, pick your AI Coach. I opted for Hebe, a detail-orientated helper who gives you the facts, but there's also supportive Lana and pusher Evan. (Although having chatted to them all, there's not a huge personality difference.)

Once the app starts collecting data, you can mine your coach for personal advice. Expect detailed feedback mixed in with reflections from your sleep tracker and actionable advice — Hebe noted my lack of deep sleep might be behind my afternoon slump and recommended some energy boosting exercises.

You’ll get better responses the more you use every aspect of the app, which can be a bit of a time drag. Hebe is often concerned by my lack of hydration, but I’ve simply forgotten to log my drinks. This means I waste some of my precious chat credits being told to drink water (AI credits are limited per day, so avoid chit-chatting.)

I am admittedly wary of relying on an AI coach for sleep advice. If you do think a lack of sleep is impacting your day-to-day life, I'd recommend speaking to a healthcare professional (sorry, Hebe.)

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Sound Quality

• Decent audio quality for everyday listening
• Expect some tinniness
• Sleep sounds perform best

The SomniPods have decent audio quality… for a pair of sleep earbuds. That’s an important distinction because for $189.99, you might get your hopes up that this can rival some of the best wireless earbuds.

Not so, but the SomniPods do offer good overall sound quality for everyday listening. The layered clarity of Berghain by Rosalía was largely maintained but the oomph of those high notes was let down slightly by a lingering hiss and some tinniness. You also won’t get a particularly complex listening experience — leave that to the AirPods Pro 3.

However, if you’re looking to simplify your tech, the SomniPods are useful as all-round earbuds. Particularly as there’s an equalizer on the app, offering some control over your listening experience. Pre-set options are built-in but you can also tinker to create something to your liking.

The sound quality is best when listening to traditional sleep sounds. The white noise is perfectly drone-y and the brown noise is that soothing hum of rumbling along in your private jet. On that note, songs with a strong bass are delivered with heft through the SomniPods. I took Down By The Water by PJ Harvey for a spin and got happily lost in its sneering, scuzzy repetition.

Audiobooks are also crisp and clear, and if you do cycle through the sleep noises Fitnexa has to offer, I can attest that the dolphin sounds are spot on and super weird to fall asleep to.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Call quality

• Can make and receive calls
• Microphone is fine but not best for day-to-day

Being able to make and receive calls is another string to the all-round usefulness of the SomniPods, even if the call quality is distinctly average. You’ll sound tinny to the person you talk to and, in response, they’ll come across a little thin. However, the vocals are clean and there was no issue with background noise during my brief calls.

All-in-all, it’s a useful addition to the Fitnexa SomniPods and helps it stand out against competitors such as the Ozlo Sleepbuds, which can’t take calls.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Battery life

• 12 hour playback time with ANC off
• Only 6.5 hour playback time with ANC on
• Charges quickly in the case and holds 48 hours altogether

There's really two stories to the battery life of the SomniPods: with and without ANC.

Without ANC you have a playback time of roughly 12 hours, which is more than enough to get you through the night (you should be sleeping around 7 to 9 hours.) I never quite knocked out 12 hours in one go but after around six hours at my desk, the battery had dropped by 50%.

When you turn the ANC on, however, the overall playback drops to just 6.5 hours. That's not enough for a full night and means you have to be careful with your ANC use, lest your sleep tracker packs in around the early hours. After an hour of ANC paired with brown noise, I was down to around five hours of charge.

To help preserve the battery life, make sure to turn on the Sleep Detect feature. This spots when you've fallen asleep and turns ANC off accordingly (the Soundcore A30s have a similar feature.)

The SomniPods also offer timers for almost everything, so you can set your sounds going for as long or as little. By ensuring your music / audiobook / white noise only plays for a set amount of time, you can save some battery life for when it's needed, and not waste energy piping in brown noise when you're already asleep.

The ANC battery life isn't necessarily a flaw — the Soundcore A30 and Ozlo have similar issues — and by the time the buds die, you're asleep. However, if you wake up in the night, you often won't have enough juice to get yourself back to sleep.

Thankfully, the buds charge quickly; after 30 minutes, the case had jumped to around four hours battery life (from completely dead) and it took less than two hours to be back to 100%. Plus, the case holds roughly two days of power, meaning you don't have to charge the earbuds every morning.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 Review: Verdict

Fitnexa attempts a lot with the SomniPods and for the most part, this is a solid pair of sleep headphones. The combination of good ANC with a decent audio means if unwelcome noises are keeping you up, you can enjoy a more peaceful night with the SomniPods.

However, the strongest feature is the AI Coach, which is primarily for subscribers. The advice is both helpful and actionable, and because it draws from your own sleep tracking data, it goes beyond the usual AI sleep routines.

It is a case of 'you get what you put in' and to make the most of the features, you'll need to log your food, drink and exercise regime. This is a bit of a time suck, but it might be worth it to avoid my AI Coach telling me to drink another glass of water, especially as chat credits are limited.

If you aren't interested in the AI upgrade, however, the SomniPods fall just behind the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds overall. Both are good all-rounders but the SomniPod newcomers are just pipped by the old guard when it comes to sound quality and ANC.

Still, the Fitnexa SomniPods 3 put up a good fight and at $189.99, I would consider them a decent investment — you get a lot for your money, even though you might question if you need it all.

• Read more: QuietOn 4 Sleep Earbuds review

A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center, published in the medical journal Sleep and Breathing, now links obstructive sleep apnea with reduced muscle quality and strength, plus an increased risk of fractures.

It's estimated that around 936 million people globally are affected by sleep apnea, with the main symptoms and effects being impaired breathing at night, leading to strong daytime fatigue. If you're waking up exhausted and feeling weak when working out, your sleep disorder might be to blame.

We spoke to board-certified neurologist Dr. Rab Nawaz Khan and physician Dr. Fabio Luis Vieira to learn more about the new study; how sleep apnea impacts your muscle health and bone quality, and, crucially, how you can reduce its impact on your muscle and bone health.

Key findings: At a glance

• The study, published in January 2026, shows an emerging link between obstructive sleep apnea and reduced muscle density. The more breathing disruptions during the night, the poorer the participant's muscle quality.
• Peak growth hormone secretion happens during deep N3 sleep. OSA 'fragments' deep sleep, so your muscles aren't getting a chance to be repaired.
• Intermittent hypoxia (low oxygen) creates systemic inflammation in the body and is a known 'muscle killer'.
• Check the Deep Sleep or Restoration metrics on your sleep tracker. While not a medical diagnosis, a consistent lack of N3 sleep is a red flag for sleep apnea.
• Those with OSA and who are aged 65+ and/or have a high BMI are typically associated with muscle depletion and bone risk.
• Make sure your sleep apnea is properly diagnosed and treated. CPAP remains the standard therapy and research suggests effective OSA treatment may help support bone health over time.
• Eat calcium and protein-rich foods to improve bone and muscle health. Eating enough protein could help you get 18 minutes more sleep a night.
• A recent study found that a daily walk can reduce sleep apnea risk by 10%.

About the obstructive sleep apnea and muscle health study

The study, published in January 2026, looked at a possible link between sleep disorders and muscle health. Specifically, it assessed how Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) impacts muscle health and bone health.

209 participants were screened with a polysomnography sleep study to diagnose the presence and severity of their obstructive sleep apnea.

Using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), participants were defined as having OSA if they partially or completely stopped breathing 10 times or more per hour of sleep (134 participants did).

If breathing disruptions were fewer than 10 per hour, they were joined the comparison group.

Computed tomography (CT) imaging was used to assess muscle characteristics.

The researchers looked at two key metrics. The first was skeletal muscle density, which measures the quality and compactness of muscle tissue, specifically representing the amount of lean muscle tissue relative to fat infiltration within the muscle.

The second metric was skeletal muscle index, which measures an individual's skeletal muscle mass relative to their height.

They then examined how these muscle traits correlated with OSA severity, oxygen levels, age, and Body Mass Index (BMI).

The results indicated that:

• Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with lower skeletal muscle density.
• The more breathing disruptions recorded (higher AHI), the lower skeletal muscle density observed. Muscle quality also correlated negatively with BMI and age.
• Ultimately, while the study indicates people with sleep apnea have low muscle quality, high BMI and old age can lead to sleep apnea.
• Therefore, these factors could also cause low muscle quality, rather than sleep apnea itself causing it.

How obstructive sleep apnea affects muscle health

The new research adds to a growing body of research associating sleep apnea with poor muscle health.

For example, Dr. Fabio Luis Vieira, a board-certified physician, points to a 2021 Brazilian study of nearly 8,000 people aged 50 years and older that found people at high risk of obstructive sleep apenea were more than twice as likely to have low muscle mass.

But what causes this muscle loss?

There are two mechanisms that contribute to adverse musculoskeletal changes in sleep apnea patients, agree the doctors: chronic intermittent hypoxia (a condition where body tissues do not receive enough oxygen), and sleep fragmentation.

Let's look at them in turn now...

Oxygen deprivation

Without adequate oxygen, muscles do not function.

Dr. Vieira explains: "Every time breathing stops during sleep, the body is deprived of oxygen — and that deprivation, repeated hundreds of times a night, appears to trigger a slow but steady breakdown of muscle tissue."

"Repeated oxygen drops can also trigger metabolic acidosis, which dissolves bone mineral directly, inhibits mineralization, and suppresses the collagen synthesis that both muscle and bone depend on for structural integrity."

Sleep deprivation

The sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea also impacts muscles. Nighttime breathing disruptions also disturb your sleep cycles, resulting in low quality, broken sleep.

Alongside increasing the levels of stress and inflammation in your body, frequent nighttime awakenings prevent your body from entering restorative deep sleep stages where muscles rebuild and grow.

As Dr. Vieira explains: "The hormones the body normally releases during deep sleep — especially growth hormone, which is essential for muscle repair — never get a chance to do their job."

"Chronic sleep disruption also quietly raises inflammation throughout the body. Research shows that this low-grade inflammatory state accounts for roughly a third of sleep apnea's effect on muscle loss," he adds.

This means, Dr. Khan reminds us, that "from a neurologic and whole-body perspective, OSA is not just snoring plus tiredness. It is a repeated overnight physiologic stressor."

Sleep apnea and bone health

It's not just your muscles at risk, says Dr. Vieira, "sleep apnea may be hollowing out your bones, too." And the science checks out.

Two major meta-analysis — one published in 2022 and the other in 2024, together covering more than 270,000 people — found that individuals with sleep apnea are roughly twice as likely to develop osteoporosis as those without it. And the worse the sleep apnea, the worse the bone damage.

That's because "each apnea event plunges the body into a brief state of low oxygen," which stimulates the cells that break down bone, while blocking the cells that build bone, explains the doctor.

What's more, a 2025 case-control study found patients with OSA had a 12% higher incidence of vertebral fractures than healthy controls, indicating poorer bone health.

Said fractures do not bode well with getting quality sleep, indicates the research. The OSA patients with a fracture had a higher wake time after falling asleep, spent more time in light sleep and less time in deep sleep than OSA patients without a fracture.

Who is most at risk of the physical effects of sleep apnea

Sleep apnea can affect anyone, but the physical toll on muscles is heightened in certain individuals.

People aged 65 and over who have OSA are typically associated with muscle depletion and bone risk.

Dr. Khan says: "Older adults are the group I would watch most closely, especially those with obesity, low physical reserve, frailty, or other metabolic risk factors."

That said, there is now evidence to suggest those in the 18 to 39 age bracket are not exempt from risk. Research has linked OSA to early-onset sacropenia (age-related loss of muscle mass) in the United States.

Additionally, people of any age with obesity face an increased risk.

How to mange sleep apnea and improve muscle health

Now that we know the dangers, how can people with obstructive sleep apnea protect their muscle and bone health? Here's what doctors recommend...

1. Seek a diagnosis and treatment

"The most practical step is to make sure the sleep apnea itself is properly diagnosed and treated," advises Dr. Khan, "because CPAP remains the standard therapy and newer research suggests effective OSA treatment may help support bone health over time."

From the gold-standard CPAP machines to mouth guards, medicine, surgery, and laser treatments, there are now plenty of sleep apnea treatment options available. It's just about finding the right one for you.

2. Get regular exercise

Lifestyle changes are also critical to managing OSA and the muscle and bone damage that can come with it.

Dr. Khan says: "I would also strongly emphasize regular exercise, especially a mix of aerobic activity and resistance training, because exercise can improve OSA severity, physical function, and muscle strength."

If hitting the gym isn't practical for you, a recent study found movement as gentle as a daily walk can reduce sleep apnea by 10%.

3. Eat a nutritious diet

Beyond medical intervention and exercise, Dr. Khan advises people pay attention to "weight management, adequate protein intake, and bone-health basics such as getting enough calcium and Vitamin D."

With obesity being a major cause of airway blockages, eating well and maintaining a healthy weight is crucial to reducing fatty issue around the throat and managing OSA.

Eating plenty of calcium-loaded foods like milk and yoghurt, and protein-rich meals will ensure your bones and muscles retain all the strength they can.

And your sleep will thank you for it as well, considering there is science suggesting you can get 18 minutes more sleep a night by eating adequate protein.

As someone who writes about sleep for a living, I thought I was doing everything right to sleep through the night: consistent sleep schedule, no caffeine after midday, and a calming nighttime routine. So when I started waking up around 2 a.m. night after night, I was baffled.

Why was my sleep suddenly being sabotaged? After combing through my routine for the culprit, I realized that a supposedly 'healthy' bedtime habit could be the cause of my middle-of-the-night insomnia: my sleepy tea.

I reached out to sleep specialist Dr Shelby Harris to find out why, and to learn about the '10-3-2-1-0' rule she recommends for boosting your chances of sleeping through the night instead...

Key take-aways: At a glance

• My bedtime habit: I was drinking sleepy tea every evening. It was causing me to wake up around 2 a.m. and even though I wasn't desperate to use the bathroom, once awake I couldn't go back to sleep until I did use it.
• The temperature trap: Drinking hot liquids too close to bed can raise your core temperature. This can keep you in a lighter state of sleep for longer, where you're more likely to wake up.
• Bladder irritants: Peppermint and some floral blends can irritate your bladder, making your 'urge to go' feel stronger.
• The 90-minute cut-off: If you can't sleep without a cup of bedtime tea, Dr Harris recommends finishing it around 60-90 minutes before sleep to reduce the chances of it waking you up in the night.
• Fluid-free ways to wind down: Try gentle stretching, reading or using a "wind-down audio program" instead of bedtime tea.
• The '10-3-2-1-0 rule': Dr Harris recommends no caffeine 10 hours before bed, no food or drink (only small sips) 3 hours before bed, no work two hours before bed, no screen time an hour before bed, and not pressing snooze on your alarm.

The 'healthy' bedtime habit that caused my insomnia

As part of my nighttime routine, I’ve been enjoying a nighttime tea with a blend of chamomile, lavender and valerian — ingredients known for their sleep-inducing qualities.

Practising the same activities in the evening can help the mind and body recognize that it’s bedtime and start winding down, so along with my evening bath, book and tidy, my cup of tea became a habit.

I found it was helping me sleep, but I reached out to Dr Harris to find out how effective a tea could be.

While the ritual of drinking something warm and caffeine-free can signal to the brain that it’s time to wind down, “it’s not inherently sleep-promoting on its own,” explains Dr Harris.

“The key is what’s in it and how your body responds to it. Herbal teas like chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, and passionflower may have mild calming effects for some individuals, primarily by promoting relaxation rather than directly inducing sleep.”

So I think my tea habit was helping me fall asleep faster because of my calming evening routine, but why was it waking me up later that same night?

Why it was waking me up at 2am

Even though I wasn’t waking up desperate for the toilet, I always felt like I needed to use the bathroom to go back to sleep once I was awake.

“Even if a tea is caffeine-free, the fluid volume can be enough to disrupt sleep,” explains Dr Harris, adding that “this is one of the most common causes of waking up in the middle of the night.”

“Some people are also more sensitive to bladder filling during lighter sleep stages, so even a relatively small amount of liquid before bed can disturb sleep,” adds the board-certified Sleep Specialist at BetterSleep, advising to drink tea around 60-90 minutes before bed to avoid the issue.

While Dr Harris recognizes the importance of a nighttime routine, she recommends a non-fluid-based wind-down instead.

“This might include reading, gentle stretching, guided relaxation, or using a wind-down audio program,” she says.

The new '10-3-2-1-0 rule' I’m sticking to instead to sleep through the night

A sleep rule Dr Harris recommended is the 10-3-2-1-0 rule. This means:

No caffeine 10 hours before bed
No food or drink three hours before bed
No work two hours before bed
No screen time one hour before bed
And 0 times pressing the snooze button

“The 10-3-2-1-0 framework is a helpful educational tool because it simplifies healthy sleep habits,” says Dr Harris.

Since implementing this, my middle-of-the-night insomnia has stopped. I fall asleep fast and sleep through the night, without waking to use the bathroom.

It also stops me from scrolling on my phone at night, meaning keeping a regular sleep schedule (one of the most important steps for a regulated circadian rhythm) is easier.

However, despite the sleep expert saying it’s a good guide, “people should do what works best for them,” she advises. “Some people do fine with a light snack or a small amount of fluid before bed, while others are very sensitive and benefit from tighter restrictions.”

“What’s important if you’re having constant sleep disturbances is discussing potential causes with your doctor,” Dr Harris says.

I went through a period of waking up at 3 a.m. most nights and it felt nearly impossible to fall asleep again. I tried everything from breath techniques designed to calm my nervous system, to getting out of bed and 'pottering' in another room, but nothing worked.

After repeated 3 a.m. wake-ups that were draining me of energy the next day, I decided to get to the bottom of not only why I was waking up at 3.a.m, but how to fall asleep fast again in the middle of the night.

After speaking with experts, I learned that stress (oh hello, cortisol) and anxiety were behind my disrupted sleep. I also discovered a simple relaxation technique that can now help me fall asleep in two to five minutes whenever I wake up at night. Here a psychotherapist explains why it works and how.

Key take-aways: At a glance

• The 3 a.m. wake-up fix: Cognitive shuffling is a mental exercise designed by cognitive scientist Dr. Luc P. Beaudoin to stop racing or busy thoughts that keep you awake at night.
• The 'brain-flip': Cognitive shuffling flips your brain into a 'pre-sleep' state by mimicking the random imagery we experience right before drifting off, and is a science-backed way to fall asleep fast again if you wake up at 3 a.m.
• Anti-stress mode: By focusing on random images and words, you trigger your parasympathetic nervous system responsible for your 'rest and digest' state.
• A faster way to fall back asleep: Just two to five minutes of shuffling through a few letters of the alphabet should be enough to help you drift back into a state of deep rest.

How stress causes 3 a.m. wake-ups

Our sleep is primarily controlled by two main hormones: cortisol and melatonin. These help regulate our internal body clock (also known as circadian rhythm), which determines when we feel awake and when we feel sleepy.

Cortisol, the energizing hormone, is usually released at about 3 a.m. and onwards to help our bodies slowly wake to the day. Melatonin, on the other hand, is released in response to darkness, so is usually released in the evening to help us fall asleep at the right time.

However, cortisol is also a stress hormone. This means that if you experience high levels of stress and anxiety, your cortisol levels are likely to be higher throughout the night. So, when more cortisol is released at about 3 a.m., it’s enough to wake you up abruptly.

This is called the cortisol awakening response (CAR). And it often goes hand-in-hand with a fast heart and racing thoughts, making it difficult to fall back asleep.

Juggling studies, full-time work and two new kittens, this seemed like the culprit behind my disrupted sleep schedule.

While I needed to work at relaxing during the day and implementing a stress-reducing nighttime routine, I also needed an effective short-term technique to make sure I could fall back asleep in the middle of the night.

The technique I used to fall back asleep fast at 3 a.m

What is ‘cognitive shuffling’?

When I learnt about ‘cognitive shuffling,’ a technique developed by Canadian cognitive scientist Dr. Luc P. Beaudoin, I was surprised at its simplicity.

“Cognitive shuffling is a technique where you deliberately think about random, unrelated things, like a lamp, a banana and a car in quick succession,” explains Amy Morin, a Psychotherapist and author of The Mental Strength Playbook.

“The idea is to mimic the kind of loose thinking your brain naturally does as it drifts toward sleep,” she adds.

This essentially ‘tricks’ your brain into sleep mode, “giving it meaningless content to process instead of worrying about the problems that keep you awake,” Morin explains.

How to try ‘cognitive shuffling’

Sometimes, the pressure of thinking of random objects that aren’t connected can actually make your brain work too hard and wake you up.

So a good way to practise cognitive shuffling is to think of a word and then think of objects beginning with each letter of that word.

For example:

Mall, manatee, mug, map…

Ant, apple, attic…

Top, tail, tick…

Trainers, tickle, table…

Rain, rabbit, ruby…

Eggs, elephant, ears…

Sausage, socks, seat…

Switch, store, scissors…

As you can imagine, you don’t need any fancy equipment or lots of focus. It’s quick, free and simple – and surprisingly effective.

My experience of falling back asleep fast at 3 a.m.

With low expectations, I tried this method after lying awake for 20 minutes in the early hours. I closed my eyes and thought of the word ‘sleep’, visualizing random objects that started with each letter of the word.

Initially, my brain started connecting the images, rationalizing them and giving them reason and logic.

But when this happened, I simply stopped and started again. Soon, my thoughts weren’t making any sense, and I drifted back to sleep, calm and anxiety-free.

I was shocked at how effective it was, and when I implemented it again the next night, I fell back asleep in under five minutes.

I also found it was the perfect solution for distracting my anxious brain. Breathing methods gave me too much time to think and become more stressed, whereas this kept my brain away from stressful to-do lists.

