Sleep has become a product category. Smart rings, special pillows, apps that track every stage of the night. Some of these are useful to some people. But the sleep improvements most people can make are cheaper, simpler and more boring than the market suggests.
This is our "sleep kit that actually ships": the habits and few items that are easy to start and easy to keep.
The habits
- A consistent wake-up time. Getting up at roughly the same time each day, including weekends, is one of the most commonly recommended steps for steadier sleep.
- Daylight in the morning. Getting outside early in the day helps set your body clock.
- A wind-down window. Twenty to thirty minutes before bed with dimmer lights and calmer activities.
- Caffeine with a cut-off. Many people sleep better when they avoid caffeine from early afternoon.
- A bed for sleeping. If you're lying awake for a long time, getting up for a quiet activity and returning when sleepy can help.
The few items worth having
- An alarm clock that isn't your phone, so the phone can charge outside the bedroom.
- Blackout curtains or an eye mask, especially in summer or near street lights.
- Earplugs or a fan for noisy environments.
- A notebook by the bed to write down tomorrow's worries instead of rehearsing them at midnight.
What to skip, at least at first
Tracking every night can make some people more anxious about sleep, not less. If you try a tracker and find yourself worrying about the numbers, it's fine to stop. How you feel during the day is a perfectly good measure.
Start with one
Don't adopt everything at once. Pick the single change that seems easiest — usually the consistent wake-up time — and keep it for two weeks before adding another.
This article is general information. Persistent sleep problems can have medical causes; speak to a GP or health professional if poor sleep is affecting your daily life.