The short answer
If you want to know how to sleep better, start with the basics that health agencies agree on: keep the same wake time every day, get daylight early, stop caffeine well before bed, skip alcohol close to bedtime, and keep your bedroom quiet, cool and dark. If poor sleep lasts for months, the first-line treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), not a supplement.
- Target: adults 18 to 60 need 7 or more hours a night, according to the CDC.
- Biggest levers: a fixed wake time, morning light, and a caffeine cutoff.
- Chronic insomnia: CBT-I has the strongest evidence and is recommended first.
- See a doctor if: you snore loudly, gasp or stop breathing in sleep, or feel sleepy while driving.
7+ hours
Nightly sleep CDC recommends for adults 18 to 60
400 mg
Daily caffeine FDA says is not generally linked to negative effects
6 hours
Caffeine taken this long before bed still disrupted sleep in a study
20 minutes
Max adult nap length NHLBI suggests
In this article
Sleep is not a luxury you earn after the inbox is empty. Instead, it is a basic health need, and short sleep is common. In 2022, the share of adults not getting enough sleep ranged from 30% in Vermont to 46% in Hawaii, according to CDC sleep data. Moreover, the CDC links ongoing short sleep with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and drowsy-driving crashes.
This guide explains how to sleep better using advice from the CDC, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI, part of the National Institutes of Health) and peer-reviewed sleep research. It also corrects some popular “sleep hacks” that do not hold up. If you are mostly fighting daytime exhaustion, our guide to why you might always feel tired covers medical causes such as anemia and thyroid problems.
How much sleep do adults need?
Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep a night. The CDC age-based recommendations set the following targets, and they apply on weekdays as well as weekends.
| Age group | Recommended sleep per day |
|---|---|
| Teens, 13 to 17 | 8 to 10 hours |
| Adults, 18 to 60 | 7 or more hours |
| Adults, 61 to 64 | 7 to 9 hours |
| Adults, 65 and older | 7 to 8 hours |
Hours are only part of the picture, however. Sleep quality matters too. So if you sleep 8 hours yet still wake up exhausted, that is a signal to talk to a doctor rather than a reason to try harder at bedtime.
How to sleep better: 12 evidence-based sleep tips
When people ask how to sleep better, the most reliable answers are simple habits around timing, light, stimulants and your bedroom. Each tip below comes from the NHLBI healthy sleep habits page, the federal MyHealthfinder sleep guide or a published study.
Daytime habits
1. Keep one wake time, seven days a week. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. In fact, NHLBI suggests keeping the gap between weeknight and weekend sleep times to no more than about an hour. A fixed wake time is the anchor; bedtime tends to follow.
2. Get daylight early. MyHealthfinder recommends spending time outdoors in daylight, ideally earlier in the day. Similarly, Harvard Health notes that plenty of bright light during the day supports nighttime sleep, mood and alertness. A short walk outside after breakfast is an easy way to combine light and movement.
3. Set a caffeine cutoff. NHLBI notes that caffeine effects can last up to 8 hours. In a 2013 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 400 mg of caffeine taken 6 hours before bed still disrupted sleep. For daily totals, the FDA says 400 mg a day is not generally associated with negative effects for healthy adults, and a 12-ounce brewed coffee holds roughly 113 to 247 mg. As a result, a mid-afternoon latte can matter more than you think.
4. Move your body, ideally earlier. Regular exercise helps sleep, yet MyHealthfinder advises planning activity for earlier in the day, not right before bed. NHLBI specifically suggests avoiding intense exercise in the hour before bedtime. Gentle stretching is fine.
5. Keep naps short. NHLBI says adults should nap for no more than 20 minutes. If you struggle to fall asleep at night, nap earlier in the afternoon or skip naps for a while.
Evening habits
6. Stop drinking alcohol well before bed. Alcohol can make you drowsy, but it does not deliver better sleep. A 2015 review in the journal Alcohol explains that alcohol speeds sleep onset early in the night, while sleep is disrupted during the second half. Likewise, a controlled lab study in late adolescents found more time awake and lower sleep efficiency late in the night after drinking.
7. Keep dinner light and skip nicotine. NHLBI recommends avoiding heavy or large meals within a few hours of bedtime, although a light snack is fine. Nicotine is a stimulant, so it can also interfere with sleep.