And the more you practise, the easier it gets — so now cognitive shuffling is my go-to fall asleep fast method.

More tips to fall asleep quickly again at 3 am

If cognitive shuffling isn’t for you, there are some effective alternative methods I’ve tried. These are the top three:

1. Use an eyemask and earplugs: To stop your brain from becoming too stimulated and switching on, an eyemask and earplugs can keep external stimuli away, helping you drift off in silence and darkness. It also stops you from looking at the clock — a classic stress-inducer.
2. Try slow breathing: Rather than focusing on complicated breathing techniques that usually make me feel more anxious, I just try to slow my breathing down. I don’t restrict myself or count my breaths, but just ensure I’m taking deep, slow breaths. This is usually enough to stimulate my parasympathetic nervous system (for rest and digest) rather than my sympathetic (for fight or flight).
3. Listen to a podcast: Sometimes, if the anxiety is too much for any other method, distracting my brain by listening to a quiet podcast I’ve listened to before can help. It distracts my brain enough from my stressful thoughts, but not enough to actually stimulate me and keep me awake. A calming voice is always a bonus!

I recently swapped my cheap, worn-out pillow for the eco-luxurious Birch Organic Pillow, and that switch immediately added five-star hotel luxury to my budget memory foam mattress.

Suddenly, I felt like I was going on a sleep retreat each night – and I wanted more. I asked Richard Edwards, owner of luxury retreat White House Hideaway, how to add even more premium hotel comfort to my bedroom. "Include high-thread-count sheets, down comforters, and plush pillows,” Edwards suggested.

“Although they may cost a bit more upfront, they'll last longer and provide a luxurious and comfortable experience,” he adds. Here are 12 luxury sleep products to give you the 5-star hotel experience at home, from a relaxing pillow spray to the coziest down alternative comforter.

For over a year now, I've been going for a pre-work stroll every morning to lift my brain fog and boost my energy levels. This morning habit is now an essential part of my day, and I often find myself yawing and feeling groggy whenever I skip it.

But why does a 15-minute morning walk around the block make such a difference to my energy levels? To find out, I asked four doctors why stepping outside after waking up helps me start my day refreshed.

The experts explained there are science-backed advantages to adding a walk to your morning routine, and gave me tips to maximize these benefits. Below, I'll share their advice plus some of the ways I increase my energy levels when I don't have time to go outdoors.

Key takeaways

• Research has proven that getting 15 minutes of sunlight exposure within an hour of waking up every morning can increase energy levels and reduce brain fog.
• You can also increase morning energy levels by hydrating as soon as you wake up, eating a protein-rich breakfast, and avoiding phone activity within 15 minutes of waking up.
• For those who don't have easy access to morning sunlight, try light therapy lamps, blue light glasses and sunrise alarm clocks.

• Read more: I kept waking up exhausted until a NASA scientist shared her $0 lab-tested tip for beating morning grogginess — here’s how it works

My 15-minute morning habit for boosting energy

I work from home three days a week, and while the arrangements has its perks, it does mean my 15-minute walk to the office is eliminated.

While opening my curtains to get some natural light does brighten up my workspace, on my home working days I'd often find myself yawning and reaching for the instant coffee.

So, to make sure that I didn't go eight hours without getting a dose of fresh air, I decided to pencil in a pre-work walk every morning. Lasting just 15 minutes, this was an easy activity to turn into a habit as I live in a walkable city with plenty of parks to stroll in and coffee shops to frequent.

After a year of this healthy habit, I always feel an invigorating boost post-walk — and a groggy slump when I have to miss it. I even credit the morning habit for helping me sleep through the night.

How does the 15 minute sunlight rule boost energy and reduce brain fog?

So, my 15-minute morning walk helps to wake me up and sleep through the night, but why? There's one important component of an outdoor walk that holds the key to boosted energy: sunlight.

A 2026 study by the University of Manchester found that higher daytime light exposure decreases brain fog and increases the ability to maintain focus and attention, with up to 10% faster reaction speeds under bright light compared to dim conditions.

In fact, extensive research shows that our circadian rhythm pretty much relies on light to know that it's daytime, as sunlight increases the production of energy-boosting hormone cortisol.

And while artificial light has been seen to increase alertness, science has proven that natural morning light is a much stronger environmental signal for boosting alertness than indoor lighting.

Dr. Eleni Nicolaou a clinical psychologist and creative wellness expert at Davincified, explains that morning sunlight stimulates two biological functions that transition the body from its sleep state into its alert state.

"The first is the suppression of melatonin, the hormone that your brain secretes during the night to make you feel sleepy," the wellness expert tells me.

Dr. Nicolaou explains that when morning light hits our eyes, it sends a signal to the brain to stop the production of melatonin.

"Most people wake up with melatonin still in their system, which is why the first hour after waking often feels foggy and slow — nothing clears that up much faster than sunlight," she explains.

The second function stimulated by sunlight is the production of cortisol, which is shown to increase blood sugar levels slightly and has been found to enhance concentration and prepare the body for physical and mental activity.

"At the same time melatonin drops, morning light triggers what researchers call the cortisol awakening response," says Dr. Nicolaou.

"Cortisol has a bad reputation as a stress hormone, but in the morning, its role is to energize you," she adds.

How to use the 15-minute sunlight rule: Key considerations

Timing is crucial

'Get 15 minutes of sunlight every morning', as a rule, is pretty broad. Morning can be anything from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m, which means you might wake up at 7 a.m., head out at noon, and feel happy you've hit the brief.

So, what time should you go out to catch some energy-boosting rays? Well, it all depends on your wake-up time.

"The sweet spot based on the circadian literature is within the first hour of waking, ideally within the first 30 minutes, explains Dr. Tracy Collins, a clinical psychologist at Mentalyc.

Dr. Collins notes this 30-60 minute rule is based on how your circadian clock is most sensitive to light input during this early window.

"Waiting until 11 a.m. still has some benefit but you've missed the period where your system is actively looking for that timing signal," she clarifies.

The glass filter

As explained above, sunlight is an important biological wake-up call. However, you can't get your sunlight fix by sitting near a window. Even on a cloudy day, it's best to head outside.

"Even overcast skies provide somewhere around 10,000 lux of light, which is significantly more than indoor lighting which typically sits around 200 to 500 lux," says Dr. Collins.

The psychologist explains windows provide a 'glass filter', with studies finding that the vitamin D-triggering UVB radiation is blocked by window glass.

"So a cloudy day outside is still roughly 20 times brighter than sitting next to a window inside," she says.

"On really grey days I'd suggest bumping it to 20 or 25 minutes to compensate, but you're still getting a meaningful dose," advises Dr. Collins.

Walk anywhere

When I say walk', I don't mean a ramble through the forest or taking a nature hike. You can get your 15-minute sun exposure from walking to the store, taking a stroll around your block, or even stopping to chat to a neighbor.

"10 minutes of movement, doesn't have to be a workout, even a walk around the block counts," says Dr. Collins.

How much energy can you get from 15 minutes of sunlight?

While it's clear by now that sunlight can increase your energy, it's trickier to pinpoint the amount of energy it can boost. So, lets compare gaining energy to charging a phone battery.

"If we're using the phone battery metaphor, I'd say morning sunlight takes you from whatever your baseline is and adds roughly 15 to 20 percent," says Dr. Collins.

"So if you woke up at 50% because you slept poorly, you're now at 65 to 70," elaborates the psychologist.

She also clarifies that, while sunlight's not going to "fully charge you" on its own, it's one of the highest return investments you can make for how little effort it requires.

"Nothing else that takes 15 minutes and zero equipment comes close," she says.

3 other ways to naturally boost your energy

While sunlight is a great way to feel more alert each morning, it's a good idea to pair it with other energy-increasing activities. Here are three other things I do each morning to wake me up:

1. Eat a protein-rich breakfast

First of all, I don't skip the most important meal of the day.

Studies have shown how missing breakfast can significantly reduce energy levels and a bring about cases of brain fog.

Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, a neurophysiologist and sleep expert at Oak Tree Mobility, advises grabbing a protein-rich breakfast instead.

"Try to include a good source of protein such as nut butter, full fat Greek yoghurt or eggs, as these will help to maintain your blood sugar levels and keep you more energized throughout the day," says Dr. Nerina.

2. Skip the morning doomscroll

I can admit that I'm often tempted to start my day with a scroll, but not only is doing this a time suck, but studies also show it's a huge energy drain.

Instead, phycologists like Dr. Collins advise avoiding your phone for the first 15 minutes of your day.

"The reactive mode that email and social media put you in first thing is an energy drain that people massively underestimate," she warns.

3. Hydrate before your morning coffee

While I confess that I sometimes like to supplement my walk with a cup of joe, I never ever drink it before heading out or before enjoying half a bottle of water.

According to research, hydrating helps to make you feel more focused and alert, so save your java for after your hydro boost.

"We tend to lose fluids overnight through our breathing and sweating which can contribute to dehydration if you aren’t drinking enough water," warns Dr. Jody-Ann McLean, a physician and medical writer at This Is Menopause .

"Hydrate with a glass of water when you wake up," she advises.

The best sunlight tech if you can’t get outside each morning

Whether you're a shift worker or just don't have the chance to catch some rays in the morning, here are some other ways you can get your morning sunlight exposure.

1. Light therapy lamp (10,000 lux)

While indoor lighting may not be the best for staying alert, there is an exception: a light therapy lamp.

There is plenty of research supporting the positive impact of light therapy lamps on reaction times and attention, even when used in a dim indoor environment.

"The best time to use bright light therapy is every morning within thirty to sixty minutes of waking up," says Dr David Danish, a Double Board-Certified Psychiatrist.

"If your light box delivers 10,000 lux, aim for twenty to thirty minutes per session," he adds.

2. Blue light glasses

While I've touched on what a massive energy drain morning phone activity can be, they can emit something that can helps us feel more energized: blue light.

You can boost morning energy by wearing glasses designed to emit blue-enriched white light that suppresses melatonin, with studies finding that sleepiness was reduced in workers who wore these blue-enriched light glasses.

3. Sunrise alarm clock

Read my Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700FM sunrise alarm clock review and you'll find out why I think the best sunrise alarm clocks are worth it if you want to eliminate morning grogginess.

In fact, sunrise alarms, which simulate a sunrise, work by mimicking a sunrise, have been shown to increase cortisol for a morning energy boost.

After three years of writing about sleep, I've finally been swept up by the magnesium craze and its promise of promoting deep sleep. But does it have the edge over sleep-enhancing glycine?

Magnesium surged in popularity thanks to the viral sleepy girl mocktail, and I use magnesium patches and gummies every night in an attempt to boost my deep sleep. However, after examining the ingredients label, I found my gummies also use glycine to "support relaxation".

So which supplement is actually best for deep sleep? To find out, I asked two board-certified doctors for the lowdown on glycine versus magnesium. Here's which one they recommend for improving deep sleep, and how to take each supplement...

Key takeaways: Glycine vs magnesium at a glance

• Magnesium and glycine are supplements that have been shown to improve sleep quality and sleep onset latency.
• There is stronger evidence that magnesium can increase time spent in deep sleep, but results vary depending on your body’s pre-existing magnesium levels.
• While there is a lack of objective evidence to suggest glycine can specifically increase deep sleep, it may be more helpful than magnesium for falling asleep faster and reducing morning grogginess.
• To improve your sleep quality, take magnesium and glycine an hour before bedtime. Magnesium can be taken with food to reduce digestion issues, while glycine is more efficient when taken in powder form and mixed with water.

How does glycine improve sleep?

The gummies I take in the evening are designed to promote relaxation and "promote a balanced sense of well-being". Their key ingredient? Glycine. But what is glycine and can it actually help you sleep?

"Glycine is an amino acid, a building block of protein that also acts on the brain," explains Dr. Sarah Jamison, a board-certified doctor and Health Expert on the Vitamin Shoppe’s Wellness Council.

Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a board-certified doctor, also points out that glycine's effects on the body have been shown to improve subjective sleep quality and "next-day alertness".

"It is used for sleep because it may promote a drop in core body temperature and support a calmer state in the central nervous system, both of which are favorable for sleep onset," he explains.

How does magnesium improve sleep?

Magnesium is a popular sleep aid, and I've been using magnesium supplements every night in the form of gummies and sleep patches.

According to both Dr Jamison and Dr Dasgupta, the use of magnesium to promote sleep is well founded and science backed.

"Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps regulate the chemicals our brain naturally produces to help us sleep," explains Dr Jamison.

"It’s used because studies link higher magnesium levels with better sleep quality, longer duration, and faster sleep onset," she adds.

Dr. Dasgupta also highlights the role of magnesium in stress regulation, with a 2020 review finding that magnesium stabilizes our nervous systems.

"People use it for sleep because it has a calming effect on the nervous system and may help reduce physical tension and nighttime awakenings," he tells me.

Magnesium vs glycine: Which is better for deep sleep?

Before we explore the pros and cons of glycine versus magnesium, it's important to note that more research needs to be conducted on the effects both have on deep sleep.

"Neither supplement reliably and strongly increases slow-wave sleep in a clinically dramatic way," warns Dr. Dasgupta.

However, glycine and magnesium do show promise in promoting deep sleep. Here's a breakdown of their respective pros and cons...

Glycine: Pros and cons

While he acknowledges that evidence is "very limited", Dr Raj Dasgupta argues that glycine has a "small edge" based on current data.

"Glycine has slightly more direct support for improving sleep quality and sleep onset, with some studies suggesting modest improvements in perceived sleep depth," he says.

Meanwhile, Dr Jamison says that, while glycine hasn’t objectively been shown to increase deep sleep specifically, it does helps with falling asleep and overall sleep quality.

"If your issue is falling asleep or feeling groggy the next day, glycine might be more helpful," she advises.

Magnesium: Pros and cons

Magnesium is a clear winner for Dr Jamison, who says that magnesium has "the edge" if the goal is achieving deeper sleep.

"If we’re talking specifically about deep sleep, magnesium actually has better evidence showing it can increase deep sleep time and improve sleep quality."

On the other hand, Dr Dasgupta says that, while magnesium have been proven to improve sleep indirectly in those who have a magnesium deficiency, research has shown that it won't supercharge the sleep of those who already have enough magnesium.

"In patients who are deficient, correcting magnesium levels can noticeably improve sleep quality, but effects in people with normal levels are usually more subtle."

• Read more: I fell back asleep fast at 3 a.m. using a brain researcher’s 5-minute trick — here’s why

How to take magnesium for sleep

While I take magnesium in the form of gummies and patches, those are far from magnesium's only forms.

Magnesium is available in plenty of formulations: tablets, capsules, powders, topical solutions, sprays, and even hot chocolate.

However, Dr Dasgupta pints out that choosing the type of magnesium is more important than the dosage form.

Magensium supplements come in three main types: magnesium glycinate, citrate, oxide, and threonate.

"For sleep, magnesium glycinate is usually preferred because it is better absorbed and tends to be gentler on the stomach, while citrate can also help but is more likely to cause a laxative effect," he warns.

As for the timing of taking magnesium, Dr Dasgupta recommends taking it in the evening with a snack (as "people tolerate it best" when it's with food) or at bedtime.

Dr Jamison agrees with the latter time. "If being used for sleep, the recommended timing is typically one hour before bed," she suggests.

With dosing, Dr. Jamison strongly recommends speaking to a healthcare professional before taking magnesium.

"It’s best to speak to your doctor to know exactly what dosing is correct for you, especially because dosing for magnesium can vary," she tells me.

How to take glycine for sleep

While glycine also comes in many modes, including powders, capsules, and the gummies that I'm using, Dr Dasgupta says you should choose a form based on the efficiency of its dosage.

"Glycine is most commonly available as a powder or capsule, but powder is usually preferred because effective sleep doses are relatively high," he says.

"Capsules are more convenient but often require several pills to reach an effective dose," he adds.

However, Dr. Jamison also points out that the right dosage and form can vary from individual to individual, even if the recommended dose for a healthy adult is around 3g of glycine

"Since everyone has their own unique medical history and needs, it’s best to speak to your healthcare provider regarding the mode and dose that is best for you," she advises.

Meanwhile, both doctors agree that it's best to take glycine at a maximum of an hour before bedtime for best results.

"It is usually taken about 30 to 60 minutes before bed and mixed with water," recommends Dr Dasgupta.

So, whichever one I choose as my nightstand staple, both magnesium and glycine seem to be great additions to my nighttime routine either way.

As someone who writes about sleep for a living, I’ve perfected my sleep set-up and nighttime routine to make sure I get quality rest night after night.

However, there is one thing that ruins my plans, and I have absolutely no control over it:

My husband’s snoring.

And yes, I’ve tried foam earplugs, silicone earplugs, noise-canceling headphones and just about everything to block out the sound. But nothing works. They either fall out of my ears, cause pain or simply don’t muffle enough noise.

So when I saw the viral magnetic nose clips that promise to stop snoring plastered over my Instagram, I was intrigued. Could I cut off my husband’s snoring at the source with this $40 product? Surely not. But I was desperate, and I’d try anything, so I ordered them.

Here’s how it went.

What are the viral magnetic nose clips and how do they work?

Magnetic nose clips work by attaching an adhesive patch that contains a small magnet to the outside of each nostril. A black, arched piece of plastic with a magnet on either end then connects to the adhesive patches, which pulls the nostrils open.

“The primary function of magnetic nose clips is to mechanically increase the width of the nostrils,” says Dr Blen Tesfu, Physician and Medical Advisor at Welzo, a clinical focus on sleep health and respiratory function.

The logic behind them is the same as any kind of nasal strip, like the popular Breathe Right strips. And while my husband and I have found Breathe Right effective, we needed something that opened up the nasal passages even more.

By widening the nasal passages, the space in your airways increases, allowing more airflow. This makes it easier to breathe through your nose throughout the night, rather than mouth breathing, which is a common cause of snoring.

Our experience putting this viral anti-snoring product to the test

Night 1

Pursuading my husband to stick a small magnet to either nostril was the first hurdle. And, fair enough. I wouldn’t exactly be thrilled if I were asked to sleep with black plastic stuck to my nose all night.

And while it was the first hurdle, it was actually the only obstacle standing in our way of a peaceful night's sleep. Once he agreed, the process was simple, quick and immediately effective. We applied the small rectangular stickers to either nostril easily, and once they were in place, they weren't going anywhere.

Next came the satisfying moment we’d seen in videos: Hovering the black plastic clip over each nostril and waiting for the magnetic ‘click’ as his nose expanded.

Instantly, my husband noticed a big difference. He said it felt like he could actually breathe properly for once, and he seemed genuinely excited to sleep with it on.

So we switched the lamps off and waited for sleep. Usually, at this point, he drops off first, and I lie awake dreading the moment when the insufferable snoring starts to vibrate my pillow.

But alas, that moment never came. My husband breathed through his nose quietly, and I fell asleep fast, not waking once in the night to roll him over.

We both woke refreshed, and I had to actually persuade him to take the clip off, as he wanted to keep it on all day, too.

Our verdict after a week

We continued using this cheap trick for the week, and felt like we’d found the answer. We were both refreshed and well-rested for once, excited that we could enjoy sleeping next to each other again.

And genuinely, over the course of the week, we didn’t see a downside, apart from the fact that using two new magnets every night and then discarding them felt slightly wasteful.

It was my husband who started to routinely put the clip on at night, excited for better quality sleep, rather than it feeling like a chore. And considering I’ve made him sleep upright, wear jaw straps and strap a tennis ball to his back before, this was an impressively non-invasive solution.

But do these clips actually ‘stop’ snoring?

It’s important to note that my husband does not have sleep apnea or a health condition that causes his snoring. For him, it’s often down to congestion (thanks to our lovely fluffy cats and increased pollen in the air). For this reason, the clips served their purpose well.

“Some of the key disadvantages are that they don't solve every cause of snoring,” says Dr. Tesfu about this product.

“Nasal clips will generally have little impact on snoring due to issues such as a large tongue (or uvula) in your throat or other related disorders like obstructive sleep apnea,” she explains.

“Nasal clips work best for a smaller subset of people who have some level of nasal congestion but no structural problems with either their airway or sleep,” the doctor adds. So my husband and I were one of the lucky few cases where a solution like this did work.

Dr Tesfu always encourages getting to the root cause of your snoring before opting for products that might help ‘stop’ it. Snoring is often a symptom of more serious health conditions like sleep apnea, so taking part in a sleep study and talking to a health professional are key steps in eventually resolving the issue.

A tendency to zone out mid-sentence, nod off on the couch or lose your temper over any minor inconvenience? To you, they might seems like character quirks.

However, researchers from the University of Maryland have identified thinking, fatigue and mood as behaviors associated with insomnia. Which means that, even if you think you might be getting enough sleep, subtle behaviors like mood swings and zoning out could indicate significant sleep deprivation.

"When [these behaviors] appear together, they suggest sleep is not restorative, even if you believe you're 'getting enough hours,'" explains Dr. Saema Tahir, an adult and pediatric sleep specialist.

We spoke to her about how to identify insomnia red flags — and what they signal about your sleep.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Thinking, fatigue and mood were identified as 'residual' symptoms of insomnia to be monitored in the treatment of sleep disorders
• Daytime fatigue describes persistent low energy, often caused by a lack of restorative sleep
• Mood swings make you irritable and can result from missing out on REM sleep
• 'Zoning out' could be micro-sleeps; brief dozes that signal your brain is actively struggling to stay awake
• Focusing on improved sleep hygiene, such as a wind-down routine and bed time, can help improve your overall sleep health

How understanding daytime behaviors help you recognize insomnia

In a recent study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, researchers highlighted that treating insomnia can't simply focus on sleep. It's important to understand and address the daytime impact of a bad night's rest as well.

Researchers identified 'thinking, fatigue, and mood' as 'residual symptoms' of sleep deprivation which should be monitored by healthcare professionals to ensure more effective treatment for insomnia.

