Sleeping well doesn’t start when you switch off the light. It starts hours earlier, in the choices you make throughout the day. The good news: small changes add up and make a difference.

1. Keep regular hours

Going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time, weekends included, helps your internal clock know what to expect. Big differences between weekdays and Saturday work like a mini jet lag.

2. Look for natural light in the morning

A few minutes of daylight first thing — at the window, on the way to work, over a coffee on a terrace — help mark the start of the day for your body.

3. Dim the lights in the evening

Bright lights and screens close to your eyes late at night don’t help you wind down. Try warmer, lower lighting in the last hour before bed.

4. Create a switch-off ritual

A warm bath, a few pages of a book, laying out tomorrow’s clothes. What matters is repeating the same sequence, so that the ritual itself becomes a signal that it’s time.

The last thing you do each day deserves as much thought as the first.

5. Watch the caffeine and heavy meals

Everyone reacts differently to caffeine, but for many people a mid-afternoon coffee can still be felt at night. Very heavy or very late dinners can also make falling asleep less comfortable.

6. A cool, dark, quiet bedroom

Curtains that block the light well, a mild temperature and your phone off the bedside table. The bedroom should be for sleeping, not for working.

If you can’t fall asleep after a while, get up, do something calm in low light and go back to bed when you feel sleepy. Tossing and turning while watching the clock only makes you more anxious.

7. If it makes sense, add a supplement

Some people include a supplement in their evening ritual. If that’s you, read the dose and the warnings on the label carefully.

Melatonin contributes to the reduction of time taken to fall asleep. The beneficial effect is obtained by consuming 1 mg of melatonin close to bedtime.

Products with melatonin may cause drowsiness: don’t drive or operate machinery after taking them, and they are not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women or for children. If your sleep problems persist, talk to your doctor.

In short

  • Regular hours, weekends included.

  • Natural light in the morning, low light at night.

  • A switch-off ritual repeated every night.

  • A cool, dark bedroom without screens.

  • Persistent sleep problems are worth a conversation with your doctor.

This article is for information only and is not a substitute for advice from a health professional.