8. Build a wind-down hour. NHLBI suggests using the hour before bed for quiet time and avoiding bright light from TVs and computer screens. Meanwhile, Harvard Health suggests limiting bright screens in the two to three hours before bed. Reading, a shower, or a few minutes of journaling all work. If racing thoughts keep you up, our guide on how to reduce stress covers techniques with research behind them.
9. Try a warm shower or bath 1 to 2 hours before bed. A 2019 meta-analysis in Sleep Medicine Reviews found that warm water (about 104 to 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit) taken 1 to 2 hours before bedtime, for as little as 10 minutes, was linked to falling asleep faster and better self-rated sleep. The authors noted, however, that research is still limited. The likely reason it helps is that warming your skin speeds the natural drop in core body temperature that comes with sleep.
How to sleep better in your bedroom
10. Make the room quiet, cool and dark. Both the CDC and NHLBI give this same three-part advice. Light-blocking curtains help, and a dim night light is fine if you need one. Also, MedlinePlus lists a noisy or bright sleeping environment and using a TV, computer or phone in bed among habits that can cause or worsen insomnia.
11. Use the 20-minute rule. If you are still awake after about 20 minutes in bed, MyHealthfinder recommends getting up and doing something relaxing until you feel sleepy. Lying in bed frustrated teaches your brain to link the bed with being awake.
12. Practice a relaxation method. Slow breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation are all forms of relaxation therapy. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) 2021 guideline gives relaxation therapy a conditional recommendation for chronic insomnia. In other words, it can help, but it works best as part of a fuller plan. Breathing patterns such as 4-7-8 are one option; no single counting pattern has been shown to be best.
Pro tip. Change one or two habits at a time and keep a simple sleep diary for a week. MyHealthfinder suggests sharing that diary with your doctor if problems continue, because it shows patterns you may not notice.
| Habit | What the guidance says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wake time | Same time daily; weekend gap of no more than about 1 hour | NHLBI |
| Caffeine | Effects can last up to 8 hours; 6 hours before bed still disrupted sleep | NHLBI; Drake et al. 2013 |
| Naps | No more than 20 minutes for adults | NHLBI |
| Exercise | Earlier in the day; avoid intense exercise in the hour before bed | MyHealthfinder; NHLBI |
| Alcohol | Avoid before bed; it disrupts the second half of the night | NHLBI; Thakkar et al. 2015 |
| Screens | Quiet hour before bed; limit bright screens 2 to 3 hours before | NHLBI; Harvard Health |
| Bedroom | Quiet, cool and dark | CDC; NHLBI |
| Can’t sleep | Get up after about 20 minutes and do something relaxing | MyHealthfinder |
What if sleep tips are not enough? CBT-I for insomnia
If you have had trouble sleeping for months, the treatment with the strongest evidence is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I, a structured program that changes the habits and thoughts that keep insomnia going. The AASM gives multicomponent CBT-I a strong recommendation, and the American College of Physicians recommends it as the initial treatment, as NCCIH notes.
Notably, the same AASM guideline advises against using sleep hygiene alone as a treatment for chronic insomnia. Knowing how to sleep better still matters; however, good habits on their own they are rarely enough once insomnia has settled in.
According to NHLBI, CBT-I can be done in person, by phone or online. It usually includes these parts:
| CBT-I component | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Cognitive therapy | Reduces anxiety and unhelpful beliefs about not being able to sleep |
| Stimulus control | Go to bed only when sleepy, get up if you cannot sleep, use the bed only for sleep and sex |
| Sleep restriction | Limits time in bed at first, then increases it as sleep improves |
| Relaxation or meditation | Helps you relax enough to fall asleep faster |
| Sleep education | Teaches healthy sleep habits |
Watch out. Sleep restriction can make you sleepier at first, so it is best done with guidance from a trained clinician. Ask your doctor whether CBT-I fits your situation before trying it on your own.
NHLBI also lists prescription sleep medicines that doctors sometimes use. Each has side effects, and some can cause rare complex sleep behaviors such as sleepwalking or driving while not fully awake. That is why any medicine decision belongs with your doctor.
Do melatonin and magnesium help you sleep better?