In addition, recognizing these red flags of poor sleep health can help people understand the quality of their rest — and anticipate when their sleep is starting to suffer.

"These symptoms are often more informative than total sleep hours," says Dr. Saema Tahir, a pulmonary disease specialist. She explains that if you're clocking up enough hours in bed but still don't feel properly rested, your daytime behaviors can help you understand what's going on.

"Fatigue [equals] sleep quantity or quality issue," she says. "Mood swings [equals] neurocognitive / emotional sleep disruption. Micro-sleeps [equals] severe physiological sleep deprivation or disorder."

3 daytime red flags for bad sleep

Even the best sleep trackers can't always paint an accurate picture of what's happening during the night. However, monitoring how you're functioning during the day helps you investigate and recognize the lived impact of your sleep.

Here are three signs your sleep is suffering (and you might not even know it yet)...

Red flag 1: You have no energy

You know those days when everything feels like a slog? You crawl out of bed and can't even find the energy to scroll through Instagram.

"Daytime fatigue is more than just feeling 'tired,'" explains Dr. Tahir. "Clinically, it refers to persistent low energy, reduced alertness, and difficulty sustaining mental or physical effort during the day despite adequate opportunity for sleep."

So what's causing it? Dr. Tahir notes that daytime fatigue is often a signal that you're missing out on "restorative sleep" — that might mean frequent wake-ups, sleep disorders or "circadian misalignment" (when your time in bed doesn't match when your body expects to sleep.)

"A key clue is disproportion," says Dr. Tahir. "If someone is sleeping an 'adequate' number of hours but still feels drained, we worry about sleep quality rather than quantity."

Red flag 2: Your emotions are a rollercoaster

It's not just you; everyone around you really is more annoying after a bad night's sleep.

"Mood instability, meaning irritability, emotional reactivity, or low frustration tolerance, can be a subtle but powerful marker of sleep disruption," explains Dr. Tahir.

And it doesn't have to be a night spent staring at the ceiling that has you snapping at a co-worker for tapping on the keyboard a little too loud.

"Evidence shows even partial sleep restriction impacts emotional regulation circuits in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala reactivity (our emotional response center of the brain)," says Dr. Tahir.

She notes that patients often say "I sleep fine" but describe being snappy, overwhelmed and "emotionally labile" — "that mismatch is a red flag for impaired sleep architecture or insufficient deep/REM sleep."

Red flag 3: You can't keep your eyes open

You're halfway through an email when it occurs to you you don't know how long you've spent on one sentence. In fact, you can't remember the last few seconds at all. What you've experienced might be a microsleep.

"Microsleeps are brief, involuntary episodes of sleep lasting seconds," describes Dr. Tahir. "They often present as: 'zoning out' while driving or reading, dropping attention mid-task or head nodding or blank spells."

Sometime a microsleep is so fast, you might not even notice its happened. But it shouldn't be ignored, as Dr. Tahir explains it's a sign your brain is "actively failing to maintain wakefulness."

"Clinically, microsleeps are a significant safety warning, most commonly associated with sleep deprivation or untreated sleep disorders (OSA, behavior disorders of sleep, insomnia, hypersomnia, movement disorders of sleep)," she says.

What to do if you notice these red flags

These 'red flags' are often an indication that your sleep is suffering, even if you're happy with the amount of hours you spend in bed.

"A key principle in sleep medicine is that you don’t measure sleep health by time in bed, you measure it by daytime function," explains Dr. Tahir.

"So someone can sleep 7–8 hours and still have clinically significant sleep dysfunction."

When these red flags start to impact your daily function, it's time to take a look at your sleep hygiene. Building good habits can improve your overall sleep quality, ensuring you're enjoying truly restorative rest. We've spoken to experts about improving sleep quality, and their top tips include:

• Set a bedtime and stick to it
• Develop a calming (and accessible) wind-down routine
• Start your morning with sunlight
• Dim the lights in the evening
• Keep your bed for sleep only — no binge watching

However, when lack of sleep is having a notable impact on your day, we advise speaking to a healthcare professional, who can help you identify the cause and work on viable solutions.

Sleep apnea, a condition characterized by abnormal breathing patterns, reportedly affects 936 million people worldwide. If you have sleep apnea and you're taking a trip soon, it's understandable to feel a little anxious about how you'll manage your symptoms (and CPAP machine) while travelling.

The good news? It's definitely possible to manage your symptoms, get the sleep you need, and enjoy your holiday if you take prep the right way prior to travelling.

To help you, we reached out to a variety of sleep apnea experts and CPAP specialists for their advice on everything you need to know about how to manage sleep apnea when traveling. Let's get started...

• Read more: Sleep apnea weakens muscles and bone health, new study says — doctors explain why and how to manage it

Should you pack your CPAP machine?

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines are the best known and most commonly prescribed sleep apnea treatment.

These masks, worn over the nose and/or mouth, help deliver a constant stream of pressurized air to prevent breathing interruptions and ensure you sleep well.

"It’s important that sleep apnea patients continue treatment during travel because even just skipping one night of treatment can cause the symptoms to return, like excessive daytime fatigue, snoring, morning headaches, or difficulty concentrating," says Dr Martin Hopp, PhD, M.D., medical director at Daybreak.

If left untreated throughout the trip, the nighttime breathing interruptions, combined with the added travel stress on the body, can leave you feeling significantly more exhausted, keeping you from enjoying your holiday.

"Patients are also adding cardiovascular strain with decreased oxygen levels during these nights off the CPAP," warns Dr Carleara Weiss, PhD, MSH, RN, Sleep Science advisor at Aeroflow Sleep.

Sleep apnea travel checklist

According to Joshua Piper, a sleep clinician at ResMed UK, forgetting to take certain important parts for their CPAP treatment is one of the most common mistakes sleep apnea patients make while travelling.

"Too many times I've had someone from Australia, the UAE, or the Americas come into the clinic asking for the tiniest part to their set-up." He says. "Always check your accessories and parts before you go."

Here's an expert-approved sleep apnea travel checklist to ensure you prep and pack everything you might need:

1. CPAP machine and replacement supplies

First things first, your CPAP device takes centre stage. Keep it stored safely in its travel bag along with the mask, tubing and power cords.

"At airport security, Transport Security Administration (TSA) mandates that CPAP machines are removed from their case during x-ray screening, so it’s helpful to have it easily accessible and protected," says Dr Hopp.

It's also handy to carry a spare mask cushion, travel-sized cleaning wipes in case there's no access to clean water, and extra filters.

2. Power supplies

Remember to take an extension cord in case the power outlet in your holiday home or hotel is far away from your bed. A universal power adapter is handy for international travel.

"Carrying a battery pack or DC converter/inverter might be helpful if you're camping or taking long flights, as you may not have a reliable power source while traveling," says Dr Weiss.

3. FAA compliance and CPAP prescription letters

The Federal Aviation Authority in the US (FAA ) and the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK (CAA) declare CPAP machines as medical equipment.

However, it is recommended to carry all the necessary documentation.

"I would advise keeping the FAA travel compliance letter from your provider saved on your phone or printed," recommends sleep clinician Piper.

"While most airlines and airports are aware of the regulations, it's best practice to ensure you have good legal documentation," he adds.

Additionally, it's also advisable to take the doctor's prescription for CPAP and your health insurance details, including your policy number.

How to safely pack a CPAP machine for travel

"In the US, thanks to the Air Carrier Access Act, CPAP devices are allowed in the cabin as medical equipment and do not count towards the baggage allowance carry-on limit," states Dr Weiss.

Bringing it as carry-on also prevents damage and loss and protects against extreme low or high temperatures in the cargo hold.

If you're planning to use it in-flight, it's a good idea to check with the respective airline well in advance. "At least two weeks before you fly, ask the airline for permission to use your device on the flight (if you intend to do so). Not all airlines will allow for this, particularly on short-haul," Piper explains.

Carrying your FAA compliance letter is a key step.

"The FAA compliance letter confirms that the CPAP is a respiratory assistive device cleared by the FDA, and that it does not contain any parts or materials known to cause or interfere with commercial aircraft safety," explains Dr Weiss.

When it comes to packing, ensure the humidifier is completely dry before storing it to prevent mold.

Many travellers also bring a clear plastic bag for airport security as an added layer of protection when the device needs to be removed for screening.

Dr Weiss adds: "Don't forget, you'll need to pick up distilled water on your way to your destination once you leave the airport."

Top 5 do's and don'ts for managing sleep apnea while traveling

Before you set off on your travels, here's a gentle reminder that, in addition to continuing CPAP treatment, managing your sleep apnea symptoms on holiday depends on a few other things too.

"Travel should be no different from home," says Alex Dimitriu, MD, double-board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine.

"My patients do best when they sleep in a similar position as at home, with the CPAP on the same side.

"You can also use an extra pillow placed vertically at the headboard of your bed to hold the CPAP hose up and away from your face."

Do...

• Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, according to the time zone you’re in, not the one you’re coming from.
• Sunlight exposure can help regulate your circadian rhythm (body’s sleep and wake cycle), resulting in a good night’s rest.
• Have a strict no-screen rule in the evenings, as this can suppress melatonin production (the sleepy hormone) and stimulate the brain when the body clearly requires rest.
• Plan ahead to make time for your treatment as part of your nighttime routine.
• Pack in your sleep essentials like an eye mask and earplugs to have an uninterrupted night's rest.

Don't...

• Be inconsistent with your treatment during the holiday.
• Forget to clean the CPAP mask after use.
• Consume alcohol or smoke, as these can worsen sleep apnea symptoms and increase nighttime awakenings.
• Eat heavy meals right before bed, as this can disrupt sleep quality. A two-to-three-hour interval between your dinner and bedtime is ideal.
• Work, scroll or watch content in bed, as this can create a disconnection between the new space and rest.

I've been wearing my new Apple Watch to bed for a week now, and I must say I'm impressed. From accurately tracking my sleep stages to giving me gentle nudges to start winding down, the Apple Watch has helped me understand my sleep while showing me key ways to improve it.

Still, as with every time I try out one of the best sleep trackers, I feel there are modes and settings that I'm completely oblivious to — and it could be standing in my way of seeing lab-accurate results.

So, to find out, I've called on Dr. Audrey Wells, Chief Medical Officer at SLIIIP.com and Dr. Joshua Roland, Medical Director at Dreem Health, to give me some helpful pointers. Here, the two board-certified sleep doctors reveal the five Apple Watch settings that increase the accuracy of my sleep tracking.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• The Apple Watch can track your sleep duration and sleep stages, but there are key hidden settings that need to be activated for more accurate results.
• Activating Wrist Detection and Sleep Focus are vital for accurate results, as they allow your Apple Watch to know when you're wearing your device and are intending to sleep.
• Other settings, such as Wrist Temperature and Sleep Apnea notifications, can give you invaluable insights into your health, such as sleep disorders, medical conditions, or illness.
• While research shows that consumer sleep-tracking wearables are improving in accuracy and can give you useful data on your sleep duration and patterns, board-certified sleep physician Dr Wells notes that an Apple Watch won't give you data as accurate as a clinical sleep study's data.

The 5 vital Apple Watch settings for accurate sleep data

1. Sleep Focus

Let's begin with one of the most important Apple Watch settings for your sleep: Sleep Focus mode. In fact, it was the first setting I learned about when I set up my Apple Watch, and while it prepares you for rest by reducing distracting notifications, it's also needed for accurate tracking.

"Sleep Focus mode signals to the watch that you’re intending to sleep, and this allows it to more accurately detect when you fall asleep and stay asleep, rather than misinterpreting late-night phone use or movement as wakefulness," says Dr. Roland, a board-certified sleep medicine physician.

"Without it, the watch may confuse quiet rest, like lying in bed scrolling your phone, with sleep," agrees board-certified sleep medicine physician Dr Wells.

• Read more: Experts explain why your Apple Watch tracks your wrist temperature during sleep — 5 key things it can tell you

2. Wrist detection 

Wrist Detection is another important one as it lets the Apple Watch know you're wearing it and, according to Dr Roland, it's "essentially what allows all the sensors to function properly" when you're wearing the watch to bed.

"Without it, the watch can’t reliably track movement, heart rate, or sleep stages, which means your sleep data may be incomplete or inaccurate," the sleep expert warns.

Dr Wells also agrees that Wrist Detection needs to be on so the Apple Watch can track the "main signals" it uses for sleep. The doctor also reminded me of another essential thing you should do that's outside your Apple Watch settings: wear the Watch correctly.

"If it's too loose or not positioned correctly, the device can’t reliably track movement even with Wrist Detection," she reminds me.

3. Sleep apnea notifications

Okay, so the Sleep Apnea notifications tool is the one setting that I actually can't activate as, according to Apple Support, it's only available on the Apple Watch Series 9 or later, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, or Apple Watch SE 3.

However, sleep tech writer Eve Davies swears it's an essential hidden Apple Watch sleep tracking feature if you or your partner are prone to snoring.

This sleep apnea tool flags potential breathing disturbances during sleep, which Dr Roland emphasizes is important, as you probably don't notice these disturbances yourself.

"Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed, but it can seriously impact sleep quality and overall health," he explains.

"Having a tool that monitors for irregular breathing patterns can prompt you to seek medical evaluation if something seems off," he adds.

4. Wrist temperature

One of the health metrics (or vitals, as Apple calls them) I was eager to see was the Wrist Temperature measurement. Dr. Roland told me the Wrist Temperature setting was important for assessing my "body's overnight physiology".

"Changes in skin temperature while you sleep can reflect things like illness, hormonal shifts, including menstrual cycle phases, or recovery status," notes the physician.

I was a little disappointed to wake up after the first couple of night and seeing no Wrist Temperature data, but Dr Wells assures me this was normal.

"Wrist temperature doesn’t measure sleep quality or diagnose sleep problems, so think of it as a trend over time, not a single-night insight," she tells me.

Dr Wells says that, as wrist temperature can give you helpful context about you nocturnal patterns (including changes to your overall health and circadian rhythm), "it may be worth paying attention if you notice consistent changes."

5. Charging reminders 

Charging Reminders are a setting you may not even associate with sleep tracking, but it's important for accuracy because, as Dr Wells puts it, "If your watch runs out of battery overnight, you won’t get sleep data."

"The real value of wearables comes from consistent trends over time, not one or two nights of data," says the sleep expert. "So charging reminders help you build that consistency so you get to know your own patterns and the information is actually useful."

3 things my Apple Watch data has revealed about my sleep

1. My average sleep duration is way less than the recommended 7-9 hours

The main draw of the Apple Watch's sleep tracking is seeing how much sleep you managed to get each night, along with amount of time you spent in each sleep stage.

After I started building enough sleep data, the Health app gave me overview of how much sleep I get on average. Today's weekly average? 6 hours and 11 minutes.

Now, some people may be tugging on my neck collar, wondering how on earth I can function on so little sleep. After all, the recommended sleep duration for adults is seven to nine hours. But...

2. ...but my high sleep scores say it's not a huge problem

...I'm scoring pretty high sleep scores on less than seven hours of sleep. Apple Watch sleep scores are basically marks out of 100, categorised into four scoring groups: very low, low, high, and very high. On average, I'm achieving a 'high' score — sometimes even in the 90s.

Of course, your sleep score isn't only calculated on duration. It also takes into account your sleep regularity (for example, going to bed within the same window every night) and how many times you experience nighttime awakenings.

3. Health metrics rule out any sleep disorder

As I mentioned above, there are some tools I can't access (most importantly the Sleep Apnea Notifications), but I still get to see important health metrics on the Vitals app, an Apple Watch app that gives me a daily snapshot of key measurements.

These include respiratory and heart rates and blood oxygen levels, which can provide data used to suggest sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, dehydration, or overconsumption of caffeine or alcohol.

Luckily, my health metrics indicate that I'm not experiencing any sleep disorders, but I know that if I spot any changes outside my typical range, I can use these patterns to identify any problems.

Is Apple watch sleep tracking accurate?

If you're wondering how to make your sleep tracking more accurate, you're probably also questioning how accurate an Apple Watch's sleep trackers are (or how accurate wearable sleep trackers are in general).

Luckily, a study has proven the value of consumer sleep-tracking devices, concluding that at-home trackers have a similar accuracy to research-grade actigraphy when estimating total sleep duration.

Other research even predicts that consumer wearables will "likely provide sleep information on par with actigraphy."

But are we there yet? According to Dr Wells, not quite. "The data should be viewed as an approximation of sleep patterns, not a precise measurement of sleep stages or quality," says the sleep expert.

"Remember that the Apple Watch is estimating sleep based on patterns, not directly measuring brain activity like a clinical sleep study would," she adds.

When I'm sharing a room with someone who snores, I just can't sleep — well, that was before I found the noise-blocking Loop Earplugs. I now swear by these humble earplugs for reducing external noise, including snoring.

But what about those of you who are doing the snoring? Now that allergy season is here, snoring volume and ferocity will go through the roof for many people. "When allergies block the nose, people switch to mouth breathing, which destabilizes the airway and worsens snoring," explains Dr. Saema Tahir, a quadruple board-certified sleep disorder specialist.

"The goal isn’t just symptom relief," she says. "It’s protecting sleep quality and breathing." From saline rinses "that reduce allergy loads", to the best air purifier for HEPA filtration in the bedroom, these are the anti-snoring products loved by experts and snorers alike.

• Read more: Is sleeping with a fan on bad for you? A respiratory expert weighs in

As a senior with a smart watch you might notice that your sleep score just isn't hitting the high numbers these days, and it's likely down to one metric: sleep fragmentation.

From circadian shifts to aches and pains, there are many reasons why it's perfectly normal for your sleep to be more fragmented as you age.

I spoke to Dr. David Garley, BM, MRCP, MRCGP, DTM&H to learn why nighttime awakenings are more common in people aged 65 and over, and when you should consider a low sleep score a problem (the red flags to watch for). Here's what he said...

What is sleep fragmentation?

In technical terms, sleep fragmentation refers to repeated short interruptions of sleep. On your Apple Watch sleep tracker, this is represented by small gaps in your sleep stages chart and reduced sleep efficiency (the amount of time you were asleep versus lying in bed.)

We don't all sleep in a single block overnight, and sometimes experience awakenings between sleep cycles, explains Dr. Garley of the Better Sleep Clinic.

"This can be normal for some people," he adds. "But if you're struggling to get back to sleep, or find that you're feeling sleep deprived during then day, then this is unlikely to be normal and you should consider speaking to a doctor or sleep clinic."

Fragmented sleep is a common problem among older sleepers. Research shows that as we age, sleep typically becomes lighter and more fragmented.

“Sleep changes over a lifetime," explains the sleep specialist, "and when people understand and anticipate that change, it tends to cause less of a problem.”

How to find your Apple Watch sleep fragmentation score

Nighttime interruptions is one of three key barometers that go into your Apple Watch sleep score; it accounts for 20% of the overall score.

When you visit the sleep tab of the Apple Health app each morning, you will see exactly how many times your sleep was interrupted / fragmented through the night and how long in total you spent awake due to these interruptions.

Apple's algorithm gives you a 'interruptions' score out of 20 based on your usual, individual sleep patterns and baseline.

3 reasons for fragmented sleep at age 65+

From hormone shifts to pressure points, there are many reasons why sleep becomes fragmented in later life.

Yes, it's frustrating, but it's usually normal and nothing to fret over. Let's look at the three most common reasons now...

1. Reduced sleep pressure

Due to circadian and hormone shifts, older adults often get less sleep than younger adults, leading to longer periods of light, fragmented sleep.

“Sleep becomes more fragmented as you age as your circadian rhythm drifts slightly," explains Dr. Garley.

Typically, your circadian clock shifts earlier meaning you feel tired (due to earlier melatonin release) and sleep earlier in the evening and can find yourself laying awake in the pre-dawn hours of the morning as that melatonin wears off.

“After 55 you have a more noticeable decrease in melatonin," adds the doctor, "and melatonin is a hormone that coordinates the sleep phase of your circadian rhythm, so you can get a degree more fragmentation of sleep as you get older.”

2. Nocturia

Nocturia, waking up multiple times at night to use the bathroom, becomes more common with age, according to science.

Causes in older people include reduced bladder capacity and increased nocturnal urine production, alongside decrease in levels of antidiuretic hormone at night (the body just doesn't produce hormones like it used to.)

Those bathroom breaks can disrupt sleep cycles, sometimes preventing seniors from entering the all-important later stages of sleep like deep and REM sleep.

3. Aches and pains

Aches and pains can come with aging, and unfortunately that doesn't bode well for sleep.

Pain points tend to be more sensitive when you're laying in one position for an extended period of time through the night.

“When you’re lying still for between seven and nine hours, if you have a bad back or shoulder, that can cause pain, which can cause you to wake up,” says Dr. Garley.

How to interpret your score

While tracking your sleep can be a useful tool in helping you understand your sleep patterns and identify underlying issues, doctors warn you shouldn't get too caught up in the metrics.

Dr. Garley says there is a problem when people try to pursue perfect sleep (known as orthosomnia) which, in his words, “doesn’t exist.”

“The pursuit of perfect sleep will always generate worry and anxiety, and that in itself can disrupt sleep.

"If you take a too meticulous an approach to sleep, that can pose a problem.”

There are two ways to look at sleep without a tracker, he adds.

1. Look at the night, questioning: How long did I sleep for? Did I wake up? How long did it take me to fall asleep? 2. Observe your energy and functioning through the day.

Taking note of how you feel when you wake up and during the day is sometimes more useful than having a watch tell you how energized you are.

“Sleep is about supporting daytime function, so that’s absolutely the best barometer to how your sleeping,” says the doctor. Here's how to navigate your data and daytime feelings...

