What's the highest-leverage item?

A fixed wake time, 7 days a week — the strongest single circadian signal you can give your brain.

What if my score is high but I still don't sleep well?

Hygiene is necessary but not sufficient. Persistent issues warrant screening for insomnia, apnea, or circadian disorder.

What's the ideal bedroom temperature?

Between 60–67°F (15–19°C). Core body temperature must drop ~2°F to initiate sleep — a cool room accelerates this.

Does exercise improve sleep hygiene?

Yes — 150 minutes/week of moderate exercise improves sleep efficiency by 7–10%. Avoid intense workouts within 2 hours of bed.

How does alcohol affect sleep hygiene?

Alcohol speeds sleep onset but fragments REM and slow-wave sleep, raising wakefulness in the second half of the night. Skip it within 3 hours of bed.

What's the 10-3-2-1-0 rule?

10 hours no caffeine, 3 hours no food/alcohol, 2 hours no work, 1 hour no screens, 0 snoozes in the morning.

Sleep Hygiene Checklist — Free 20-Point Audit

This 20-point sleep hygiene checklist is a fully evidence-based audit of your sleep environment, schedule, behaviors and pre-sleep routine. Every item is sourced from controlled trials, AASM clinical guidance, or large epidemiological cohorts. Tick the ones you do consistently and the tool returns a personalized score, the highest-impact gaps, and a 4-week sequenced plan to fix them.

1What 'Sleep Hygiene' Really Means

Sleep hygiene is the bundle of behaviors, environmental factors, and routines that determine whether your biology gets a clean shot at sleep. It is not a substitute for treating insomnia, OSA, or circadian disorders — it's the foundation those treatments need. The 20 items in this checklist are clustered into four domains: schedule consistency, light exposure, ingestible inputs (caffeine, alcohol, food, medication), and the bed-and-bedroom environment.

2Domain 1 — Schedule (5 Items)

Fixed wake time within 30 minutes, 7 days a week.
Consistent bedtime within 30 minutes (drift inside this window is fine).
No naps after 3 PM, max 30 min if needed.
Outdoor light exposure within 30 minutes of waking, ≥10 minutes.
Wind-down ritual the same time every night for ≥20 minutes.

3Domain 2 — Light Exposure (5 Items)

Bright daytime light exposure ≥2,000 lux for 30+ minutes.
Dim home lighting (<50 lux) in the 2 hours before bedtime.
No overhead LED ceiling lights post-sunset; warm bias lighting only.
Phone, tablet, and laptop in night/red mode after 8 PM.
Bedroom dark to <1 lux during sleep — blackout curtains or eye mask.

4Domain 3 — Ingestible Inputs (5 Items)

Caffeine cutoff

No caffeine within 8 hours of bedtime. Half-life is 5–7 hours; a 2 PM coffee still has measurable concentration at midnight.

Alcohol limit

≤1 drink, ≥3 hours before bed. Alcohol is the single most disruptive substance to sleep architecture.

Big-meal cutoff

Last large meal ≥3 hours before bed. Eating closer raises core body temperature and worsens reflux.

Hydration timing

Front-load fluids; taper after 7 PM to reduce nocturia.

Medication audit

Decongestants, beta-blockers, ADHD meds, and many SSRIs disturb sleep — review timing with your doctor.

5Domain 4 — Environment & Behavior (5 Items)

Bedroom temperature 65–68°F / 18–20°C.
Bed used only for sleep and sex (no work, no scrolling, no TV).
Mattress and pillows assessed annually; replace at appropriate intervals.
Phone outside bedroom, or at minimum face-down and silenced.
If awake >20 minutes, leave the bed and return only when sleepy (stimulus control).

6Why Each Domain Works

Schedule

Stabilizes the suprachiasmatic nucleus oscillator and the cortisol awakening response.

Light

Tunes melatonin onset and morning wake drive — the strongest non-pharmacological circadian lever.

Ingestibles

Removes adenosine receptor blockade (caffeine), GABAergic disruption (alcohol), and thermoregulatory load (food).

Environment

Reduces sensory drive that triggers cortical arousal and protects deep-sleep integrity.

7Common Sleep-Hygiene Failures

✅ Optimized routine

10:30 PM dim phone, herbal tea, journaling, in bed 11 PM, asleep 11:15 PM.

Sleep efficiency 90%+.

❌ Typical default

Doomscroll until 12:30 AM under overhead light, snack at 11 PM, alarm at 6:30 AM.

Sleep efficiency 75%, +1.5 hr social jet lag.

8A 4-Week Sequenced Implementation Plan

Week 1: lock the wake time and add 15 minutes of morning sunlight.
Week 2: install caffeine cutoff at 2 PM and alcohol limit.
Week 3: dim lighting after 8 PM and move the phone out of the bedroom.
Week 4: refine room temperature, mattress, and bedding; add 20-min wind-down ritual.

9Tracking Progress Quantitatively

Use the sleep efficiency calculator and the sleep quality score weekly. Most users see efficiency rise from the high 70s to the high 80s within 3–4 weeks of consistent hygiene work — a delta that translates to roughly 45 extra minutes of actual sleep on the same time-in-bed budget.

Sleep Hygiene Checklist