The evidence for both is weaker than most labels suggest. According to NCCIH, part of NIH, there is not enough strong evidence on the effectiveness or safety of melatonin for chronic insomnia to recommend it. NHLBI also states that research has not proven melatonin supplements effectively treat insomnia.
Melatonin may help a little with jet lag, according to NCCIH, but evidence for shift work is small or inconclusive. In addition, product quality is a real problem. In a 2023 analysis cited by NCCIH, 22 of 25 melatonin gummy products were inaccurately labeled, and one had no detectable melatonin at all.
For magnesium, a 2021 systematic review found only three small trials in 151 older adults. People fell asleep about 17 minutes faster on average, but the authors rated the evidence low to very low quality. Therefore, magnesium is not a proven insomnia treatment.
| Option | What the research shows | Safety notes |
|---|---|---|
| Melatonin | Not enough strong evidence for chronic insomnia; may help jet lag | Long-term safety unclear; people with epilepsy or on blood thinners need medical supervision (NCCIH) |
| Magnesium | Three small, biased trials in older adults; low-quality evidence | Can interact with some medicines; ask a pharmacist |
| Antihistamine sleep aids | Sold over the counter | NHLBI warns they can be unsafe for some people |
| CBT-I (for comparison) | Strong recommendation from AASM | Mild, temporary sleepiness during sleep restriction |
Watch out. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any sleep supplement or over-the-counter sleep aid, especially if you are pregnant, take other medicines, or have a chronic condition. MyHealthfinder also advises checking with a doctor before using over-the-counter sleep medicines.
Sleep tips for busy professionals and shift workers
For people with long workdays, how to sleep better comes down to one rule: protect a fixed sleep window the way you would protect an important meeting. Start by choosing your wake time, then count back 7 to 8 hours and add time to wind down. After that, move the caffeine cutoff and the last hard workout earlier to fit that window.
A sample evening for a 6:30 a.m. wake time
| Time | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| By 2 p.m. | Last caffeinated drink | Caffeine taken 6 hours before bed still disrupted sleep in a study |
| By 7 p.m. | Finish dinner and any intense workout | Large meals and hard exercise close to bed can interfere with sleep |
| 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. | Optional warm shower or bath | Linked to falling asleep faster when taken 1 to 2 hours before bed |
| 9:30 p.m. | Screens off, lights dim, quiet activity | NHLBI suggests a quiet hour without bright screens |
| 10:30 p.m. | Lights out | Allows about 8 hours before a 6:30 a.m. alarm |
If you work night or rotating shifts
NHLBI offers specific advice for shift workers. For example, keep lights bright at work, limit caffeine to the first part of your shift, limit shift changes so your body clock can adjust, and use light-blocking curtains when you sleep during the day. Naps can also help increase total sleep time.
Chronic overwork can also wreck sleep. So if you feel drained, cynical and less effective at work for weeks, read our overview of the signs of burnout, since better sleep habits alone may not fix the root cause.
Popular sleep hacks: what the research actually says
Many viral sleep hacks stretch small findings into big promises. Here is how some common claims compare with the evidence we could verify.
| Claim | What the evidence says |
|---|---|
| “Delay your morning coffee by 90 minutes” | We found no strong evidence for this. The better-supported advice is an afternoon caffeine cutoff and a daily total within FDA guidance. |
| “Magnesium threonate is the best sleep magnesium” | Not supported by human sleep trials we could find. Reviews of magnesium for insomnia show low-quality evidence for any form. |
| “Yoga nidra replenishes dopamine by 65%” | This comes from a small 2002 brain-imaging study measuring dopamine release during meditation. It did not test sleep or “replenishment.” |
| “A nightcap helps you sleep” | Alcohol speeds sleep onset but disrupts the second half of the night. |
| “Screens cut melatonin by 50%” | We could not verify that figure. Harvard Health reports blue light suppresses melatonin more than green light, which supports dimming screens before bed. |
| “Melatonin cures insomnia” | NCCIH and NHLBI say the evidence does not support melatonin as a chronic insomnia treatment. |
For context, the yoga nidra figure traces back to a 2002 study in Cognitive Brain Research. Relaxation practices can still be a pleasant part of a wind-down routine, but they are not a substitute for sleep itself.