How to reduce sleep fragmentation

Although sleep fragmentation is just something that naturally happens as we age, there are thankfully things you can do by day to set yourself with the best chance of clocking quality sleep by night. Here they are...

1. Move through the day

Moving more, or as much as you can, throughout the day builds greater sleep pressure, helping you drift off at night.

Recent research from published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found taking a daily walk — for as little as 20 minutes — can help reduce symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. And, a benefit of less severe OSA symptoms is that you may be able to sleep more seamlessly.

Alternatively, my 75-year-old grandfather finds swimming is a massive help to his sleep — I've checked out the science behind it, and it gets the green light from the sleep doctor.

2. Sleep at regular times

One of the simplest ways to get better sleep is to get the timing right, and by that I mean sleeping and waking up at consistent times from one night to another.

This regulates your internal body clock and hormone cycles. Your brain and body will know when it's time to wind down to sleep and wake up and be alert, so both will happen more easily, and on time.

A large scale study by Vitality and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) published this year revealed that consistent sleep times and getting 7+ hours of sleep can boost your longevity, potentially adding up to four years to your life expectancy.

3. Optimize your sleep environment

Whether you're struggling to sleep or not, making your bedroom a sleep sanctuary can do wonders for your sleep quality and ability to fall asleep.

Firstly, finding the best mattress to support your body type, sleep style, and sleep needs (hot sleepers will love our cooling mattress top-picks) can help you rest peacefully.

Sleeping on a mattress with the right firmness level to support your body while contouring pressure points could even help alleviate some of those sleep-disrupting aches and pains that can come with age.

Then, controlling environmental factors like light, sound, and temperature can help you optimise your bedroom for rest. It's best kept dark, quiet, and cool to induce the temperature drop and calm you need to feel sleepy.

Red flags you shouldn't ignore

While you shouldn't stress over a sub-70 sleep score, fragmentation can sometimes signal underlying issues like sleep apnea.

“Sleep is so subjective. If the person thinks their sleep is fine it’s probably fine. But if they think there’s an issue, there’s more ground to look in detail,” advises Dr. Garley, who is director of The Better Sleep Clinic.

He suggests looking for these red flags: excessive daytime sleepiness (falling asleep while reading or driving), loud, chronic snoring followed by gasping, or a sudden, drastic change in your baseline fragmentation over a week.

If you notice these, it's best to consult a GP or sleep clinic. It can be helpful to take your sleep tracking reports with you. Although consumer wearables don't provide medical-grade monitoring, they can provide a useful baseline for identifying issues.

I recently got my first ever Apple Watch, and while it has a multitude of functions, I've primarily been using it as a sleep tracker. Each night, it's given me high sleep scores (even up to 92 out of 100), despite the fact that I average around six hours of slumber a night.

However, the expert-backed 7:1 sleep rule has shown that sleeping for at least seven hours a night and following a consistent sleep schedule can decrease mortality risk by 24%— which could add up to four years to your life.

That's why I've decided to use one of the best sleep trackers to help me stick to a regular nighttime routine and increase my average sleep duration from six to seven hours. Here's a breakdown of how I'm using the Apple Watch's sleep tracking to meet the 7:1 sleep rule...

• Read more: These 5 overlooked Google Clock app features helped me quit bedtime doomscrolling to get more sleep

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Recent research shows that that getting 7 hours of sleep and falling asleep within the same 1-hour window — dubbed the "7:1 sleep rule" — can lower mortality risk by 24%.
• While my Apple Watch has awarded me sleep scores of up to 92 for less than seven hours of sleep, I'm using its key features to follow the 7:1 sleep rule.
• Functions such as its Sleep Focus mode, Sleep Schedule and Wind-Down Feature help me maintain a consistent sleep schedule and build a calming nighttime routine.
• The Vitals App offers a panoramic view of my overall health, informing me of any sleep issues and their causes, while also illustrating how the 7:1 sleep can improve health and wellbeing.

What is the 7:1 Sleep Rule?

Experts have long recommended that adults should sleep between seven and nine hours a night for optimal health and wellbeing, and a groundbreaking study has recently echoed this advice.

The research, conducted by the the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and insurance company Vitality, found that getting 7 hours of sleep and going to bed within the same 1-hour window can lower mortality risk by 24% if practiced at least five nights a week, .

And it's not the only research that shows how important getting at least seven hours of sleep is to our lifespan. Last year, research conducted by the Oregon and Health and Science University found that getting less than seven hours of sleep can have a worse effect on longevity than a poor diet or lack of exercise.

The 3 key Apple Watch features I'm using to follow the 7:1 Sleep Rule

The Apple Watch's sleep tracker can give you a detailed breakdown of your four sleep stages each night: the N1 and N2 light sleep stages (lumped together as 'core sleep' on the Apple watch), deep sleep, and REM sleep.

However, it's not simply a sleep tracker, it's also a sleep-boosting device that can help you maintain good sleep hygiene.

For instance, Sleep Focus and Schedules on watchOS (the Apple Watch's operating system) can help you keep to a consistent sleep schedule; going to bed within a 1-hour window.

Then there's the Wind Down feature, which can help you stay away from sleep-disrupting habits and distracting iPhone features to reduce revenge bedtime procrastination and help you fall asleep by your chosen time.

However, if sticking to a consistent sleep routine isn't giving you the sleep duration you want, you can identify how long it takes you to fall asleep by using the Health App, which can distinguish between the time you spent in bed vs the time you actually spent asleep.

With all Apple Watches that operate on the watchOS 11 (such as the Apple Watch Ultra that I'm using), you can access the Vitals app only on your Apple watch.

The app, which acts as a snapshot of all your health metrics (it condenses all the vital health data from your iPhone's Health app into a daily health summary), validates the rule as I notice it shows improved Heart Rate and Respiratory data whenever I edge closer to meeting the 7:1 rule.

1. Sleep Focus and Schedules

One of the most important things you should do before tracking your sleep (besides enabling sleep tracking and, y'know, remembering to put your Apple Watch on) is to make sure your watch and phone is in Sleep Focus mode.

This mode prepares your watch for tracking, can silence distracting notifications from your chosen apps (from social media to work emails), and dims and simplifies your watch face and phone lock screen. (My phone's lock screen wallpaper is covered in snoozing emoji faces when Sleep Focus mode).

You can manually activate the Sleep Focus mode via the Control Center of your watch or iPhone, but my Focus mode turns on automatically thanks to the Sleep Schedules function.

This function allows you to set your preferred bedtime and wake-up time, which then creates bedtime reminders and morning alarms.

Both the Sleep Focus mode and Sleep Schedules are helping me to stick to 7:1 sleep by encouraging me to go to bed and wake up within a 1-hour window. This sleep regularity is resetting my circadian rhythm, preparing my body clock for sleep at the right time.

2. Wind Down feature

While the Apple Watch's sleep schedule creates a sleep plan for you, the Wind Down feature helps you stick to the plan by limiting distractions (in a similar way to the Sleep Focus mode) and preparing you for sleep by launching relaxing activities like mediation for calming music.

The great thing about this feature is that you can turn it on just minutes or even hours before your bedtime, and it also activates the Sleep Focus mode outside your sleep schedule.

Mine is set 30 minutes before bed, but a one or two hour wind down is great if you want to stick to the 10-3-2-1-0 rule for longer sleep and consistent routines.

3. Vitals app

Launched in 2024 as part of the watchOS 11 update, the Vitals App provides a condensed view of your health metrics (a.k.a. vitals), such as respiratory rate and blood oxygen levels, as well as your sleep duration.

These metrics give me key insights into my sleep and potential sleep disorders. For example, my blood-oxygen levels are consistently high, meaning I can rule out sleep conditions such as sleep apnea as a cause if my sleep data shows frequent awakenings.

The Vitals App can show you when your metrics are "within typical range" or when your health metrics are higher or lower than usual. The Vitals App can also suggest reasons behind the change. For example, if your heart rate becomes more elevated, the app suggests it could be caused by consuming too much caffeine.

On the flip side, when you follow the 7:1 sleep rule and improve your sleep, your health metrics may improve, such as a lowered heart or respiratory rate.

Why I’m not chasing perfect sleep

It would be remiss of me not to mention one important thing to remember when tracking your sleep with an Apple Watch: Don't use it to chase the perfect sleep because the perfect sleep doesn't not exist.

Becoming fixated with your sleep data will likely exacerbate any sleep issues you're experiencing — this phenomenon even has a name: orthosomnia.

The study behind the 7:1 sleep rule emphasised focusing on the rule for five days a week to help you reap the longevity-boosting benefits, so don't beat yourself up if you sleep in on a Saturday morning or experience a bout of the Sunday scaries. It's all about trying to improve your sleep when you're able (and willing) to.

Besides, tracking my sleep has actually made me feel less worried about my sleep.

Despite an average sleep duration of less than seven hours a night, I'm consistently achieving high sleep scores (sometimes in the 90s), experiencing a normal amount of short nighttime wake-ups, and seeing health metrics that indicate I'm not experiencing any sleep disorders.

Science has even shown that some people are just "short sleepers", thriving on six hours a night without any health drawbacks.

All in all, I'm happy with my sleep, but I'm more than happy to improve it, too.

A good night's sleep doesn't just allow you to get through the day without yawning — consistent, good quality sleep can help you live longer, as a 2026 study from Vitality and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has found.

So how do we define a good night's sleep? For many of us, it's case of racking up enough hours. But the real marker for better sleep lies elsewhere: "Sleep quality matters just as much," explains Dr. Joshua Roland, certified sleep doctor at Dreem Health.

Dr. Roland notes that time spent falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, and sleep cycles all contribute to sleep quality. So if you want a good night's sleep, these are the metrics you should be looking for in your sleep tracker...

Key takeaways: At a glance

• If you're waking up tired after 8 hours it may be down to the quality of your sleep.
• Sleep quality is just as important as duration, and 3 key 'sleep muscles' can indicate the quality of your rest.
• The first sleep muscle is sleep latency; how long it takes you to fall asleep.
• The second sleep muscle is time spent in deep sleep; whether you're getting enough restorative rest.
• The third sleep muscle is sleep efficiency, how much time spent asleep when you're in bed (which is reduced by nighttime wake-ups).
• You can improve these 'sleep muscles' with simple steps including optimizing your sleep environment, creating a nighttime routine and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule.
• Consistent, good quality sleep can even add up to four years to your life, according to a recent study.

• Read more: I kept waking up exhausted until a NASA scientist shared her $0 lab-tested tip for beating morning grogginess — here’s how it works

The 3 key 'sleep muscles' to focus on for good quality sleep

Dr Roland says that these are key metrics for defining sleep quality: "How quickly you fall asleep, how often you wake up at night, how much time you spend in restorative stages like deep and REM sleep, and how refreshed you feel in the morning."

Here, we'll explore three of these key sleep metrics or 'muscles' and how they impact your sleep quality.

Muscle 1: Sleep latency

If you're regularly clocking up eight hours sleep a night, the time spent lying awake in bed at the start of the night might seem irrelevant to the overall picture of your sleep health.

However, increased sleep latency — when it regularly takes you over 20 minutes to fall asleep — can be a sign that your circadian rhythms are off track.

"Sleep onset latency is a sensitive indicator of how well the circadian rhythm is functioning," explains Ariel Garten, neuroscientist and co-founder of Muse Sleep Headband.

She notes that your sleep latency can "decline significantly" without a change in total sleep time. But as your circadian function is disrupted, you're probably not enjoying genuine recovery during the night.

Dr. Roland says this is the best way to reduce sleep onset latency: "Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends, to reinforce consistency.

"Regular exercise, exposure to natural light during the day, and avoiding long or late naps can also help you fall asleep faster," he explains.

Muscle 2: Time spent in deep sleep

Sleep trackers record how long you spend in key sleep stages: light, REM, and deep sleep.

During a healthy night's sleep, you cycle through each stage. However, when your sleep architecture is disrupted, you might spend most of the night stuck in lighter sleep.

"Your body relies on predictable, uninterrupted cycles to repair, regulate hormones, and support brain function," explains Dr. Roland.

Garten notes that deep sleep is when physical restoration happens, while REM is critical for emotional regulation and next-day cognitive performance.

"Small nightly losses in either compound into real fatigue and brain fog across the week in ways that total sleep time simply won't show you," says Gartner.

By the way, you need less deep sleep than you realize: for most adults, around 60 to 90 minutes of deep sleep a night is plenty.

Muscle 3: Sleep efficiency

Brief nighttime awakenings are normal; in fact, you might not even notice they happen. However, when you regularly wake up during the night, or when these 3 a.m. wake ups turn into 'middle insomnia', those long hours in bed aren't beneficial.

"Sleep efficiency – how consolidated and uninterrupted sleep actually is – tells you whether the time spent in bed is translating into genuine recovery," says Garten

"You can get eight hours of fragmented or irregular sleep and still feel exhausted," explains Dr. Roland, "while consistent, high-quality sleep helps regulate your circadian rhythm, improving everything from mood to metabolism."

How to work these 3 'sleep muscles' harder for better energy

The good news is that you can improve your sleep quality and these 'sleep muscles' with some simple steps. We spoke to the experts to find out more...

1. Optimize your sleep environment

"To improve all three [muscles]," Dr. Roland first advises, "optimize your sleep environment."

This begins with a comfortable, sleep-supporting bedroom. Keep it cool (the best temperature for sleep is 65 to 70°F), and dark (light at night can disrupt your body clock) with the best mattress for your sleep style.

2. Create a nighttime routine

Alongside a bedroom that is conducive to sleep, Dr. Roland says that it's important to "focus on building a steady bedtime routine," before bed in order to improve these sleep muscles.

"Create a wind-down routine that signals to your body it’s time to sleep, limit screens and caffeine in the evening," he suggests.

A wind-down, or nighttime routine, is a series of relaxing activities you do (or don't do, in the case of screens and caffeine) in the lead up to sleep, and can be anything you find calming; light yoga, reading, stretching, listening to music or perhaps sleep mediation.

3. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule

But the best way to stay on top of your sleep latency, deep sleep, and nighttime interruptions is with consistency.

"The circadian rhythm relies on regular sleep and wake times to stay aligned," says Garten.

When your schedule shifts, Garten notes your brain receives "weaker" sleep and wake signals. "This can gradually disrupt sleep architecture and reduce overall sleep quality."

The 60-minute bedtime rule recommends finding an anchor time and going to bed within a 30 minute time frame either side of this anchor. So if 10 p.m. is your anchor time, you'll be tucked up between 9.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m.

In fact, this rule is based on findings from the Vitality study, where researchers discovered that going to bed within the same 1 hour window and getting at least 7 hours sleep a night (consistent, quality sleep) could add up to four years to your life.

However, "if you still are not resting well," adds Dr. Roland, "or have other sleep-related symptoms, such as snoring, pauses in breathing, or frequent movements, it is important you see a doctor to make sure you don’t have an underlying sleep condition such as obstructive sleep apnea."

Finally, pay attention to how you feel in the morning

As Dr. Roland mentions, feeling refreshed in the morning is a marker of whether you've had good quality sleep.

Garten explains more: "When the brain gets the recovery it needs overnight, the downstream effects are tangible: sustained focus, emotional resilience, and faster cognitive recovery,"

"That's the real measure of a good night's sleep."

I used to be the person who sprang out of bed as soon as her alarm went off, but this spring I’ve been struggling with extreme morning fatigue. It was so strong that I kept hitting the snooze button, not just once, but multiple times a morning.

As a sleep tech writer for Tom’s Guide I know that hitting the snooze button is bad news for my sleep (it makes it harder to fall asleep at night for one, and it can make morning grogginess ten times worse). But honestly, I’ve been so tired, that extra 9 minutes’ sleep each time I hit ‘snooze’ have been irresistible.

To get me out of this cycle of exhaustion, I asked sleep expert and certified health and wellness coach Erin Clifford to help me curb my snooze button habit. Here’s the simple 3-step reset she taught me, and how it’s helping me feel energised again…

• Read more: Slept for 7 or 8 hours but still exhausted? Work these 3 ‘sleep muscles’ for more energy, experts say

At a glance: The 3-Step Morning Reset

• Step 1: The 'distance' trick – Move your alarm clock out of arm’s reach. Forcing physical movement is the fastest way to break the 'snooze' loop.
• Step 2: Sync your circadian rhythm – Stick to a strict 'wake-up window'—even on weekends—to train your brain to stop expecting that extra nine minutes.
• Step 3: Use sunrise cues – Use a sunrise alarm clock or sleep with your curtains open. Natural light signals your brain to stop producing melatonin and start producing cortisol (a ‘get up and go’ hormone).

Verdict: Snoozing your alarm will make your morning grogginess (sleep inertia) worse. Each time you hit that snooze button, you start a new sleep cycle you can't finish, leaving you more exhausted than if you'd just stayed awake.

From 'early bird' to 'snooze button queen'

I expected it to be easier to wake up in the mornings now that spring is here. But, Clifford explains, there are a few potential reasons why I'm groggier than usual, despite usually being an early bird who gets eight hours of sleep a night.

"Even though it's springtime and we're looking forward to brighter and warmer days, seasonal changes can still work against you," says the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) therapist.

"In early spring, mornings are darker than our bodies are used to. Not being able to take in light or as much light immediately disrupts our circadian rhythm and prevents the body from recognizing that it is time to stop producing melatonin."

"It can also be because longer days (more sunlight later) may cause some of your normal bedtime habits or behaviors to change," Clifford elaborates.

"You could be staying out or staying up later, or delaying starting your bedtime routine. Even a small shift in routine, 20 to 30 minutes, can make waking up harder."

3 reasons why you might be hitting the snooze button more too

From your sleep environments to what you do in the lead up to bedtime, here we'll look at all the things that could be pushing me and you to hit the snooze button...

1. A lack of wake-up cues

From your bedroom being too dark to your alarm clock being too far away from your bed, your sleep environment can make it easier for you to wake up with lots of energy in the morning, or it can make it harder.

Invested in some blackout curtains so the lighter evening don't get in the way of your bedtime? While that's great for falling asleep fast at night, it's a different story when it comes to waking up with energy in the morning.

"People also gravitate towards the snooze button when they're lacking wake up cues," explains Clifford. "If your room is still very dark or your alarm is right next to your head, your body doesn't have an immediate and clear signal to wake up."

I swear by sleeping with my blinds open, so light hasn't been too much of an issue for me. Even with my attic bedroom flooded with natural light by 6:30am, I've still been snoozing.

However I am guilty of keeping my alarm too close to my bed, making it easy to knock it off for an extra few minutes sleep. Fine, I'll move it to the other side of my room.

2. Your body clock is still realigning

It hasn't been long since the clocks sprung forward. While you may expect your sleep to be 'back on track' now after the initial disruption — how much damage can one hour of lost sleep cause, after all? — it's not that simple.

Clifford says, "It can take our bodies a few weeks to adjust to the time change and realign our circadian rhythms."

This means that even if you are still getting "enough" sleep, your body may still feel like it is too early to wake up when your alarm sounds because it gravitates to the previous time.

You may particularly feel the effects of your body clock realigning if you've spent the winter doing your best to stick to a consistent sleep and wake time, as recommended by experts and backed up by huge new studies.

That's because your body will have got used to waking up at a certain time and the hour difference throws off that well-established rhythm.

That said, with a little more time, it will readjust to summer timings.

3. Your healthy sleep habits have slipped

With more daylight hours to play with in the evening, you may find your routine has shifted.

Now the evenings are lighter, it's hard to tell there difference between 5pm and 7pm and, personally, I've found I'm eating later and pushing back my nighttime routine (both of which are bad news for sleep quality).

Naturally, as you're exposed to brighter light for longer, melatonin release will be delayed. This can impact how fast you fall asleep and the quality of sleep you get through the night.

Unsurprisingly, if you spend more time tossing and turning, and if the quality of your sleep has taken a back seat, you're likely to feel groggy come morning.

Clifford, who is also a licensed professional counselor, says one of the main reasons people hit snooze is because they are waking up during a deeper sleep stage, meaning "you wake up feeling groggy and disoriented, and hitting the snooze button feels like a solution."

In a healthy sleep cycle, deep sleep comes during the first part of the night (a calming evening routine and healthy sleep habits help your body fall into that restorative deep stage early on).

But if your sleep cycles are fragmented in the first half of the night due to late night meals or too much light exposure, deep sleep may come closer to your wake up time.

Why you shouldn't snooze your alarm

Research published in 2025 by Rebecca Robbins, renowned sleep scientist at Havard Medical School — which analysed more than 3 million nights of sleep data from 21,000 people — found that more than 55% of sleep sessions ended with people snoozing their alarm.

Yet this common habit can confuse your brain and body, mainly because any sleep you get after hitting snooze is poor quality.

Essentially, hitting snooze fragments your sleep. Clifford says: "Your brain tries to make your body fall back to sleep during these 10 minutes, and by reentering a light sleep stage and then being woken up again minutes later, you are interrupting your body's natural sleep rhythm."

This can also prolong that groggy feeling that made you hit snooze in the first place. "Each time you fall back to sleep after hitting snooze, the wake up process restarts when the alarm goes off again.

"This makes you feel even more tired than you probably would have been if you got up the first time," explains the sleep expert.

"Finally, the snooze button steals time from your morning. Every ten minutes you snooze is ten minutes you could have been doing something good for you, like meditation, taking in the light, some light movement, eating breakfast."

I've certainly felt more mentally cloudy on the days my snoozing has got in the way of my usual morning routine, leading me to miss a pre-work walk or run.

All this considered, experts caution snoozing should be avoided in favor of setting an alarm for the last realistic wake time to allow for as much consolidated, uninterrupted sleep as possible.

How to not snooze your alarm

I asked Clifford for her top tips for avoiding that tempting snooze button and waking up with energy. Here's what she said...

