HOW TO GET INTO A GOOD ROUTINE

7.30am

Open your curtains as soon as you wake up, says Linda Geddes, author of Chasing the Sun: The New Science of Sunlight and How it Shapes Our Bodies and Minds.

“Get that flash of light into your eyes as soon as possible,” she says. “The cells at the back of your eyes connect with your body’s master clock in your brain.” This acts as a daily reset, which helps it to know when it’s time to fall asleep at night, she says.

8am

After getting dressed, leave your bedroom for the day. The brain builds associations between places and activities, so working in bed could cause your mind to race when you try to fall asleep at night. This is a key teaching of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for insomnia, which according to a 2015 analysis is proven to help increase sleep quantity and quality.

12pm

Have your last cup of coffee.

Caffeine has a half-life of around six hours; having a coffee at 3pm will result in half of its caffeine still being in your system at 9pm.

1pm

Have your main meal at lunchtime, says The Sleep Council. Eating a big meal just before bedtime can lead to discomfort and indigestion.

5pm

People who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep for longer, according to a 2012 review. But not too close to bedtime: vigorous exercise within 90 minutes of sleeping can make it harder to drop off.

6.30pm

Alcohol also has a big effect on sleep, so if you want a glass of wine, it’s best to have it in the early evening.

7.30pm

Lower the light levels in your home to signal to your brain that it’s evening, says Geddes.

9pm

Open a window in your bedroom to ensure air is cool by the time you go to bed. A 2012 study found that warming up participants led them to wake up more during the night and reduced the amount they slept.

9.30pm

Try a warm bath or shower one to two hours before bedtime. The rapid drop in temperature when you come out of the bath simulates the natural drop in body heat at night. A 2019 analysis found that a 10-minute bath had positive effects on sleep quality.

10.30pm

Go to sleep between 10pm and 11pm. Helen Chandler-wilde