Healthy sleep habits come down to a few repeatable basics: a consistent bedtime and wake time, a dark, quiet and cool bedroom, less caffeine, alcohol and screen time late in the day, and enough hours for your age. Most adults need at least seven hours a night. At Buddymagazine.org we have turned the guidance from US public health agencies into a practical routine you can start tonight.
None of this requires gadgets or supplements. It does require treating sleep as something you plan for. If you do the basics for a few weeks and still sleep badly, that is useful information to take to a clinician.
Key Takeaways
- The CDC recommends at least 7 hours of sleep for adults aged 18 to 60.
- Keep the same bedtime and wake time every day, with weekends within about an hour of weeknights.
- Caffeine can last up to 8 hours, so an afternoon coffee may affect your night.
- Use the last hour before bed to wind down, away from bright screens.
- Regular trouble sleeping is worth raising with a healthcare provider.
How much sleep do you need?
Sleep needs change with age. The table below shows the CDC’s recommended hours per 24 hours, taken from its page on how much sleep you need. For babies and young children, the totals include naps.
| Age group | Ages | Recommended hours |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn | 0 to 3 months | 14 to 17 |
| Infant | 4 to 12 months | 12 to 16 (including naps) |
| Toddler | 1 to 2 years | 11 to 14 (including naps) |
| Preschool | 3 to 5 years | 10 to 13 (including naps) |
| School age | 6 to 12 years | 9 to 12 |
| Teen | 13 to 17 years | 8 to 10 |
| Adult | 18 to 60 years | 7 or more |
| Adult | 61 to 64 years | 7 to 9 |
| Adult | 65 and older | 7 to 8 |
Hours are only part of the picture. The CDC also lists signs of poor sleep quality, including trouble falling asleep, waking often during the night and feeling tired even after a full night. If those sound familiar, the habits below are the place to start.
Keep a consistent schedule
Your body runs on an internal clock, and it works best when you give it a steady rhythm. Both the CDC and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute put a regular schedule at the top of their advice: go to bed and wake up at the same times every day.
Weekends are where most schedules fall apart. The NHLBI’s healthy sleep habits guidance suggests keeping weekend and weeknight sleep times within about an hour of each other. A big lie-in on Saturday can make Sunday night harder.
How to make the schedule stick
- Choose your wake time first, since that is usually the fixed point, and count back seven or more hours for bedtime.
- Set an alarm for bedtime, not just for the morning.
- Get outside during the day when you can. The NHLBI recommends daily time outdoors and regular physical activity.
- For children, a set bedtime and a calming routine help, according to the same NHLBI page.
Build a wind-down hour
Sleep rarely arrives on command. The NHLBI suggests spending the hour before bed doing something relaxing and avoiding intense exercise and bright screens such as TVs, computers and phones. The CDC’s minimum is to put screens away at least 30 minutes before bed.
A wind-down routine does not need to be elaborate. A warm bath, reading a paper book, light stretching or a relaxation technique all count. Doing the same things in the same order helps your brain learn the cue.
Late-night news and social feeds are a common trap, because they are designed to keep you scrolling. Our guide to building a better news diet has ideas for setting limits, and our Technology section covers the devices and settings involved, including the do-not-disturb and screen-time tools many phones include.
Watch caffeine, alcohol and late meals
What you eat and drink in the afternoon and evening shows up at night. Caffeine is the big one: the NHLBI notes that its effects can last up to 8 hours, so a mid-afternoon coffee may still be working at bedtime. Caffeine is in coffee, tea, many sodas and chocolate. Nicotine is a stimulant too.
Alcohol can make you feel drowsy, but both agencies advise against drinking close to bedtime. The same goes for large or heavy meals. If you are hungry late, a light snack is fine. For broader ideas on what to eat during the day, see our everyday nutrition guides.
- Set a personal caffeine cutoff, such as early afternoon, and stick to it for two weeks.
- Finish your main evening meal a few hours before bed.
- If you drink, keep alcohol away from the last stretch of the evening.
Set up your bedroom for sleep
The NHLBI’s advice for the bedroom is short: keep it quiet, cool and dark. A dim night light is fine if you need one. The CDC adds that the room should feel relaxing, which for many people means keeping work, bills and laptops out of it.
Simple fixes go a long way. Blackout curtains or an eye mask handle light, earplugs or a fan handle noise, and lighter bedding or a lower thermostat setting handle heat. Your mattress and pillow matter too, though there is no single right product, so be wary of marketing that promises otherwise. Buddymagazine.org does not endorse specific sleep products.
Nap smart
A short nap can take the edge off an afternoon slump, but it is not a substitute for a full night. The NHLBI recommends that adults limit naps to 20 minutes or less. If you struggle to fall asleep at night, nap less or earlier in the afternoon.
When to see a doctor
Good habits fix a lot, but not everything. The CDC’s advice is direct: talk to your healthcare provider if you regularly have problems sleeping. Your provider may ask you to keep a sleep diary and may order tests, such as a sleep study, to check for conditions including insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and narcolepsy.
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder. The NHLBI describes chronic insomnia as trouble sleeping that happens three or more nights a week for more than three months. Treatment may include a regular sleep schedule, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and, in some cases, medicines.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If sleep problems last more than a few weeks, affect your daytime functioning, or come with loud snoring, gasping or pauses in breathing during sleep, see a doctor or other qualified clinician. Do not start sleep medicines or supplements without talking to a healthcare provider, especially if you take other medications.
You can find more practical guides like this one in our Lifestyle section, and the latest across every topic on the Buddymagazine.org homepage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours of sleep do adults need?
The CDC recommends at least 7 hours a night for adults aged 18 to 60, 7 to 9 hours for those aged 61 to 64, and 7 to 8 hours for adults 65 and older. Individual needs vary, so if you regularly feel tired after enough hours, mention it to your healthcare provider.
Can I catch up on sleep at the weekend?
A little extra rest can help, but big weekend lie-ins can disrupt your internal clock and make Sunday night harder. The NHLBI suggests keeping weekend and weeknight sleep times within about an hour of each other. Consistent sleep through the week is more reliable than trying to repay a large deficit.
How late can I drink coffee?
There is no single cutoff that suits everyone, but the NHLBI notes that caffeine’s effects can last up to 8 hours. That means an afternoon coffee may still affect you at bedtime. If you sleep poorly, try an early-afternoon cutoff for a couple of weeks and see whether it helps.
When should I see a doctor about sleep?
See a healthcare provider if you regularly have trouble falling or staying asleep, feel tired despite enough hours, or someone notices loud snoring or pauses in your breathing. A provider may suggest a sleep diary or a sleep study, and effective treatments exist for conditions such as insomnia and sleep apnea.