1. Put your alarm out of reach

Clifford's number one tip for avoiding the snooze button is to put your alarm on the other side of the room.

"If the alarm is right next to you, it is easy to turn it off or hit snooze and fall back to sleep," she explains. But, "if the alarm is on the other side of the room, you are forced to get out of bed to turn it off.

"This will make you more alert and can signal to your body that it is time to wake up and stop producing melatonin."

2. Stick to a consistent sleep routine

Maintaining a consistent sleep routine seems to be the number one sleep tips this year, promoted by experts and large-scale studies.

For example, a new study by Vitality and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) found that consistent sleep timings paired with getting 7+ hours of sleep a night can help increase your life span by up to four years.

Clifford concurs, and says it can help you avoid pressing snooze. "Another thing I recommend is to pick a consistent wake time and stick to it every day," she advises. "

A consistent wake time strengthens your circadian rhythm and can help prevent that groggy feeling."

Once your internal clock learns your regular wake up time, your body will know to suppress melatonin and produce cortisol at that time, so you wake up energised rather than groggy.

3. Invest in a trusty sunrise alarm clock

As someone who tends to fall victim to doom scrolling to procrastinate bedtime, I've started leaving my phone out of my bedroom — a habit I recommend everyone tries.

That means I rely on a top-rated sunrise alarm clock to wake me up rather than my phone alarm. For reference, the $59 Dreamegg sunrise alarm clock (a dupe of the trending Hatch Restore 3) currently sits at my bedside.

Yes I've been hitting its snooze button more lately, but I'm still a big advocate of a sunrise alarm clock.

Until I was hit with whatever snooze-button-enticing phenomenon I seemed to have caught recently, my dawn-simulating alarm clock was helping me wake up with energy.

So, you've washed your bed sheets and vacuumed the carpet — spring-cleaning your bedroom is done, right? Well, it turns out there maybe more dust lurking in your bedroom than you think, and it could be why you're waking up at 3 a.m. this spring.

"A build-up of winter dust combined with rising spring pollen levels can irritate your airways and disrupt sleep quality," warns Dr. Deborah Lee, sleep expert at Doctor Fox. But where are the hidden spots that are literally collecting dust?

To find out, I've asked Heather Snaman, cleaning co-ordinator and co-owner of Queen of To Do, for the hidden dust traps that we forget about when cleaning our bedroom. Clean these five areas today to boost your sleep quality tonight...

Key takeaways: At a glance

• In springtime, dust that builds up over winter combines with a rising pollen count.
• Bedroom dust can irritate your airways, leading to lower sleep quality and more nighttime awakenings.
• Dust accumulates on hidden, hard-to-reach areas such as headboards, ceiling fans, electronics, windows and lamps.
• To prevent dust from waking you up at night, vacuum regularly with an extension, keep your bedroom well-ventilated, and use hypoallergenic bedding.

• You might also like: I fixed my morning exhaustion by ditching my snooze button habit — here’s the expert 3-step reset that helped me

The 5 hidden dust traps to clean for better sleep

1. Celling fan

First of all, what is the No. 1 hidden bedroom spot that attracts the most dust?

"The ceiling fan for sure," replies Snaman, pointing out that spring cleaners always forget about this spot when spring cleaning as it's 3ft over their heads.

"It’s almost always out of control before you notice it," says the decluttering expert.

In fact, one study found that ceiling fans naturally collect airborne particles like dust, with scientists discovering 24 different groups of algae in the dust collected from blades.

2. Electronics

It's been proventhat static electricity causes dust to stick to surfaces. "Chargers, the tops of TVs and gaming consoles, especially the vent slots, collect dust quickly," says Snaman.

Meanwhile, research has also found that electronics, such as computers, can be major sources of synthetic chemicals found in household dust.

3. Lamps

Like electronics, glass can accumulate static electricity (particularly if you wipe it), which attracts dust. So you may want to peek inside your lampshade and checkout the dusty bulb.

According to Snaman, your lamps faithful spot on your nightstand may also be beckoning dust.

"Lamps definitely attract dust, since they don’t get moved around your room very often," warns Snaman.

"Anything that sits in place for longer periods of time will attract dust, and lampshades made of fabric may show dust more and be more difficult to clean," adds the homecare expert.

4. Bed frames

Snaman tells me that bed frames are also major dust traps (especially headboards, as they sit against a wall), which is not surprising when you consider that studies have found that that mattresses, pillows and blankets are among the surfaces where dust accumulates the most in homes.

"Natural air flow through the room pushes dust towards the walls and corners, and gets stuck behind and under furniture," she says.

Your bed frame is also one of the bedroom items we recommend cleaning weekly to spot and prevent a bed bug outbreak, as they love hiding in its dark corners.

• Read more: Bed bugs won't go near your mattress if you spritz it with this $7 natural product (it will help you fall asleep faster too)

5. Windows

Windows also collect a lot of dust particles, with one study showing that curtains in particular accumulated higher levels of particles, while the American Lung Association points to blinds as being one of the key areas in the home where dust frequently builds up.

Another study found that surfaces near a window pane, such as frames and drapes, can gather allergens.

Similarly, window frames can end up harboring excess dust. "Window frames are notoriously dusty because they’re out of sight, out of mind, and the layers build up quickly," says Snaman.

How to keep your bedroom dust-free in 3 easy steps

Started to notice all the dust you missed while spring cleaning? Not to worry, Snaman says there are quick, easy methods to getting rid of those sleep-disrupting allergens.

"5 minutes tops and it makes a big difference!" reveals Snaman.

1. Try a vacuum extension

Snaman says that regular vacuuming can be hugely effective for removing dust buildup. But reaching tricky spots on the ceiling or behind furniture can be awkward or downright impossible if you're working with an upright vacuum cleaner.

"Handheld vacuums with extensions are really helpful, and I also like the ceiling fan dusters on an extension pole," advises Snaman.

"For a 5-minute clean, run a handheld vacuum along the baseboards in between full room vacuuming and a hand held duster along any surfaces," she adds.

2. Open a window or turn on a fan

According to Snaman, "good air circulation will go a long way" in eliminating and preventing dust buildup.

Research has highlighted how air circulation can help lower dust levels by moving dust particles out of the home.

To boost airflow in your bedroom in just a few seconds, open your bedroom windows and doors, turn on a fan, or invest in one of the best air purifiers (granted, buying one new will take longer than several seconds, but switching it on when you have it will be just as fast).

3. Invest in bamboo bedding

As I mentioned above, your bed is a hot bed (excuse the pun) of dust, but a doctor has told me that investing in breathable anti-allergic bamboo bedding may reduce allergens.

"Bamboo fabric is naturally hypoallergenic, breathable, and resistant to microorganisms and parasites like dust mites and bed bugs," says Dr. Seeta Shah, medical expert at Panda London.

Once you have it, popping on your new bedding should only take a few minutes.

3 bedroom essentials for a cleaner sleep

Blackout curtains can create an environment proven to help you fall asleep fast, but science warns they could also be the reason why you're waking up tired. However, the good news is that a simple habit could help give you a morning energy boost, and it only takes seconds.

While blackout curtains are commonly used for blocking sleep disrupting light, with 270 million blackout curtains installed in the US in 2023, physician Dr. Fábio Luiz Vieira, founder of My Brazilian Doctor, warns they may disrupt our circadian rhythm and cause morning fatigue

"Sleep quality is largely determined by darkness at night and light in the morning." says Dr. Vieira. "Waking in darkness can delay circadian signaling and reduce morning alertness."

• Read more: I kept waking up exhausted until a NASA scientist shared her $0 lab-tested tip for beating morning grogginess — here’s how it works

Key take-aways: At a glance

• Studies show that blackout curtains create a dark environment to boost melatonin, a hormone which helps us fall asleep.
• However, blackout curtains block out morning light, which the body uses as a signal to produce cortisol, a hormone that help us feel awake and alert upon waking.
• When cortisol is reduced due to a lack of daylight in the morning, this can lead to morning fatigue, plus a delayed wake-up time and bedtime.
• To increase alertness in the morning, aim to open your blackout curtains immediately upon waking, urge experts.
• Using a sunrise alarm clock has been proven to increase cortisol and serotonin production, a get-up-and-go hormone combination.

How blackout curtains can cause morning tiredness

Research has shown that those who sleep in a room affected by light pollution are more likely to experience sleep deprivation and anxiety. Meanwhile, a 2021 study found that being exposed to even a small amount of light while sleeping can lead to more nighttime awakenings.

That's where blackout curtains and blinds can step in. Blackout curtains have become a popular sleep tool to reduce the affects of light pollution, creating a dark environment free of sleep-disrupting light.

"Blackout blinds can be beneficial, particularly if you live in environments with lots of light exposure," says James Wilson of Bensons for Beds.

"If we’re woken in the night for whatever reason, the complete darkness helps us to settle back into to sleep more easily than if we were exposed to light," the sleep practitioner adds.

However, while blackout curtains create a sleep-inducing environment at night, they can also create an environment that decreases energy levels in the morning.

Research has found that the addition of blackout curtains can disrupt our natural circadian rhythm, which is our body's internal clock. Study participants reported feeling more alert at night and sluggish in the morning when sleeping in a room with blackout curtains.

This lead to an out-of-sync sleep schedule, characterized by delayed wake-up times and bedtimes.

But why does waking up in darkness cause morning tiredness? Dr. Vieira explains that it's all to do with how darkness increases the production of sleep-promoting hormone melatonin.

"Light is the primary cue for suppressing melatonin and activating the brain’s wake systems," the doctor explains.

Studies have even highlighted how our biological clock relies on light to know that it's daytime, with sunlight boosting cortisol, a hormone that promotes energy and alertness.

According to Wilson, blackout curtains remove a natural (and crucial) wake-up cue.

"Waking up in the dark means our bodies aren’t given the signal to stop producing sleep hormones and to start producing cortisol, which helps us start the day," he warns.

3 quick and easy ways to boost morning energy

While blackout curtains can play havoc with your sleep schedule, Hannah Shore, Head of Sleep Science at MattressOnline, highlights how they're still important — especially during the summer months.

"If we don’t have these, we would be waking up when the sun rises, which can be as early as 4:30am in peak summer," she warns.

Luckily, sleep experts say that there are quick and easy ways to enjoy the sleep-promoting benefits of blackout curtains at night and in the early hours of the morning, without skipping the energy-boosting sunlight when you need to get up.

1. Open your curtains as soon as you wake up

The quickest and easiest way to feel energized in the morning is to head over to your window as soon as you wake up and draw back the curtains.

"Blackout curtains are best combined with intentional morning light exposure, such as opening curtains immediately upon waking, to maintain circadian alignment," advises Dr. Vieira.

In fact, Ruth Jones, a Senior Sleep Writer here at Tom's Guide, swears by this five-second morning habit.

"I needed blackout curtains to fall asleep in a room plagued by streetlights, but the lack of morning sunlight left me groggy and fatigued," says the sleep writer.

To remedy her morning fatigue, Jones says she would open her curtains as soon as her alarm beeped.

"At the first chime, I'd fling my curtains back before hitting snooze, allowing the natural daylight to slowly rouse me; I was awake and alert before the second alarm could start," she tells me.

2. Invest in a sunrise alarm

After testing my first wake-up light for my Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700FM sunrise alarm clock review, I am now someone who preaches about how refreshing it is to wake up to a gentle, gradually-brightening light instead of a harsh iPhone alarm.

Sunrise alarms work by mimicking a sunrise, and this dawn simulation has been shown to increase cortisol.

"If you're using blackout blinds, I always reccomend coupling them with one of the best sunrise alarm clocks to wake up by light as well as an audible alarm," advises Wilson.

3. Go for a walk in the first hour of the day

Another morning habit I swear by is a quick walk in the morning light. Not only is a morning stroll a great way to get a boost of Vitamin D, it's also proven to be a great way to boost sleep quality and increase energy levels.

To feel more refreshed in the morning, all you need to do is head out the door between 30 and 60 minutes after your alarm.

"Getting access within the first hour of waking every day, so long as it is the same time, will help to set your body clock, which in turn can make it easier to fall asleep and wake up in the future," says Shore.

3 products that boost morning energy

Sleep is the first thing affected when I'm stressed, with racing thoughts making it difficult to fall (and stay) asleep — and I'm not alone. According to a survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 74% of Americans report experiencing disrupted sleep due to stress.

However, it's now officially Stress Awareness Month, so I've invested in products that help me build a relaxing nighttime routine for better sleep. "Think of your nighttime routine as a gentle signal to your nervous system that it’s safe to power do," says Dr. Bijal Chheda is the Founder of Nos Curare.

I've curated a relaxing sleep kit featuring products that help me unwind, from a cooling weighted blanket for refreshing comfort to a relaxing room mist. I've also included a silk mask, which Dr. Chheda recommends "to block out external light", and the noise-blocking ear plugs that I use every night for a disturbance-free sleep.

The drone of snoring is a common sound in many households, with an estimated 45% of the population snoring occasionally. However, disordered breathing at night carries more risk than you might realize.

Research published in npj Digital Medicine found that those who regularly snored or experienced sleep apnea had overall comparatively high levels of pulse wave velocity; a recognized signifier of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Here's what the study found about sleep apnea, snoring and heart health, as well as tips on how you can reduce your snoring.

Key take-aways: At a glance

• Sleep apnea, snoring and disordered breathing at night all impact vascular health.
• Sometimes known as "heart age". vascular aging places extra burden on the heart and is linked to heart failure.
• Severe sleep apnea is associated with higher pulse wave velocity (PWV) and arterial stiffness, independent of age, sex, and BMI.
• Variability in sleep apnea events each night — some nights worse, some nights better — was associated with arterial stiffness, particularly in those with mild OSA.
• High snoring (without OSA) also shows a similar impact on arterial stiffness as severe apnea with minimal snoring.
• These results are particularly pronounced in younger people.

How snoring and apnea impact your heart health

The study analyzed data from 29,653 adults, collected over an average of four years, from two digital health devices: a Withings Sleep Analyzer tracked breathing and snoring, while a Withings Body Cardio Scale measured aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV.)

The study observed that nighttime disordered breathing often resulted in higher PWV, a signifier of arterial stiffness and vascular aging (sometimes referred to as heart aging.)

What's more, while severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to arterial stiffness regardless of age, sex or BMI, the researchers also found similar results among those with variable sleep apnea.

They found that apnea events (or breathing disruptions) that fluctuate between mild and severe (higher night-to-night variability) are associated with arterial stiffening, and noted that this was more pronounced among those with mild OSA.

In fact, the study showed that those with mild OSA but high night-to-night variability had comparable predicted PWV values to those with as overall severe apnea but low variability.

When it comes to snoring, the researchers found that "habitual snoring was associated with increased arterial stiffness independent of the presence and severity of OSA."

The researchers defined snoring burden as "the percentage of total sleep time spent snoring" and their results showed that those without OSA but with a high snoring burden showed a comparably high PWV to those with severe OSA but minimal snoring.

While vascular aging occurs naturally during your lifespan, a high PWV among those with a severe snoring burden regardless of age indicates this form of disordered breathing can speed up the process — and that this common sleep problem is one you shouldn't ignore.

"[Sleep apnea] repeatedly interrupts breathing, lowering oxygen, raising blood pressure, and breaking the deep sleep cycles that restore the brain and body," warns Dr. John La Puma, Board-Certified Internist. "It accelerates cardiovascular aging."

How to stop snoring and help reduce sleep apnea

Snoring is often harmless but it can be a frustrating sleep disruptor, so minimizing the habit can help you (and your partner) enjoy a better night's kip.

We previously spoke to Raj Dasgupta, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAASM, for expert advice on how to stop snoring — here are some of his top tips.

1. Lifestyle changes

If you place yourself among those who 'occasionally snore', you might have noticed certain habits are linked to your disrupted nights. Alcohol, in particular — you're more likely to snore if you've had a drink or two before bed.

Cutting out alcohol and smoking are two big lifestyle changes that can help you breathe easier during the night.

Weight is also linked to snoring, as those in higher weight categories are more likely to experience disordered breathing. While losing weight isn't an easy fix for apnea, it's a lifestyle change that can help reduce snoring.

2. Positional therapy

Snoring and sleep apnea events most commonly occur when you're back sleeping, as the throat tissue is more liable to block the airway if you lie supine.

For this reason positional therapy — encouraging you to sleep on your side — is a popular and non-invasive sleep apnea treatment.

Body pillows are a good way to start side sleeping, while sewing tennis balls into the back of your pajamas can prevent you from rolling over in the night.

Alternatively, consider upgrading to an adjustable bed base. These allow you to lift the head so you sleep in a sitting position, opening the airways.

3. Open your nasal passages

Open nasal passages allow you to breathe more freely through your nose, rather than relying on your mouth. Over the counter nose strips are one way to open up your nasal passages.

Alternatively, try a warm shower or bath before bed. And make sure to keep your bed clean, to avoid snuggling up with allergens that might be causing your blocked nose.

For those with sleep apnea, stronger intervention might be needed. Mouth guards can help reduce apnea events, while CPAP machines are still considered the 'gold standard' treatment — and the study suggests using a CPAP machine might lower PWV among those experiencing increased vascular aging.

When to speak to a doctor about snoring

Not sure if your snoring warrants a trip to the doctor? If you share a bed, the best way to get to grips with your snoring is to speak to your co-sleeper. They're best placed to assess the frequency and severity.

For those who don't share a bed, many of the best sleep trackers assess breathing quality and detect indicators of snoring. While not as accurate as another person, this can help you identify the likelihood you're experiencing breathing disruptions.

Common signs that your snoring is actually sleep apnea include frequently waking up in the night, waking up tired after what seems like eight hours sleep, and waking up with a dry mouth or headache.

"Sleep apnea affects 26 percent of U.S. adults aged 30 to 70, yet only about 5 percent are diagnosed," notes Dr. La Puma. As the study notes even mild apnea is linked to arterial stiffness, we recommend speaking to a healthcare professional if you're concerned about disordered breathing.

Whenever I experience a bout of insomnia, more often than not it's down to feeling worried about the next day. It can be incredibly hard to know how to sleep when my mind is racing with this anticipatory anxiety. But what is it and is there a way around this sleep stumbling block?

"Anticipatory anxiety is when we have anxiety about the next day, so we sleep poorly as we don't feel safe and relaxed," explains James Wilson, a sleep practitioner at Bensons for Beds. According to the sleep expert, embracing things that help me unwind can combat this gnawing worry I sometimes feel about the next day, which has a detrimental impact on my sleep.

To discover the best ways to relax my racing thoughts, I asked Wilson and Hannah Shore, Head of Sleep Science at Mattress Online, how to sleep when I'm worried about the next day. Here are the expert's top seven tips that worked for me...

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Anticipatory anxiety is the anxiety you feel when worried about the next day, and it can affect sleep due to stress releasing wake-inducing hormones such as cortisol.
• Whether it's a job interview or the prospect of tackling a difficult task, comfort watching your favorite TV shows can help foster a feeling of safety and help you fall asleep.
• Listening to a relaxing podcast, re-reading a favorite book, making a to-do list and practicing mediation or deep breathing can help you unwind.
• Practice good sleep hygiene by avoiding overthinking about sleep, not consuming caffeine six hours before bedtime, and eating earlier in the evening.

How anticipatory anxiety affects my sleep

For as long as I can remember, I've had trouble sleeping whenever I was worried about the following day.

Whether I had an exam the next morning or a flight to catch, my insomnia always resurfaced when tomorrow's schedule deviated from the norm.

Knowing that I had to wake up hours earlier than usual meant that I would stare at my clock and try to calculate how sleep I could get if I fell asleep right there and then.

Whenever I had a big day ahead that required a lot of energy and mental sharpness, I would convince myself that everything would fall apart if I didn't get enough sleep — but scolding myself into sleeping only made my insomnia worse.

"Our bodies are coded to link stress and anxiety to not sleeping, and this goes back many years to when we as humans had predators," explains Wilson.

The sleep practitioner said that stress-induced insomnia is an "inherent survival instinct" that has remained with us.

"Anticipatory anxiety is a sign of potential threat so we remain switched on," the sleep practitioner explains.

How to sleep when you're worried about the next day

Okay, so how exactly am I supposed to sleep when my brain mistakes my anticipatory anxiety over a Monday morning meeting for the threat of a saber-toothed tiger hunting me down?

Plenty, apparently. Here are the seven expert-approved tips that helped me turn off my racing thoughts and fall asleep fast...

1. Don't stress about sleep

I decided to put the best advice first: remember that the next day won't be a complete and utter disaster if you don't get enough sleep tonight. Sleep isn't that important.

Yes, it goes against every single rule that I (along with every single doctor and sleep expert) have been preaching, but if you already know sleep underpins your overall health and wellbeing, you can afford to break it.

"If we change the conversation with ourselves to ‘Yes, I might struggle to sleep tonight, but I am brilliant at being tired. I am world-class at being tired and I’ve done some amazing things whilst exhausted', then we start to relax more about tomorrow," says Wilson.

Wilson explains that this sleep mantra works by addressing the underlying anxiety more than trying quick fixes and prescriptive advice.

"One of the most powerful tools I have as a sleep coach for overcoming this anxiety is working with people on changing their mindset around who they are as a sleeper," he shares.

2. Switch off racing thoughts

If you can't convince yourself that getting enough sleep is no big deal, then Shore suggests you may want to take a shot at mindfulness practices.

"You need to find a way for your brain to ‘switch off’ those thoughts, which is easier said than done, but for some people, meditation and even cognitive shuffling can help," she suggests.

Personally, I struggle with mediation practices when left to my own devices, so I always use one of the many guided sleep meditations available on YouTube. My go-to is the Sleep Talk Down Guided Meditation by Jason Stephenson.