When to see a doctor about sleep problems
See a doctor if you still struggle to sleep after changing your routine, or if you have signs of a sleep disorder. According to MyHealthfinder, these signs include:
- Trouble falling or staying asleep, even after changing your routine
- Still feeling tired after a full night of sleep
- Daytime sleepiness that interferes with driving or concentrating at work
- Frequent loud snoring
- Pauses in breathing or gasping during sleep
- Tingling or crawling feelings in your legs or arms at night that ease when you move
- Difficulty moving when you first wake up
Sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, deserves special attention. NHLBI notes that a bed partner often notices the snoring or gasping first. Other clues include headaches, dry mouth and frequent nighttime urination. A doctor may recommend a sleep study to confirm it.
Also, if new sleep trouble shows up in your late 30s or 40s alongside other changes, such as irregular periods, our guide to perimenopause at 35 explains what to discuss with your doctor.
Watch out. If you nod off while driving, pull over somewhere safe and stop. Drowsy driving causes thousands of crashes every year, according to MyHealthfinder. For any medical emergency, call 911.
Our verdict
Learning how to sleep better is less about hacks and more about consistency. A fixed wake time, morning light, an afternoon caffeine cutoff, no alcohol near bedtime and a quiet, cool, dark bedroom cover most of what the evidence supports.
If you have done all of that and still sleep poorly for months, ask your doctor about CBT-I. It has stronger evidence than melatonin, magnesium or any gadget, and it treats the patterns that keep insomnia going.
Related health guides
- Why am I always tired?
- How to reduce stress naturally
- Signs of burnout and how to recover
- Brain fog vs burnout
- What a calm morning routine can and cannot do for cortisol
- Longevity habits backed by research
Frequently asked questions
How can I sleep better at night naturally?
If you want to know how to sleep better without pills, start with a fixed wake time every day, get daylight in the morning, stop caffeine by early afternoon, and avoid alcohol and large meals before bed. Keep your bedroom quiet, cool and dark, and use the hour before bed for quiet activities. If you still struggle after a few weeks, talk to your doctor about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, which has the strongest evidence.
How many hours of sleep do adults need?
The CDC recommends 7 or more hours a night for adults aged 18 to 60, 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64, and 7 to 8 hours for adults 65 and older. Teens aged 13 to 17 need 8 to 10 hours. If you regularly sleep that long and still feel exhausted, mention it to your doctor, because a sleep disorder may be involved.
How long before bed should I stop drinking coffee?
NHLBI notes that caffeine effects can last up to 8 hours. In a 2013 study, caffeine taken 6 hours before bed still disrupted sleep, so a cutoff at least 6 hours before bedtime is a sensible starting point. Caffeine sensitivity varies, so some people need an even earlier cutoff. The FDA says 400 mg a day is not generally linked to negative effects in healthy adults.
Does melatonin help you sleep better?
Melatonin may modestly help jet lag, but NCCIH says there is not enough strong evidence to recommend it for chronic insomnia. Supplement labels are also unreliable; one analysis found 22 of 25 gummy products were inaccurately labeled. Long-term safety is unclear, and people with epilepsy or on blood thinners need medical supervision. Ask your doctor before using it.
What is CBT-I and does it work?
CBT-I, or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, is a structured program that changes the habits and thoughts that keep insomnia going. It includes stimulus control, sleep restriction, relaxation, sleep education and cognitive therapy. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine gives it a strong recommendation, and it can be done in person, by phone or online.
What should I do if I cannot fall asleep?
If you are still awake after about 20 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing in dim light, such as reading, until you feel sleepy. Then go back to bed. Avoid checking the clock or your phone. This approach, called stimulus control, helps your brain link the bed with sleep. If it keeps happening for weeks, talk to your doctor.
By Elizabeth Brown, health and wellness writer. Sources: CDC, NIH (NHLBI, NCCIH), MedlinePlus, FDA, ODPHP MyHealthfinder, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Health and peer-reviewed research. Last reviewed for accuracy: October 21, 2026.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not replace diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare provider. Talk to your doctor before starting any supplement or sleep aid, and do not stop or change prescribed treatment on your own. If you have a medical emergency, call 911.
