I'm a sleep writer — my 3 best techniques for sleeping through the night

A woman lying on her back wearing an eye mask wakes up after a bad night's sleep on an unsupportive mattress
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Often find yourself lying in bed, staring at a dark ceiling, wondering why you can't fall back to sleep? Waking up during the night is a problem that afflicts many of us, and if it's happening frequently, it could cause you to miss out on vital hours of rest. But how can you keep yourself sleeping for longer?

As a sleep writer, I understand just how necessary sleep is to our health and wellbeing. I've also come across a lot of tips and techniques for getting a better night's rest (not all of them very good). The best techniques are easy to incorporate into your everyday and encourage healthy habits, like a de-stressing bedtime routine.

One of the biggest things I've learned is the role your bedroom environment plays in your sleep habits – that means having the best mattress for your body and sleep needs, as well as creating a cool, dark and quiet space. But if buying a new bed isn't possible, or necessary, these three easy, achievable tips have helped me to start sleeping through the night. 

I'm a sleep writer – my 3 top tips for sleeping through the night

1. Develop a wind-down routine

Without the distractions of the day, bedtime is prime time for stress and anxiety. And if your worries tend to follow you into your dreams, you're probably no stranger to disrupted rest. If a racing mind is keeping you awake, a soothing wind-down routine can help you stay snoozing.

A woman stands in a bedroom in the evening in front of her bed, practicing calming yoga before going to sleep

(Image credit: Getty Images)

A de-stressing bedtime routine puts away the worries of the day so your brain and body can focus on falling asleep. I've found journalling to be an excellent wind-down activity, helping me order my thoughts and verbalize worries that might otherwise bother me when I'm trying to sleep. Other useful de-stressing activities include meditation and controlled breathing techniques.

2. Limit exposure to bright lights

Light signals to the brain that it's time to wake up, while darkness indicates it's time to sleep – which is why we recommend putting away the bright blue light of screens at night. An hour or two of limited screen time before bed helps your brain recognize that it's time to get sleepy. (And you can use this time to engage in the de-stressing techniques above.)

Once you're in bed, aim to maintain this darkness, as light pollution can disrupt your sleep. I'm a big fan of my eye mask. It's inexpensive, places me in pitch black, and encourages me to put down my phone at the end of the day. After all, you can't scroll through social media with an eye mask on. If a sleep mask isn't for you, consider a set of blackout blinds or curtains.

3. Wake up at the same time each day

This has been a hard technique to learn, but it's also an important one. One of the best ways to keep yourself snoozing through the night is to go to bed and wakeup at roughly the same time everyday. Yes, that means no more weekend lie-ins, but when you're sleeping comfortably all night long, you should't miss them.

A man wakes up in bed and stretches after a good night's sleep

(Image credit: Getty Images)

A set bedtime teaches your body when it should start feeling sleepy and when it needs to be awake. This makes it easier to fall asleep when you get into bed, and keep you sleeping through to the next morning. To best use this technique, consider your sleep chronotype and pick a sleep window that matches your body clock.

Is it possible to sleep through the night?

During the night we go through phases of lighter and deeper sleep, and this includes brief periods of waking up. These wake-up periods are typically fleeting and in most cases, you won't even be aware that it's happened. 

However, sometimes these brief night-wakings can turn into long minutes of lying awake. There are many potential causes for this, from stress to age to an uncomfortable bedroom. While brief wake-ups are normal, these prolonged stretches of alertness can add up to a lot of missed sleep. 

If you've been lying awake for more than fifteen minutes, the best thing to do is slightly counterintuitive – get out of bed. Move to a different room and engage in a calming activity until you feel tired again. Lying in bed while awake teaches the brain the bed isn't just for slumber. Moving rooms helps maintain the connection between 'being in bed' and 'going to sleep'.

Finally, frequent nighttime wake-ups can be caused by an uncomfortable sleep environment. If you're often waking up with aching knees or a twinge in the neck, it might be time to upgrade your bedding. Our best hybrid mattress and best memory foam mattress guides can help, as can our guide to the best pillows.

Ruth Jones
Sleep staff Writer

Ruth is a staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things mattress and sleep. She has a deep interest in the link between sleep and health, and has tried enough mattresses to know the right bed really can make a difference to your wellbeing. At Tom’s Guide she writes to help people sleep better, from how-tos to the latest deals to mattress reviews, and has interviewed an array of specialists who share her passion. Before joining the team at Tom’s Guide, Ruth worked as a sleep and mattress writer for our sister website, TechRadar.

Read more
Young woman is wide awake at night and wants to fall back to sleep fast
Waking up at 3am? Here's 5 reasons you can't sleep through and 5 solutions
A sleep week badge in the corner of a picture that depicts a woman smiling as she is getting more sleep.
Tired all the time? 7 tips to help you get enough sleep
A woman practising yoga in the evenings for better sleep
10 best bedtime routines to fall asleep fast — from renowned sleep experts
A woman with curly black hair stretches and smiles as she wakes up early on a sunny summer's morning
Waking up at night? These 5 daily habits could fix that — here's how
Woman sleeping on a white bed
9 expert tips for falling asleep faster, easier and for longer this World Sleep Day
A woman with curly black hair sleeps next to a man with light brown hair, both covered by a white comforter
3 quick ways to sleep fast come day or night— no sleep aids required
Latest in Sleep
Woman doing a yoga pose in bed against a green background
Sleep expert reveals her secret weapon for falling asleep fast — and you can do it in 15 minutes
A man places a sleep apnea CPAP machine mask on his face, a Tom's Guide Sleep Week 2025 graphic (right)
Sleep apnea could be diagnosed while you're awake, new research finds — here's what that means
A sleep week badge in the corner of a picture that depicts a woman smiling as she is getting more sleep.
Tired all the time? 7 tips to help you get enough sleep
The image shows a montage of different sleep tech products, including a Hatch Restore sunrise alarm clock, Oura Ring, Rise Sleep App, Mixx earplugs and SOMO eye mask
I test sleep tech — these are the 5 gadgets that actually help me fall asleep fast
A man in a blue t shirt holds his head in his hands and sits on the edge of his bed because he can't sleep due to intrusive thoughts and needs to try cognitive shuffling for sleeping
Intrusive thoughts keeping you awake? Try this ER doctor ‘brain hack’ to fall asleep quickly
A woman lying on a Tempur-Cloud pillow
Sleep Awareness Week bedding sales 2025: Save on Tempur-Pedic, Helix and more
Latest in Features
LG G4 OLED in living room
This is the one setting on your HDR TV most people don't know about — here's how to tweak it
A comparison photo showing a Helix mattress directly next to a Helix mattress topper
You need a new mattress but don't have the budget — is a new topper worth buying this World Sleep Day instead?
A HoverAir X1 Pro and HoverAir X1 ProMax drone
I have never seen a drone accessory as cool as this one — and it’s the one thing DJI is missing
The iPhone 16 Pro Max (L) and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra rear cameras
I took 200 macro photos with Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro — here's the winner
Woman sleeping on a new mattress in a brightly lit room
Keep waking up at night? Your mattress might be stopping you from sleeping through — here's why
Pro-ject colorful Audio system
I gave up my $3,000 speakers for this stunning stereo system — and the results blew me away