3. Comfort watch your favorite TV shows

While I've always been told that watching TV before bed can cause insomnia, there's nothing wrong with some light, comforting entertainment to help you unwind and quieten anxious thoughts. In fact, research has found watching familiar shows can help ease nighttime anxiety.

"Some may find they need the help of the TV, a podcast, or music to help them stop thinking about the following day," reveals Shore.

Wilson agrees and says that "listening to something that makes you feel safe" can promote sleep.

"A good example would be an audio novel you have read before, this way you know what’s going to happen so you don’t need to focus on it too much, but the familiar story is comforting, therefore helping to drop your heart rate," he suggests.

4. Make a to-do list

Science has proven that writing a to-do list for the next day can help you fall asleep an average of nine minutes faster than writing about the day you've already had. And this habit of highly organized people could help ease anticipatory anxiety.

According to Shore, a to-do list helps empty "a head full of things that we didn’t do today, that you must try to remember to do tomorrow".

"By keeping a list, you can ensure you don’t forget these things, as they often pop into your head in the middle of the night and keep you awake," she recommends.

She also suggest keeping the list on your nightstand, so you can jot anything that comes to you in the middle of the night.

5. Breathe in, breathe out

Breathwork is one of the most popular techniques for reducing, but you can also use breathing exercises for sleep. Methods such as box breathing have been found to improve sleep quality, while the 4-7-8 technique is a scientifically-backed method to reduce anxiety.

Wilson even says that a simple breathe-in, breathe out exercise can calm your anxieties.

"Inhale deeply and exhale slowly, you’ll find your heart rate slows and you'll starting to yawn quicker than you think," says the sleep practitioner.

6. Go to bed only when you feel tired

Once, I tried forcing myself to go to bed at 10pm to try to clock up some extra sleep, and you know what happened? It actually made it harder to fall asleep. Studies have shown that going to bed at a time that conflicts with your predominant sleep-wake schedule (known as your chronotype) can actually increase insomnia symptoms.

"Have a targeted sleep time that’s in line with your body’s natural rhythm, so for example, don’t go to bed early if you’ve got an early start as this just gives you more time to worry and only go to bed when you feel sleepy," says Wilson.

7. Take a warm bath or shower

And last but not least: make a warm relaxing bath or two-minute shower an integral step in your nighttime routine. (Lucky for me, as I hate morning showers.)

Research even suggests that a warm shower or two before bedtime can help you unwind and fall asleep faster, with a water temperature of 104 °F and 108 °F shown to be optimal for sleep.

"Focus on doing things that are going to drop your heart rate and drop your core temperature; try a warm bath or shower, as when we step out of the bath shower, our core temperature drops," suggest Wilson.

5 things that can make anticipatory anxiety worse

1. Caffeine

When I got my first coffee machine, I went a little too overboard and guzzling cappuccinos to help me gain energy during a difficult week. That night, not only was I stressed about a deadline but I was also up all night with an increased heart rate that just wouldn't let me sleep.

Anything that makes you feel more anxious will increase the impact of next day anxiety and for some people, it could be caffeine," Wilson warns.

He adds that you can drink your morning coffee, but skip your evening java.

"Ensure your last caffeinated drink is at a time that isn’t going to make you struggle to get to sleep later, " advises the sleep coach.

While everyone's caffeine sensitivity is different, research recommends ditching caffeine at least six hours before bed to limit its effects on sleep.

2. Watching or reading something new

Have you ever said to you'd watch just one episode to help you relax before bed, only to find yourself in the midst of an all-night Netflix marathon?

"Consuming new content makes us more alert, whether it's looking at work emails or watching something engrossing on TV," warns Wilson.

The sleep practitioner warns to stay away from thrillers or horror movies or anything that's "likely to raise our heart rate or keep us thinking."

3. Clock watching

One major factor of insomnia that I'm definitely guilty of whenever I'm nervous about the big day ahead is clock watching.

Slipping and out of sleep is a normal part of our sleep architecture; it's so common that we barely remember it. So, when we do wake up and check our phone or alarm clock for the time, it just alerts us to how little time we have to get enough rest.

"If we’re constantly clock watching to see how many hours sleep we’ll get before our alarm goes off, we’ll never drop off," warns Wilson.

4. Eating too close to bedtime

My sleep was transformed when I tried intermittent fasting. This blue-zone approved method of front-loading calories helped me fall asleep faster and showed me how much sleep is influenced by the time of our dinner.

In fact, one study found that those who ate meals later in the day were more likely to take longer to fall asleep.

"Anything that elevates your core body temperature, such as eating large meals late at night, can reduce sleep quality and increase stress and anxiety," says Shore.

5. Working late at night

It can be tempting to check your email before bed, but working too late into the night can make us feel more alert.

"Increased stressors like extra work affects the production of hormones,"says Shore.

According to the sleep scientist, this causes "wake-promoting" hormones such as cortisol to be released, and "sleep-promoting" hormones like melatonin to be suppressed.

"Melatonin cannot work properly, leaving you wide awake," she explains.

To limit the stress of work affecting your sleep latency and quality, follow to the 10-3-2-1-0 rule and ditch work emails two hours before bed.

The bottom line...

"To fall asleep and stay asleep when we have anticipatory anxiety, we need to get our bodies to calm down and relax so the right chemicals can be produced," advises Shore.

To help us relax in the evenings, don't set a strict goal for how much sleep you need. and try low-energy, calming activities such as watching or listening to something comforting or familiar, try sleep techniques such as mediation or deep breathing, or take a warm shower or bath.

Standard sleep hygiene practices also apply, such as not eating too close to bed, ditching caffeine six hours before bedtime, and avoiding overthinking or consuming exciting or stressful content in the evening.

Your alarm might go off at 7 a.m. but some days it feels like you don't actually wake up until hours later, when your coffee finally kicks in and you can shake off the lingering feeling that you should still be in bed.

This drowsy, zombie-like start to the day is known as sleep inertia and Sam Sadighi, sleep expert at GetLaidBeds, has a two-step trick for beating fatigue and starting the day energized. And yes, it's even better than coffee.

Combining the 'photic reset' of looking at the sky with a healthy breakfast is "one of the most effective tools we have against sleep inertia," says Sadighi. Here's how it gives you a better boost than caffeine.

• Read more: This simple switch helped me wake up early and with tons of energy despite being a night owl — here's how

Key take-aways: At a glance

• Looking at the sky early in the morning helps suppress sleepy-hormone melatonin so you feel more awake.
• A healthy breakfast kickstarts your metabolism, so your body knows it's time to wake up.
• Combined, these two factors wake up both the brain and the metabolic system.
• Caffeine helps block adenosine, a neurotransmitter responsible for making us want to go to sleep.
• But looking at the sky clears away adenosine, so you feel more awake, faster.

2-step routine for a morning energy boost

1. The 'Sky-Blue' fix

When it comes to starting the day with a spring in your step, Sadighi thinks almost nothing beats the 'sky-blue' fix.

"There are few things more effective than people looking at the sky, not the sun, within 20 minutes of waking," says the founder of Easy Sleep Solutions.

"Sleep inertia is that 'foggy' feeling caused by leftover adenosine (the sleepiness chemical) and the slow transition of brain waves," explains Sadighi. "Sunlight, specifically the blue light found in the morning sky as it hits your eyes, sends a direct signal to the brain to shut down melatonin and trigger the Cortisol Awakening Response."

In other words, morning light exposure tells your brain to stop pumping out sleep hormones and to increase the production of awake hormones (aka cortisol.)

And don't worry if you've woken up to an overcast morning — looking at gray skies still has a benefit.

"Even on a cloudy day, the lux levels outside" — that's the intensity of light — "are significantly higher than indoors," says Sadighi.

2. The 'Gut-Brain' kickstart

Part two of this two-step routine is eating a healthy breakfast.

"Making sure that you have a nutritious breakfast that is high in protein and healthy fats, as soon as you can stomach it after waking, will help to kick start your circadian rhythm," explains Sadighi.

She describes a good breakfast as one of the "time setting modules for our circadian rhythm," as it gets your metabolic system up and going, sending a clear signal that the day is underway.

But you don't just want to get your gut working; you want to provide it with the right food to fuel the day.

Sadighi recommends a "high-protein, high-fat breakfast", and avoiding foods that are rich in starchy carbs.

"Reducing the amount of starchy carbs you consume prevents the sugar crash, which can make us feel a bit ‘meh’ later, even if we’ve slept well," she notes.

So what should you be eating? Here's what the sleep expert recommends:

• Eggs and avocado on sourdough
• Greek yoghurt with nuts and chia seeds

Why does this 2-step routine give you energy?

The 'sky-blue' hack and the 'gut-brain' kickstart alone can help you wake up feeling fresher, but it's when you combine the two that the magic happens.

"By combining the light with breakfast, you are waking up two systems at once: your brain and your metabolic system," explains Sadighi.

She notes that sleep inertia is often caused by "adenosine fog." Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that creates your 'sleep drive' or desire to sleep. In the morning, adenosine is still lingering, causing your first-thing drowsiness.

But the "dual-signaling" of this two-step routine helps clear the fog, even more effectively than caffeine.

"While caffeine just blocks sleepiness receptors, [this routine] actually flushes the system, effectively shortening the duration of sleep inertia from hours down to minutes,” says Sadighi.

But you don't have to cut caffeine out entirely — just enjoy your morning cup alongside a good breakfast and some sunlight.

Sleep is vital to heart health and minimal increases in sleep duration can lower your risk of a cardiovascular event by 10%, new research suggests.

"Even modest improvements in sleep hygiene have yielded measurable benefits in blood pressure control, heart rate variability, and overall cardiovascular resilience," explains Dr. Daniel Cham, physician.

But here's the key — while isolated gains in sleep can help protect against stroke and heart attack, the biggest benefits might occur when you combine just 11 minutes more sleep with small, positive changes to activity levels and diet.

We asked the experts, Dr. Cham and Dr. John La Puma, why sleep plays such a strong role in heart health and how to tackle the moderate lifestyle changes that can have a big impact on your wellbeing.

Key take-aways: Study at a glance

• Increasing sleep by 11 minutes, combined with 4.5 minutes more exercise and 1/4 cup of vegetables a day, decreases your risk of a cardiovascular event by 10%, new research shows.
• These modest changes across different behaviors are typically more achievable than a big upheaval in one area.
• Good diet and exercise both contribute to better sleep, meaning changes in one area can boost another.
• Sleep duration isn't everything, however, as doctors cite benefit of sleep regularity and strong circadian rhythms.

• Read more: This is the longevity focused metric in your sleep score that can indicate how well you’re ageing — experts explain why and how to improve yours

How good sleep impacts your heart health

Sleep, particularly deep sleep, is when our body resets and repairs itself. And as Dr. Cham explains, missing out on this restorative phase leads to more than just excessive yawning the next day.

"Poor sleep quality can increase blood pressure, contribute to arrhythmias, and exacerbate metabolic stress," he says, "all of which elevate the risk for heart disease."

Dr. John La Puma, Board-Certified Internist and author of Indoor Epidemic, explains this is in part because your circadian rhythm acts at the "heart's time table."

This internal clock behind our sleep-wake cycle dictates hormone changes including melatonin suppression and cortisol release.

"Heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths peaking in the first three hours after waking, when stress hormones surge," he says.

A 2025 study found just three nights of poor sleep can increase your risk of heart disease, making long-term sleep deprivation a major health concern — and not just a risk for your heart.

"It contributes to insulin resistance, setting the stage for diabetes. It promotes inflammation throughout the body, accelerating aging and increasing cardiovascular risk," Dr. La Puma explains.

For this reason, he emphasizes the importance of sleep regularity; going to bed and waking up at the same time every night.

"A landmark study of over 60,000 adults followed for nearly 8 years found that sleep regularity was a stronger predictor of mortality than total hours slept," he says. "People with regular sleep schedules have a 34% lower risk of heart disease and a 19% lower risk of overall mortality."

Small changes can have noticeable results

The study analyzed the data of 53,242 people in the UK Biobank, assessing the impact of three core behaviors on cardiovascular health. Those behaviors are: sleep duration, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVGS), and diet quality (DQ).

Researchers found that small improvements in each behavior combined could have a more notable positive impact on heart health than big achievements in one area.

The study noted that just 11 minutes more sleep, when combined with increased exercise and a healthier diet, could have a similar impact to regularly achieving 30 minutes more sleep (assuming a low sleep rate in the first place.)

Even better, the researchers describe these habits as "uniquely interdependent." In other words, more exercise results in better sleep which leads to better eating (and vice versa.)

This is a mindset supported by Dr. La Puma, who explains that more sleep isn't always the answer.

"Fewer than seven hours [sleep] erodes resilience, while more than eight hours increases cardiovascular risk and accelerates cognitive decline by about 12 percent. The sweet spot for most adults is between seven and eight hours," he explains.

How to get 11 minutes more sleep a night

While the researchers behind the study are keen to emphasize small changes for overall improvement, tackling your sleep, physical activity and diet can seem like an overwhelming prospect.

So here's some good news: it's easy to target two birds with one stone.

Exercising for better sleep and healthy eating for better sleep allow you to focus on one habit (either movement or diet) while having a knock on effect on another (in this case, sleep.)

For Dr. La Puma, even small habit switches can improve circadian function and lead to better sleep and heart health..

"Morning light and evening darkness are the anchors of [circadian] rhythm. Protect them, and you protect the foundation of your longevity," he says, recommending amber lighting in the evening to help your body prepare for sleep.

He also suggests screen limits, advising you put your phone down at least 60 minutes before bed (and charging your phone in a different room, to eliminate temptation.)

Last year, I experienced a bout of insomnia that constantly left me wide awake at 3 a.m. and wondering if I'd ever fall back asleep. Whenever I did eventually drift back off, it felt like my alarm would immediately start ringing.

Battling exhaustion and tired of being tired, I decided to call on Dr Bhavini Shah, a GP at LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, to give me some advice on what to do when I wake up in the middle of the night.

"This is something most of us will be able to relate to at some point, and there are several different ways to try and combat this..." she replied, which immediately made me feel better. Below, I explore the method that's helping me fall back asleep fast whenever I experience nighttime awakenings.

Key takeaways

• If you wake up at night, it should take you no more than 20 minutes to fall back asleep.
• If you've been awake for more than 20 minutes, it's best to get out of bed to avoid associating your bed with wakefulness.
• Try a low-energy activity, such as reading or listening to a podcast, until you feel sleepy enough to go back to bed.
• If the 20-minute rule doesn't work for you, you can also try deep breathing or muscle relaxation techniques.

• Read more: Exhausted after 8 hours? 3 red flags you're headed for insomnia, according to experts

The 20-minute rule for falling back asleep fast

Dipping in and out of light sleep is a normal part of our sleep cycles, so it's normal to wake up at night. In fact, nighttime awakenings are so normal that we usually have no memory of them.

However, waking up in the middle of the night becomes a problem when it occurs frequently at you struggle to fall back asleep. And that's where the 20-minute rule comes in handy.

Research shows that it should take us around 15-20 minutes to fall asleep, so a key component of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the 20-minute rule: If you can't fall back asleep in 20 minutes, get out of bed to prevent you from associating your bed with being awake.

"This may sound counterproductive but if you do find that you’re lying awake for long periods of the night, you might find that getting up and doing something might help," says Dr. Shah.

According to the health expert, the trick is to find a low-energy, screenless activity, such as folding laundry, to do before you crawl back into bed.

"You could get up and read a book, listen to a podcast or calming music, and go back to bed when you feel like you might be able to fall asleep," she advises.

There's also 15-minute rule, which states that you should get up if you can't fall asleep in 15 minutes, but I usually wait until 20 minutes as this is the maximum amount of time it should take to drift off.

These late night wake-ups can sometimes leave me a little groggy in the morning and when that happens I follow a simple 2-step routine for energy: look at the sky while enjoying a healthy breakfast.

3 other sleep methods to try when you're wide awake at 3 a.m.

If the 20-minute rule (or the 15-minute rule) doesn't work for you, then Dr. Shah shares other methods to try. From breathing exercises to ditching clock watching, here are three other sleep techniques to try if you want to fall back asleep fast...

1. No time-checking method

The first things you should never do is check your phone, alarm clock, or smart watch. Not only will checking the time make you hyperaware of how early it is, research warns your phone or smart watch will also expose you to sleep-disrupting blue light.

While a 2022 study found that the effects of blue light don't last as long as we once believed, Dr. Shah explains that the emitted light can still suppress the body's production of melatonin, which the hormone that's crucial for regulating sleep cycles, making it harder to fall back asleep.

"Blue light from device screens actually makes us feel more awake so while it can be tempting to check the time, resist the urge," she warns.

2. Deep breathing methods

If nighttime anxiety has woken you up at 3 a.m. you could try a breathing exercise to help reset your nervous system.

"Deep breathing can be simple and effective, helping to calm and relax the body," says Dr. Shah.

There are plenty of sleep-promoting breathing methods you can try. The 4-7-8 technique, which has been proven to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality. Meanwhile, box breathing has also been found to "statistically significant improvement in sleep quality".

3. Muscle relaxation technique

Another sleep method that reduces stress is progressive muscle relaxation, which Dr. Shah says works the same as deep breathing in helping to relax and calm the body.

"It involves gradually tensing and relaxing your muscles starting from your feet and working upward toward your head," she explains.

The good news is that there are just six steps to performing progressive muscle relaxation, and you can listen to guided muscle relaxation videos on YouTube if you need help getting started.

How to stop waking up at 3 a.m.

The causes of nighttime awakenings vary wildly but Dr. Shah shares that common factors include stress or anxiety, as well as external factors, such as noise and room temperature. However, lifestyle habits can also contribute, particularly the consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.

"Because of this, it’s best practice to avoid these six hours before going to bed," the doctor warns.

What we eat can also cause awakenings, but the timing of what we eat can disrupt sleep, too.

"There is evidence that eating before bed or late-night snacking can impact how well you sleep," says Dr Shah.

"Eating a heavy meal before bed means your body must digest it overnight which can sometimes cause discomfort and impact the quality of your sleep," she adds.

Other causes of 3 a.m wake ups have nothing to do with diet or lifestyle, but health conditions.

"Insomnia can also be triggered due to hormonal changes, especially for women during their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause," says Dr Shah.

She also adds that some medications can trigger insomnia symptoms.

"It’s always important to be aware of any possible side effects and check with your doctor if you have any concerns beforehand," says the health expert.

3 deals to help you fall back asleep fast

• Read more: Stop waking up at 3am — 7 quick fixes you can do today, according to a sleep expert

Until recently, I was getting eight hours sleep a night (most adults need seven to nine hours) yet every day I was waking up exhausted. Unable to live with the morning grogginess any longer, I asked an expert for help and after some probing, the answer became clear: stress. More specifically, I wasn't relaxing properly and shedding as much stress as possible before bed.

As I've since learned, stress keeps your nervous system alert, so you can't shut off. "Even if you spend eight hours in bed, an alert nervous system can keep your sleep from being truly restorative," explains Dr. Anita Raja, a sleep expert in partnership with Herbalife.

But the good news, according to Dr. Raja, is that there are simple ways to calm your nervous system and turn those eight hours of sleep into genuinely restorative rest. Here's what she told me...

• Read more: I'm usually too exhausted to wake up early — but I now get up at 6 a.m. and have loads of energy after making this one simple change to my routine

Key take-aways: At a glance

• Stress keeps your nervous system alert, which means even if your body is tired, it can't fully switch off
• This results in fragmented sleep and frequent wake-ups, preventing you from reaching the slow-wave stage of sleep
• When you don't spend enough time in these restorative sleep stages, your sleep quality suffers and you're more likely to wake up tired
• Calming the nervous system can help you enjoy better sleep, even when stressed
• Keep to a calming bedtime routine, to maintain healthy circadian rhythms
• Write down stressful thoughts in the evening, followed by possible solutions and positive moments, to redirect your mindset
• Use the 'cognitive shuffling' method when you wake up at 3 a.m. with stress

Why stress means you feel exhausted even after 8 hours sleep

"When we experience stress — whether from a looming deadline, a difficult relationship, or financial worries — the body activates its fight-or-flight response, releasing cortisol and adrenaline," explains Dr. Raja.

You might recognize cortisol as the hormone that gets you up in the morning, so it's bad news for sleep when it starts flooding through your body before bed.

"These survival hormones are extraordinarily good at keeping us awake and alert," Dr. Raja says.

With cortisol levels still high, your sleep typically becomes fragmented, meaning you wake up frequently (albeit briefly) during the night. These disruptions prevent your body from moving into the more restorative stages of sleep — deep and REM sleep.

"Without sufficient slow-wave and REM sleep, both body and brain remain under-recovered, leaving you exhausted, mentally foggy, and physically drained the next day,” explains Dr. Raja. And that happens even if you've been asleep for eight hours.

With a survey from Herbalife finding 37% of women in the UK "feel stressed often" and research from Resmed noting 39% of us consider stress a sleep disruptor, it seems I'm not the only one dealing with this exhaustion.

3 ways to reduce stress before bed

While on groggy mornings I follow this simple two-step routine to help me wake up with energy, the best start to the day always comes after a good night's sleep.

Here's what the experts suggest to stop stress before bed...

1. Follow a bedtime routine

When I asked three doctors how to avoid sleep inertia and low-energy mornings, they all gave the same advice: keep to a bedtime routine.

Routine provides your body with obvious cues that it's time for sleep, helping to suppress cortisol and increase production of sleep hormone melatonin.

A good nighttime routine incorporates relaxing hobbies, like reading and meditating, alongside environmental signals that sleep is coming, such as dimmer lights and cooler bedrooms.

Dr. Raja explains that this routine gives your nervous system "space to wind down," facilitating the move from 'awake' to 'asleep.' And she emphasizes that taking this time is a must.

"Protecting your sleep isn’t indulgent — it’s one of the most powerful ways to support your overall health."

A bedtime routine is important to strengthening 'sleep muscles'; the key habits that help us enjoy consistent sleep quality.

2. Write it down

As a sleep writer I'm well aware that I need my snooze if I want to be at my best the next day. But when I'm stressed, it can be hard not to see bedtime as wasted time. This means I can't quite switch my brain off.

The solution recommended by Dr. Carlos Nunez, sleep expert at Resmed, is to explore these stresses head on.

"Write down three things you're going to do tomorrow to deal with," says Dr. Nunez. "'Hey, I've got this deadline at work. I've got this thing with my in laws,' whatever it is stressing you out. Write it down."

Known as the Constructive Worry Method, you complete it before your bedtime routine to get stress out of your head and onto paper.

And Dr. Nunez recommends following up your worries with some positives.

"Take that hour where you're winding down and remind yourselves of all the positive things that have happened today, all the good things you have going on," he says.

3. Cognitive shuffling

Cognitive shuffling is a popular technique among the Tom's Guide team and it's a simple stress-buster to try at home. Just think of a word and try to imagine items that starts with every letter of that word.

So let's say you pick 'cognitive': cheese, chalk, chaffinch, crayon, orange, orangutan, opal... and so on.

Dr. Nunez describes is as a "reset" for your brain and has a tip to take it up a level.

"[I imagine] I'm actually sitting in my workshop," he says. "So I will sit in my mind, I'll say, okay, Carlos, see what in my workshop begins with the letter C?"

If he can't find items in the workshop, he'll (mentally) move to a different room, like the kitchen, and start again. Working through a location increases the focus, which in turn can help you sleep.

"I'm so focused on finding the third or fourth letter, I'm asleep," he says. "I don't know why, because you would think I'm getting stressed trying to find the letters, but it pulls your mind so far away from your daily stress."

How stress is stealing your sleep quality

You'd probably find it hard to sleep if you were actively in danger, say, if you knew a tiger was outside your room and it had your scent.

Stress of all kinds has a similar effect on your body and brain. There isn't a tiger lurking but there might be deadlines, financial strains and difficult conversations preying on the same corners of your mind.

"The challenge is that the brain doesn’t distinguish between a physical threat and a psychological one," explains Dr. Raja, GP and women's health expert. "So, when you’re lying in bed worrying, your stress-response system can stay active as though you’re in danger."

Your body doesn't want you to fall into a deep sleep, just in case that tiger decides to finally pounce, and it has a hormonal response to keep you alert.

"Cortisol levels — which should naturally drop at night — remain elevated, suppressing the production of melatonin and preventing you from reaching the deeper, restorative stages of sleep," Dr. Raja says.

She describes the experience as being physically exhausted yet mentally unable to switch off; "caught between a tired body and a nervous system that won’t stand down."

And it's a problem that reinforces itself. "The brain begins to associate bed with threat — and that’s when short-term stress can lead to fragmented or shallow sleep, leaving you exhausted even if the hours spent in bed seem sufficient,” she explains.

It’s hard living with broken sleep and low energy. That was my life for years when I had chronic insomnia, and to a lesser degree in the last three years since becoming a mother.

The good news is, there are plenty of science-backed ways to boost your chances of sleeping through the night and wake up with more energy.

For me, the change came when I stopped chasing ‘the perfect night’s sleep' and started focusing on what I could control: consistency, sleeping environment, and what I eat and drink. Here’s the nighttime routine (and the sleep hygiene habits) that turned things around for me…

• Read more: Exhausted after 8 hours? 3 red flags you're headed for insomnia, according to experts

My routine

Here are the main steps in my evening wind down and bedtime routine that I aim for most nights. (I’ll explain the science behind all of these steps in more detail below.)

I say ‘aim for’, because life happens. My toddler might get sick. I might get sick. An avoidable work crisis might crop up. All of these things are more important than trying to rigidly stick to a nighttime routine.

• 1. I finish eating dinner by 6.30pm most nights so that my body focuses on falling asleep, rather than digesting food, when I’m getting into bed at 10pm.
• 2. I take a warm bath or shower. A water temperature of 104-108.5°F / 40-42.5°C speeds up your natural thermal regulation process, which benefits sleep.
• 3. I limit use of my phone an hour before bed to avoid being sucked into social media scrolling. It's overstimulating and makes me feel wired, not tired.
• 4. I start my bedtime routine by 9.45pm. Once in bed, I run through a guided sleep meditation or body scan.
• 5. I stick to the same sleep and wake windows at least five nights a week, and aim for seven hours sleep a night (baking in an extra 15 minutes to actually fall asleep). This is known as the 7:1 Sleep Rule, now linked to better life expectancy.
• These habits help me relax before bed. The more relaxed I feel, the more deep sleep (N3) I get. The more deep sleep, the more physically rested I become, and the more energy I have when waking up.

When I wake up each morning, I drink a glass of water immediately, throw the curtains open.

I then aim to get myself and my toddler outside for a blast of natural daylight within 30 minutes of waking to shake off grogginess (sleep inertia).

If it’s too gloomy or rainy, I use a 10,000 lux light therapy lamp at our breakfast table.

The 5 things I do to wake up with energy each day

1. I finish eating dinner by 6.30pm

Having a toddler in the house means we generally eat earlier anyway, but there’s another reason I aim to eat my evening meal three or so hours before the time I want to fall asleep…

I want my body focused on the act of falling and staying asleep, rather than spending energy digesting food.

These include leafy greens, fish, and black beans and other legumes. To stop feeling hungry in bed, around two hours before sleep I usually have a cup of bedtime tea (such as camomile or lavender) and a banana.

Bananas are loaded with tryptophan, an amino acid that aids serotonin and melatonin production.

How this helps me wake up with energy: Blood sugar fluctuations are a common trigger for 3 a.m. wake-ups. Acid reflux and other GI symptoms are common culprits too. So I steer clear of carb-heavy, rich dinners, and instead go for sleep friendly foods.

By reducing the number of overnight wake-ups I have because of digestion issues, I’ll have way more energy in the morning.

2. I take a shower or bath before relaxing

A warm shower is a science-backed way to fall asleep fast. In the hours leading up to bedtime, our core body temperature naturally drops, while the skin temperature on our hands and feet increases.

Researchers analyzed 17 individual studies and found evidence that warm water can speed-up this thermal regulation. However, the temperature of the water is key: researchers say a warm shower or bath temperature of 104-108.5°F / 40-42.5°C is best for sleep.

I also dim all the lights in my house before showering, and use LED candles in my bathroom so that I’m not blasted with bright light while winding down.

Light is a powerful circadian cue. Bright lights suppress melatonin, while darkness increases it.

To avoid falling into the bedtime revenge procrastination trap, I give myself time to hang out with my husband, watch TV or read, or catch up with family or friends.

I then put my phone away until morning – the blue light pollution doesn’t worry me; the overstimulation from social scrolling does.

How this helps me wake up with energy: When I fall asleep easily at night, I don’t worry about the rest of my night’s sleep.

My brain trusts that it’s safe to sleep, so I’m more likely to have unperceived wakings (you won’t remember you woke up) during the night. I’ll then feel more energized because I had a better quality of sleep.

3. I limit use of my phone before bed

I’ll admit that for years, us sleep nerds were preaching that blue light exposure from smartphones and other devices can make it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep.

While it’s still true that blue light does have some impact on melatonin production, newer research argues that the impact of blue light isn’t as great as we once thought.

So why do I still ditch my phone an hour before bed? Social media scrolling. And doom scrolling, for that matter.

Both of these highly addictive behaviours will steal my evening if I let them. Worse, they’ll overstimulate my brain to the point where I’ll feel wired, not tired, heading to be. That’s the last thing I need as a person recovering from insomnia.

How this helps me wake up with energy: Emerging research tells us that if we go to bed thinking bad thoughts, or worrying about conversations and events, they are much more likely to be on our mind when we wake up.

Worry paralyzes me, so I’m more likely to stay in bed, ruminating, when I wake up. I’ll then miss my 30-minute natural daylight window, and I’ll feel like a zombie for longer that morning (and likely have an afternoon slump in energy too).

4. I follow the same bedtime routine every night

By now you probably think I’m the most boring person on the planet. But there’s a big benefit to having a boring, predictable bedtime routine – it teaches your brain ‘sleep cues’.

My bedtime routine is roughly 30 minutes long (experts warn against elaborate bedtime routines). And because I brushed my teeth and got dressed for bed earlier in the evening, I’m not making the bedtime routine mistake of waking myself up again when I’m starting to feel tired.

I program a 15-minute sunset feature on my sunrise alarm clock, turn down my bed, and spritz my pillow with lavender spray. To relax my body and my brain, I’ll either listen to a guided sleep meditation or practise a full body scan with deep breathing exercises for sleep.

How this helps me wake up with energy: Researchers have found that the more stressed and wired people are when going to sleep, the less deep sleep (3 NREM sleep) they get. This stage of your sleep cycle is vital for all the recovery and repair work your brain needs to do.

So the more relaxed I am going to sleep, the more deep sleep I get, and the more physically rested and recovered I feel in the morning. That helps me spring out of bed.

5. I keep a consistent sleep schedule

A huge new study published in January 2026 (based on analysis of 47 million nights’ of sleep tracker data) reported that a consistent sleep and wake schedule not only helps you sleep better at night, it can increase lifespan by four years if you also get the recommended amount of sleep (seven to nine hours for adults) at least five times a week.

This is known as the 7:1 Sleep Rule. The ‘7’ refers to getting at least seven hours sleep, and the ‘1’ refers to going to bed and waking up within the same one-hour window each day.

I like to be asleep by 10.30pm every night, so I aim to be lying in bed with the lights off by 10pm. Sticking to this bedtime anchor as much as I can helps my brain to ‘learn’ when to increase melatonin production (the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle).

Higher levels of melatonin make it easier for me to fall asleep fast, and to sleep through the night because I have sufficient melatonin to override any wakeful cortisol spikes or blood sugar fluctuations that might otherwise cause me to wake up at 3 a.m.

How this helps me wake up with energy: Sleep consistency aligns your circadian rhythm (your internal body clock). Your body knows when to ramp up melatonin, and it can better predict when to increase wakeful hormones (cortisol) and neurotransmitters (orexin).

This process reduces the amount of grogginess (sleep inertia) I feel, and makes me feel energized faster.

Why I don’t stress about sleep any more

I have a toddler – perfect nights don’t exist for me any more – but I do know that we’re perfectly capable of surviving the odd night of broken sleep.

I don’t worry about sleep debt, I avoid sleep fads like mouth taping, and instead focus on how to make the hours of sleep I do get as high quality as possible.

Here’s my checklist for making that happen:

• Keep a regular wake and sleep schedule
• Aim for seven to nine hours sleep a night
• Avoid carb-heavy dinners late at night
• De-stress and relax as much as possible before bed
• Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet for sleep
• Don’t panic if you wake up in the night – it’s normal – instead try cognitive shuffling, or a deep breathing exercise to get back to sleep
• See a doctor or specialist if your sleep issues persist – there’s help available

Fitness trackers are great tools for helping you hit your health goals. They remind you to move throughout the day, keep track of changes in your heart rate, keep you accountable around your step count and, for better or for worse, let you know when you've had a rough night sleep.

Although perfect sleep every night just isn't viable, if you're consistently waking up to poor sleep metrics on your sleep tracker and, crucially, you also feel groggy or under-rested, it could be time to think about brushing up on your sleep habits.

Ahead, I'll be sharing the simple habits that I believe truly help me sleep at night, including tips from various experts who explain exactly how these habits result in better sleep.

• Read more: Forget your daily sleep score — here’s the sleep tracker metric a doctor wants you to focus on

My average sleep score

Thanks to a culmination of gadgets and healthy sleep habits, my sleep score comfortably sits in the 80+ bracket.

That means my Oura Ring sleep score usually sports a golden crown and my Apple Watch sleep score usually enters the 'High' or 'Very High' ratings (excuse the humblebrag — you'll be to hear I'm sharing my sleep secrets here.)

Take my sleep reports from the end of last week for example. My average sleep latency sits between four and ten minutes, I spent at least 14% and 20% of each night in deep sleep and REM sleep respectively, and achieved at least 90% sleep efficiency (the percentage of time spent asleep while in bed.)

• Read more: Experts explain why your Apple Watch tracks your wrist temperature during sleep — 5 key things it can tell you

5 key habits that help me sleep well every night

Sleeping well doesn't need to be a costly, overwhelming affair involving red lights, supplements, or intricate bedtime time rituals. I put my great sleep down to simple healthy habits.

Although I don't encourage you to constantly chase high sleep scores, if you're a consistent smartwatch wearer, you'll know that 85+ score is nice to see sometimes. Here's how you can get there...

1. I resist the snooze button

Studies show more than 55% of people hit the snooze button every morning, and that has a negative impact on our brain and body. You keep restarting the 'wake-up' process, throwing off sleep and wake hormone cycles, causing prolonged grogginess in the morning.

With a lot of people falling short of the recommended seven hours sleep a night, it's no surprise they try to cram in an extra few minutes when the alarm sounds. But hitting snooze is not the best way to handle sleep deprivation, say experts.

"While it feels comforting in the moment, hitting snooze disrupts your natural waking process and can lead to sleep inertia — that groggy, heavy-headed feeling that lingers after getting out of bed," explains licensed clinical psychologist specializing in sleep and trauma Dr. Leah Kaylor.

This is because you're not getting "meaningful rest" during those extra 5 to 10 minutes, just "fragmented sleep that confuses your brain," says the FBI sleep expert.

Avoiding the snooze button simply takes discipline. I stick to a regular wake up time of 6am so my body clock knows when it is time to rise each day.

Bonus: consistent sleep timings have been proven to add yours to your life, according to a huge new study by Vitality and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) published this year.

2. I let in light immediately upon waking

(Strictly not light from a screen.)

I first heard about the importance of morning sunlight from neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman. Listeners of the Huberman Lab podcast will know morning sunlight is something the neuroscientist advocates.

And there's plenty of studies showing morning light is indeed critical to sleeping well. As one of the key regulators of the circadian rhythm, light tells your body and brain to wake up and be alert in the morning.

You may have a full day to get through before you sleep again, but ensuring you expose yourself to natural light first thing in the morning helps reset your body clock.

The light essentially kick starts your 24 hour sleep-wake hormone cycle, so by the time evening rolls around, you're producing enough melatonin to make you feel sleepy.

3. I move plenty throughout the day

How much you exercise influences many things in your body from your weight to your heart health to your mental wellbeing, and it has a big sway over your sleep, too.

When my friend asked me the other day what she can do to improve her Garmin deep sleep reading, I immediately recommended a daily walk. In fact, by walking outdoors, you're ticking three boxes on the healthy sleep habits checklist: Get fresh air, plenty of vitamin D, and move your body.

Getting plenty of movement through out the day physically tires you out, building up sleep drive in your body. It also has a positive impact on your mental health (hello, endorphins), which we know gives you a better chance of sleeping at night (goodbye, anxious thoughts.)

This doesn't mean you need to subject yourself to an intense bootcamp every day, even just a daily walk or 20-minute yoga routine can make your body more conducive to sleep.

But, if vigorous activity is what gets you going, experts generally recommend completing it earlier in the day, and practising more gentle exercise in the evening, so your body has time to wind down before bed.

Following this sleep-first exercise routine, my sleep tracker shows my heart rate is lower through the night and I coast more stably through sleep cycles.

4. I eat a balanced diet and stay hydrated

There is a close relationship between what you eat and drink and how well you sleep.

There are plenty of foods considered 'sleep-friendly'. These are typically foods high in magnesium or tryptophan, like tart cherries (remember the sleepy girl mocktail trend), almonds, kiwis, or warm milk.

Eating plenty of these foods within a well-balanced, nutritious diet helps maintain stable blood sugar levels through the night leading to more stable, uninterrupted sleep cycles.

On the beverage side, alcohol and caffeine are, unsurprisingly, not great news for sleep. They raise your heart rate, keep you stimulated, and fragment sleep cycles. But keeping hydrated is crucial for sleep.

Drinking plenty of h20 prevents headaches, cramps, and snoring, while aiding the cooling process and heart rate stability needed for peaceful sleep.

"When you're dehydrated, your body struggles to regulate temperature and balance, making it harder to enter the deep, restorative sleep phases," explains Dr. Jeff Rosenberg, physician at Prime IV Hydration and Wellness.

5. I leave my phone outside my bedroom

Our phones, the devices attached to our hand for too many hours of the day, are the biggest stealers of quality rest.

Be you procrastinating bedtime by scrolling, flooding your eyes with light when you wake up at 3a.m., or reaching for it first thing in the morning, your phone simply doesn't bode well with sleep.

“Phone use keeps the mind cognitively active," explains GP and physician Dr. Ola Otulana. "Whether you’re reading, reacting, or scrolling, your brain stays alert and engaged.”

“This mental stimulation can delay the natural rise of melatonin and interrupt your body’s circadian rhythm and also increase the likelihood of restless sleep," the doctor adds.

To kick my bedtime doom scrolling habit, I started leaving my phone to charge in a different room overnight back in January and haven't looked back.

Now I fully rely on a sunrise alarm clock to wake me up and read before bed, and I'm certainly seeing the sleep benefits. I'm falling asleep on time and, without a stack of notifications inducing stress, I'm waking up feeling calmer and more prepared for the day.

The clocks go forward one hour at 1am this Sunday (29th March), and while losing an hour’s sleep is tough for everyone (fatigue and brain fog are common side effects), it’s especially hard for those of us with an intermediate chronotype (the Bear) or late chronotype (the Night Owl or Wolf).

If you’re in one of these two chrono camps like me, you could be dealing with social jetlag come Monday if you don’t take action now. The good news is there are things you can do starting today to limit the impact of losing an hour’s sleep.

The secret is the 15-minute rule: by making your bedtime 15 minutes earlier each night starting tonight, you’ll only dealing with a 15-minute loss of sleep come Sunday rather than 60 minutes. Here’s what you need to do…

Key take-aways: At a glance

• Start the 15 minute rule tonight: Move your bedtime and wake-up time 15 minutes earlier every day until Sunday 29th March.
• Adjust your meal times too: Shift them back by 15 minutes to help reset your metabolic clock. Dinner is the most important meal time to reset.
• Use light to wake up: Get 15 minutes of bright light (natural or S.A.D. lamp) immediately upon waking to suppress melatonin and encourage cortisol.
• Ditch caffeine after midday: Research shows that caffeine has a half-life of five to six hours. Keeping it to the morning ensures it won’t affect melatonin production so your ‘sleep pressure’ is high enough for an earlier bedtime.
• Try not to nap on Sunday: I know you’ll likely be tired, but having a nap will only delay your adjustment to the clocks going forward. Drinking plenty of water and taking a walk in daylight is a proven way to shake off afternoon fatigue. If you’re really struggling, stick to a 15-20 minute power nap.

How does losing an hour’s sleep affect us?

Night owls have a naturally longer internal circadian rhythm compared to early birds, so the clocks going forward an hour only increases the gap between when you’re biologically wired to sleep versus when work or school demands we get up.

Meanwhile, those with a Bear chronotype like me — who typically sleep between 10pm and 11pm and wake around 7am — will likely face a massive slump in energy come Monday afternoon.

By comparison, Lions (Early Birds) wake up early anyway so this shift forward will have little impact on them in the morning, but they may struggle more and feel sleepier earlier than usual on Sunday night.

According to Dr Brynn Dredla, a Sleep Neurologist at Mayo Clinic: "We have more difficulty springing forward than we do falling back

"If someone sleeps from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and then we spring forward, on Monday morning we're asked to now be driving when we should normally be sleeping." No wonder we see an uptick in the amount of fatigue-related accidents the day after the clocks go forward.

“You’re waking up at a time when the circadian system is not yet promoting alertness. It’s still pushing for that sleepiness.” Dr. Cathy Goldstein, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan School of Medicine Sleep Disorders Center, told Times Magazine.

In his global best-seller Why We Sleep: Unlocking The Power of Sleep and Dreams, Matthew Walker, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at UC Berkeley, referred to Daylight Savings Time as a “global experiment on cardiovascular health”.

He went on to write: “Should you tabulate millions of daily hospital records, as researchers have done, you discover that this seemingly trivial sleep reduction comes with a frightening spike in heart attacks the following day.”

Losing an hour’s sleep has a similar effect on your body as the jet lag you’d feel when flying from America to London; your body clock no longer matches the time on your watch, and that will make you feel tired, foggy, and irritable.

"It usually takes two days before we're able to get back into our normal routine," says Dr Dredla.

How to use the 15-minute rule before the clocks go forward

Forcing yourself to go to sleep a whole hour ahead of when your internal body clock (your circadian rhythm) normally expects to go to sleep is hard and stressful. You’ll toss and turn, and end up thinking you have temporary insomnia.

The smarter way to trick your circadian rhythm into going to sleep earlier, so that this Sunday’s one hour sleep loss is easier to handle, is to go to bed 15 minutes earlier than you normally would, starting tonight (Thursday).

By the time you wake up on Sunday morning, you will only have to cope with losing 15 minutes of sleep. Your energy levels won’t take a massive hit, and you’ll avoid that big afternoon slump that would otherwise knock you out around 3pm.

As a parent of a toddler, I know only too well how much of a difference the 15-minute rule can make in terms of keeping a tired child versus an overtired child awake until bedtime.

72-hour reset schedule for the Bear and the Night Owl/Wolf

OK, so now that you know what the 15-minute rule is and why it makes a difference, it’s time to look at a sample schedule for how to manage your bedtime, wake-up times, and eating times to support this 15-minute shift in sleep times each day.

How the 15-minute rule reduces social jetlag

This small adjustment in the run up to the clocks going forward will help your internal body clock to adjust to the lost hour of sleep on Sunday.

Your circadian rhythm won’t suffer a massive shock, and you’ll stand a better chance of swerving annoying sleep problems like taking ages to fall asleep (compared to normal) and waking up at 3 a.m..

But the end goal here is to minimise how tired you feel on Sunday morning when you’re faced with losing that big hour’s sleep.

If you follow the 15-minute rule in advance, you’ll only be dealing with a small loss of sleep.

In theory, that should lead to less sleep inertia when waking, and smaller energy slumps in the afternoon.

Sleep tech to help you survive the clock change

It won’t cost you a penny to use the 15-minute rule, and multiple sleep experts agree it’s your best shot at surviving an hour’s sleep loss when the clocks spring forward.

That said, if you want to leave nothing to chance, there are three gadgets I’d recommend to help ‘reset’ your circadian rhythm and adjust quickly to losing an hour's sleep. Here they are…

1. Sunrise alarm clock

A good sunrise alarm clock will benefit most people every day of the year and not just in winter, but they are a particularly strong ally to the Night Owl / Wolf. These clocks create a faux sunrise, gradually brightening over 15 to 90 minutes.

This tricks your brain into suppressing melatonin and the faux sunrise helps wake you up in the lightest part of your sleep cycle.

The result? Less grogginess (sleep inertia) and an easier time getting out of bed at a time when your Night Owl / Wolf chronotype wiring just wants you to keep sleeping.

2. Circadian rhythm lighting

Again, I’d recommend circadian rhythm lighting as a part of every person’s bedtime routine, but especially for Bears like me.

Our chronotype dictates that we’re solar sleepers, which means we struggle when the sun doesn’t match up with our internal body clock.

With a smart lighting system you can dim your lights by around 15-25% every night, with the lights being dimmed 15 minutes earlier than the time you’d normally start your pre-bed wind down routine.

This should help nudge you into a sleepier state earlier in the evening, so you can fall asleep 15-minutes earlier each night without tossing and turning.

3. A light therapy lamp

Using the 15 minute rule, practising good sleep hygiene, and drafting in some helpful tech will give you the best shot at breezing through this weekend’s changing of the clocks.

But the likelihood is that some of us will struggle with morning grogginess and afternoon fatigue for two to three days after the clocks go forward.

If that happens to you, lean into light: try to get outside within 30 minutes of waking up, and stay outdoors for 15-20 minutes.

This blast of natural daylight (I don’t wear sunglasses during this time) helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle and encourages cortisol to surge and melatonin to be suppressed. This should make you feel more alert.

A good alternative is a 10,000 lux light therapy lamp, also known as a S.A.D. lamp. While these are more commonly used during autumn and winter by people dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder, they are brilliant for banishing fatigue and getting that cortisol pumping.

According to recent research, getting at least seven hours of sleep a night is the cornerstone of health and longevity, and one nation that seems to have already got the memo is Norway.

The average Norwegian adult racks up seven hours of shuteye per weeknight, and it's no wonder when you consider the lifestyle habits associated with the nation.

From the meal that adds 55 minutes of extra sleep to the cozy concept that can leave you waking up with energy, I've rounded up the top five Nordic sleep hacks that can stop nighttime awakenings and help you get seven hours of top-quality sleep.

Key takeaways

• Norwegian adults get seven hours of sleep per weeknight on average, a sleep time associated with longevity.
• Many Nordic lifestyle habits have been associated with better sleep quality and duration, plus less nighttime awakenings.
• For example, a dinner time before 7pm is common in Norway, and an earlier evening meal has been associated with 55 extra minutes of sleep.
• Adopting Nordic lifestyle habits that include outdoor walks, a diet rich in omegas, and a a better work-life balance can also improve sleep quality.

The 5 Nordic sleep hacks to try today for better sleep tonight

1. Eat your evening meal earlier

In Norway, dinner is served much earlier than most other European countries, with research indicating that residents tuck into 'middag' (the main hot meal of the day in Norway) between 4pm and 7pm on average.

Why does an earlier dinner aid sleep? Studies have shown that time-restricted eating can actually increase total sleep time by 55 minutes.

On the flip side, eating your dinner later means your body is busy digesting your food when it should be preparing for sleep. Additionally, a later meal can result in blood sugar fluctuations (a leading cause of waking up at 3 a.m.), as well as interfering with melatonin production (the sleepy hormone). That means later mealtimes makes it harder to both fall and stay asleep.

2. Fill up on berries and omegas

According to Harvard Health, the Nordic diet is rich in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring, and fruit such as berries. Not only do health organisations advise an increased intake of oily fish and berries for overall health, these Nordic food staples are also great for sleep health.

Berries are linked to longer sleep duration and improved sleep quality, while fish consumption has been found to boost sleep quality and daytime functioning.

In fact, a pilot study discovered that children who had a daily supplement of omega-3 (found in fatty fish) had fewer nighttime awakenings and slept an average of 58 minutes more that other subjects.

3. Create a relaxing sleep environment

According to travel website Visit Nordic, the concept 'hygge' is widely recognized and embraced in Norway. Hygge essentially means the creation of a cozy, relaxing sleep environment.

Creating a comfortable sleep environment has been found to improve sleep, with one survey finding that 76% of respondents saying they sleep better when they feel cozy beforehand and 72% answering that they feel more refreshed after sleeping in a cozy state.

4. Go for a walk

Thanks to a culture of open-air life and walkable cities like Bergen and Oslo, Norway is a country of walkers. Research has shown that walking is the most common forms of physical activity in the country and 85% of Norwegians engage in local walking.

Mindful walking is associated with boosted sleep quality, while going for a walk can improve your sleep duration, too. What's more, further studies have found that spending time in nature lowers cortisol levels, increases energy levels and improves quality of sleep.

That means that if stress or nighttime anxiety is waking you up at 3 a.m., spending time in nature can help regulate your nervous system and sleep through the night.

5. Make evenings for relaxing, not working

Norway ranks the No 1 country in Europe for work-life balance thanks to a work culture that focuses on wellbeing and an earlier end-of-play.

A good work-life balance can significantly improve sleep, with gruelling work hours linked to poor sleep quality, shorter sleep duration, and sleep deprivation. So, to keep your work-life-balance in check, follow the 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule and ditch work-related projects at least two hours before bedtime.

3 other sleep hacks to fall asleep fast and stop 3 a.m. wake ups

1. Block out sleep disrupting light

A room filled with too much light has been associated with nighttime awakenings, while light pollution has been linked to shorter sleep duration.

To combat sleep disrupting light, invest in a simple eye mask. Eye mask have been proven to promote sleep and leave you feeling energized the next morning.

2. Hydrate, but not too close to bedtime

Studies have highlighted the importance of staying hydrated for the sake of your sleep, with dehydration causing sleep issues.

However, drinking too close to bed can also cause sleep problems, particularly nocturia. To stay hydrated without wrecking your sleep, research recommends consuming no more than 500ml of fluid within two hours before bedtime.

3. Snack on nuts and seeds

If you're vegetarian or vegan, then the fatty fish recommendation above may be off limits.

However, there are other sources of sleep-boosting omegas. For instance the Vegan Society suggests eating these good vegan sources of omega-3: walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

We’ve long known that sleeping on your side has excellent health benefits, but did you know that it can also help reduce lower back pain, reduce triggers for 3 a.m. wake-ups, and increase the amount of energy you have in the mornings?

According to Dr. Sherry McAllister, President of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, sleeping on your side “puts less pressure on the lower back”. So your chances of waking up through the night because you’re in pain, or waking up feeling sore and stiff, are lower in this sleep position.

And what about those 3 a.m. wake-ups? Many of us eat too close to bedtime, and blood sugar fluctuations caused by large nighttime meals, especially carb-heavy foods, could be why you're waking up at 3 a.m.. Side sleeping boosts digestion and reduces big spikes and drops in blood sugar levels, so you have a high chance of sleeping through the night. Here's what experts want you to know...

Key takeaways

• Sleeping on your side puts less pressure on your lower back, reducing your chances of waking up in the night due to pain.
• Side sleeping also aids digestion, which in turn can lead to less blood sugar fluctuations that often trigger 3 a.m. wake-ups.
• This gold standard sleeping position also promotes better airflow, so you’re less prone to snoring and other breathing problems during sleep.
• Finally, as sleeping on your side leads to more restful sleep, you’ll wake up with more energy every morning.

How side sleeping eases lower back pain, reduces 3 a.m. wake-ups, and boosts energy

1. Healthy spine alignment reduces pain triggers

According to chiropractor Dr. Sherry McAllister, President of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, one of the top benefits of side sleeping is its help in preventing lower back pain and encouraging natural spinal alignment.

"For properly supported side sleepers, this position can assist in anatomical support that puts less pressure on the lower back," explains Dr. McAllister.

A mattress that supports your spine while sleeping is also a good suggestion, and many of the top-rated options in our best mattress of the year guide provide ample lumbar support. You can also buy specialist mattresses for back pain and joint conditions.

2. Better airflow reduces snoring and other disturbances

Dr McAllister says the reduced pressure on the lower back when side sleeping (especially on sleeping on the left side) can allow more open airway flows for deeper breathing and ensuring circulation is optimized.

According to chartered physiotherapist Sammy Margo, a sleep expert at Dreams, this promotion of better breathing can stop those pesky nighttime awakenings and leave you feeling less groggy and more energized when you wake up.

"Better breathing may help reduce issues like snoring, sleep apnea, or sleep disruption during the night, helping you feel more refreshed in the morning," says Margo, the founder of The Good Sleep Expert.

3. It aids digestion, which can help reduce 3 a.m. wake-ups

Side sleeping can also benefit digestion, easing discomfort for better sleep quality. However, better digestion is linked to sleeping on your left side in particular.

In fact, studies have shown that glymphatic system (which helps clear metabolic waste from the brain during deep sleep) works much better when you sleep on your left side.

This means less fragmented sleep and nighttime disturbances from acid reflux, indigestion issues, and breathing disorders such as sleep apnea.

4. Restful sleep means you have more energy in the morning

Ever found yourself tossing and turning instead of sleeping? According to Dr McAllister, this could have something to do with your sleep position.

"Side sleeping is often found to reduce turning over in your sleep creating a more restful and higher quality sleep experience," says the sleep posture expert.

"A better night sleep allows the body to replenish all the chemicals necessary for the next day, improving your health and enables joints to recover and aiding in longevity," she adds.

Who would benefit the most from side sleeping?

We don't usually choose our sleep position, and our preference is usually down to how comfortable we feel. However, there are some groups who may benefit from giving side sleeping a try.

"Ultimately, everyone is different, so it’s worth trying different positions and sticking with the one that allows you to relax fully and stay asleep throughout the night," says Margo.

1. Those with lower back pain

Waking up with lower back pain could mean that it's time to replace your mattress with a bed that offers more lumbar support, like ones you'll find in our guide to the best mattresses for back pain. But Margo says it could also mean that it's time to switch to side sleeping.

"Side sleeping can be particularly beneficial for people who experience lower back discomfort, as the position supports spinal alignment," says the physiotherapist.

2. People with breathing issues during sleep

Dr. McAllister says that people whose breathing becomes compromised when back sleeping should try side sleeping.

"Examples include those that suffer with sleep apnea and snoring," she says.

Margo agrees. "Side sleeping can be particularly beneficial for people who experience snoring and sleep apnea as the position may help to keep the airways more open," the posture expert explains.

2. Pregnant people

It's not just those with sleep disorders who can benefit from side sleeping; expectant parents can improve their sleep in this sleep position, too.

"Side sleeping is often recommended during pregnancy as it maximises blood flow to vital organs as well as ensuring the baby receives all the right nutrients and sufficient oxygen," explains Margo.

How to sleep on your side

While side sleeping is one of the healthiest sleep positions, there are actually different types of side sleepers — from the comforting fetal position to the classic hands-under-head "prayer" position.

Dr. McAllister says that side sleepers can boost their sleep with the help of an extra pillow, as holding an extra pillow and placing another pillow between your knees can help maintain healthy spine alignment

"To side sleep better, hug a pillow and place a small pillow between the knees if sleeping on your side," she advises.

Meanwhile, Margo suggests investing in one of the best pillows or side sleepers to make side sleeping feel more stable and comfortable.

"Try and use supportive pillows such as the Sealy Side Sleeper Pillow and the Dreams Extra Firm Support Pillow, which may make the position feel more stable and comfortable," says the sleep posture expert.

"Over time, these simple adjustments may help your body get used to side sleeping more naturally," adds Margo.

Back pain is a prevalent problem in America, with 16 million US adults dealing with chronic back pain. While the causes of back pain differ from individual to individual, poor sleep posture can be a big risk factor.

Investing in one of the best mattresses of the year, which are often packed with lumbar support, will help provide soothing relief. However, a leading Australian-based chiropractor has shared a five minute bedtime and morning routine that could be the key to reducing back pain.

Dr. Nathan Bridge, resident chiropractor at Sleepy's mattress experts, has shared how spending a few minutes prepping your back for sleep every night and loosening it every morning can ease the tension that's stopping you from sleeping.

• Read more: Experts say sleeping on your side is best for easing lower back pain and reducing 3 a.m. wake-ups — here's why

The chiro-approved 5 minute stretch to reduce back pain

The cat-cow stretch is a gentle, novice-friendly yoga move which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, can help support your spine. It's also one of the exercises recommended by the NHS to those with new or undiagnosed back problems.

It's called the "cat-cow stretch" because it involves two poses. The first move involves positioning yourself on your hands and knees while looking straight ahead, resembling a cow standing in the meadow.

The next move also involves positioning yourself on your hands and knees, but arching your back upwards like a scared Halloween cat.

Here's a video demonstrating the move:

As you can see from the above tutorial, the cat-cow stretch involves two simple moves.

• Start in the tabletop position: On an exercise mat, position yourself on your hands and knees. Your hands should be under your shoulders and your knees should be under your hips.
• Gently rise into the cat postilion: Arch your back gently upwards, your gaze facing the mat.
• Gently dip into the cow position: Lower your back gently and slowly and lift your head so it's looking forwards.
• Repeat this move another four times.

Dr. Bridge advises that people with back pain perform the stretch twice a day: one in the morning and the other in the evening.

“Before you sleep, gently rotate your neck side to side and perform five lower-back cat-cow stretches,” Dr. Bridge recommends.

“Repeat the same movements in the morning to loosen muscles that may have tightened overnight,” he adds.

While the cat-cow stretch is generally considered a safe exercise, always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program if concerned. If you experience any pain or difficulty with this move, stop and consult your healthcare provider.

The evening stretch helps to "prep your spine" for a supportive sleep and release any bult-up tension.

"Think of it as telling your body: 'it’s time to relax and realign'," explains the chiropractor.

Meanwhile, a morning stretch can "wake up your back" for better posture and reduced stiffness.

Overall, Dr. Bridge says it should take a few minutes in the morning and at bedtime to "dramatically reduce strain, ease tension, and improve comfort".

For best results, Dr. Bridge says consistency is key.

“The body responds incredibly well to simple, consistent routines," he explains. "It’s preventive care that literally takes five minutes a day.”

Optimizing your sleep set-up for back pain relief

While the cat-cow stretch is the perfect bedtime and wake-up routine for relieving tension and protecting your spine, small tweaks to your pillow and mattress can alsoboost your sleep comfort. Here's how...

1. Pick the right pillow for your sleep position

For optimal support when sleeping, it's useful to know how to choose the right pillow loft for your sleep position so you can choose the best pillow for your sleep.

The correct pillow for your sleep style is needed for healthy alignment of neck and body and to prevent exacerbating back pain. For example, the best pillows for side sleepers tend to be high-loft pillows, while stomach sleepers can prevent pressure build-up with a low-loft pillow.

“A pillow that’s too high can twist your neck, so using a lower profile pillow helps maintain a neutral alignment, easing neck strain,” explains Dr. Bridge.

2. Never underestimate the importance of the right mattress

If the right pillow is important for alleviating back pain, the right mattress is crucial.

Sleepers with recurrent back pain will need one of the best mattress for back pain, which encourage healthy spinal alignment through a combination of support and soothing pressure relief.

“A firmer mattress prevents sagging in the midsection, reducing pressure on your lower back and helping the spine maintain a natural curve,” Dr. Bridge explains.

Medium-firm to firm mattresses usually have sturdy edge support around the perimeter of the bed too, making it easier for those with chronic back pain to get in and out of bed.

Meanwhile, mattresses with great temperature regulation (such as the year's best cooling mattresses) are important if you tend to feel restless when overheating at night. A cool mattress can prevent tossing and turning, a movement that exacerbates back pain.

3. Decrease spinal strain with an extra pillow

Simple tweaks to your bed, such as covering your mattress with one of the best mattress toppers, can also improve spine alignment.

However, a strategically placed pillow can also provide additional support.

For back sleepers, placing a pillow at the base of your spine can improve lower back support, but side sleepers can also improve long-term spinal health with an extra cushion — especially if you sleep in the reliably supportive fetal position.

“Add a small pillow between your knees, adjust pillow height for your mattress type and ensure broader shoulders have extra room," Dr Bridge advises side sleepers.

If you keep waking up at 3 a.m. or you're struggling with another type of insomnia, you’re not alone. In fact, 12% of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with chronic insomnia, and learning the dos and don'ts of sleep hygiene is key to getting out of this situation.

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits you stick to most days and nights (like a relaxing bedtime routine) and how they can affect how fast you fall asleep, and your chances of sleeping through the night. It sounds simple, but there are some sleep hygiene mistakes you might be making that are causing your 3 a.m. wake-ups and insomnia.

As part of our Sleep Awareness Week coverage, I’ve spoken with Dr Lindsay Browning, chartered psychologist and globally renowned insomnia expert at Trouble Sleeping, Dr. Michael Genovese, Chief Medical Advisor at Ascendant, and Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, Head of Sleep Research at Wesper, to find out the biggest sleep hygiene mistakes we’re making and how to fix them starting today.

• Read more: Exhausted after 8 hours? 3 red flags you're headed for insomnia, according to experts

Key take-aways: At a glance

• Reset your body clock: Good sleep hygiene anchors your circadian rhythm (internal clock), signalling your brain to release melatonin (the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle) at the right time so you fall asleep faster and stay under.
• Keep a consistent sleep schedule: Going to bed and waking up within the same one hour window every day, even on weekends, is the most effective way to stop 3 a.m. wake-ups.
• Avoid 3 a.m. triggers: Common mistakes like drinking alcohol at night or consuming big, carb-rich meals in the evening cause blood sugar fluctuations that can wake you up in the middle of the night.
• Natural light is a sleep aid: Getting outside within 30 minutes of waking up is like a 'reset button' for your brain, making it much easier for you to fall asleep quickly that night.
• Have a two-hour bedtime buffer: To beat insomnia and stop waking up at 3 a.m., avoid eating heavy meals and using bright screens and lights at least two hours before bed. Together, this will lower your core temperature and ensure your body produces the right amount of melatonin.
• Master the 7:1 Sleep Rule: Once you've fixed these nighttime wake-up triggers, use the 7:1 rule to ensure your sleep schedule is on point.

7 Sleep hygiene mistakes that cause 3 a.m. wake-ups and insomnia

1. Staying indoors all day

THE MISTAKE: Now, as a remote worker, I’m certainly guilty of this — especially during the winter. But not venturing out into natural daylight can damage our sleep quality.

“Most of us are aware that you should avoid bright lights and screens the hours leading up to bedtime, but the opposite is also true during the day,” syas Dr. Rohrscheib.

“Our circadian rhythm, our internal clock that tells us when to be asleep and awake, is regulated by sunlight exposure,” she explains. “Not getting enough natural light during the daytime, especially in the morning, can be detrimental to the way our brain controls and times our sleep, leading to poor sleep quality at night.”

Our bodies won’t release enough melatonin — the hormone that makes us sleepy — in response to darkness in the evening if we haven’t had enough light during the day. This can therefore cause insomnia — both trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

THE FIX: Getting sunlight in the morning is the most effective for your circadian rhythm. Stepping outside after you wake up, even just for a 10-minute coffee, can help keep your body clock in check, making it easy to sleep better every night.

• Read more: I had no idea my cluttered bedroom was adding to my nighttime anxiety and 3 a.m wake ups — a board-certified sleep doctor explains why

2. Checking the time when you wake up at 3 a.m.

THE MISTAKE: Dr Browning explains that waking up in the early hours of the morning is a completely normal part of sleep, and most sleepers don't remember these nighttime awakenings the next morning as they're too short to be noticeable.

However, sleepers are more likely to realize these brief awakenings if they're aware of the time.

"If you look at the clock as soon as you’ve woken up and see that it’s three in the morning, you will likely start making mental calculations of how long you’ve slept for and how long it is until morning, adding to any anxiety about not sleeping," the sleep psychologist reveals.

She adds that checking the time can make your brain more alert and even wake you up even more.

"Whereas if you are not focused on checking the time, you may simply drift back to sleep again without remembering that you woke up," she explains.

THE FIX: "Simply turn your clock away from you during the night so that you can’t see it from the bed," advises Dr. Browning. "If it’s not sounding, then it’s not morning yet and you can simply go back to sleep."

3. Taking stress and anxiety to bed

THE MISTAKE: Whether you work from home and find yourself migrating to your bedroom during the day, answer work emails from your phone before bed or scroll through stressful and stimulating content as part of your nighttime routine — associating your bedroom with stress is a huge sleep hygiene mistake.

“Stress has a major negative impact on sleep quality,” says neuroscientist Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib.

“Not finding time to relax and unwind in the hours leading to sleep can increase your risk for insomnia and poor sleep quality.” She adds.