Whether it’s the occasional restless night, frequent midnight awakenings or chronic insomnia, poor sleep can make daily life miserable—and it also increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression. While many of us focus on evening routines to improve sleep, what we do during the day can have an even greater impact on the quality of our rest.
From that morning cup of coffee to afternoon snacking and exercise habits, seemingly small choices can lay the groundwork for restorative sleep – or leave us tossing and turning well into the night.
“Many people don’t realize how closely sleep and daytime habits are connected,” says sleep coach and nutritionist Agnė Ramanauskė.
“In fact, the first few hours after waking up are often more crucial to your sleep quality than your evening routine. While there is no one-size-fits-all formula for perfect sleep, there are practical, everyday habits we can adopt to ensure our minds and bodies are primed to fall asleep when our heads hit the pillow. Of course, there will always be obstacles to battle with, such as family, working late and social events, but we are creatures of habit, so let’s build better ones where we can.”
Here, Ramanauskė offers hour-by-hour advice on how we can make intentional choices throughout the day to improve our night-time rest…
6-7am: Get up and active
“Your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Generally, waking up between 6am and 8am is considered ideal, because it aligns with our natural sleep-wake cycles. What is most important is to keep your wake-up time consistent. Routine really is key when it comes to sleep, so that means no weekend lie-ins.
“Exercising in the morning may also improve mood and reduce stress levels, contributing to better sleep quality.”
8-9am: Eat breakfast, but skip the coffee
“Eat breakfast within 60 minutes of waking to help facilitate metabolic processes such as glucose uptake, insulin sensitivity, and the production of glycogen. Essentially, eating in the morning tells your body it’s time to wake up and get going.
“If you’re not a breakfast person, a handful of nuts will do, but don’t grab a coffee on an empty stomach. Cortisol levels are usually highest when you wake up, so reaching for caffeine first thing can run the risk of excessive stimulation, leading to crashes later in the day.”
9-10am: Soak up the morning light
“Getting outside as soon as possible after waking is crucial for regulating our circadian rhythms, as natural light plays a key role in this process. It can be challenging with the rush to get ready for work, take the kids to school and eat breakfast, but try to get outside or at least open a window as early as you can. For maximum benefit, aim to get exposure to natural sunlight for about 10 minutes on bright days, 20 minutes on cloudy days, and 30-60 minutes on very overcast days.
“To make the most of it, consider exercising outdoors to meet your daily physical activity goals while also soaking up the daylight.”
10am- 1pm: Take a break
“When we work continuously without breaks, our stress levels can build up, leading to an overactive mind at bedtime. Taking short breaks during the day helps to reset our stress response, giving our minds a chance to relax and process information in smaller chunks. By reducing overall stress levels throughout the day, we are more likely to enter sleep with a calmer, clearer mind.
“Make a habit of getting up from your screen, walking around the office, even going outside if you can. Anything to switch off from work for 10-15 minutes.”
2-3pm: No more caffeine or napping
“For a good night’s sleep, there should be no caffeine consumption after 2pm – or, 8-10 hours before bedtime – so make sure your last cup of coffee is finished before now. If you are taking an afternoon nap, don’t sleep any later than 3pm, as this can upset your evening routine, making you too awake at bedtime.”
3-5pm: Skip the sugary snack
“Ditch your afternoon snack and head outside for another dose of natural light, especially in winter when the sun sets earlier. If you are feeling peckish, opt for apple and nut butter, or cottage cheese with wholemeal crackers, instead of sugary biscuits, which will make your glucose spike and can cause those 3am wakings.
“This time of day is often considered ideal for exercise for improving sleep. Body temperature naturally peaks in the afternoon, which can enhance muscle function, endurance and performance. Getting your pulse rate up also helps to facilitate the body’s natural wind-down process later in the evening.”
6pm: Eat a high-carb dinner
“It can be harder to fall asleep if your body is still digesting a big dinner, so – if you can – opt for an earlier dinner and minimise fatty or spicy foods, as well as sugar. The best dinner to promote restful sleep would consist of 60 per cent starchy carbs and 40 per cent protein, as this can promote serotonin production, making us drowsy before bed. An example would be grilled chicken with brown rice and broccoli.
“Also, no liquids 90 minutes before bedtime to stop any late-night toilet trips that will keep you awake.”
7-8pm: Relax
“Relax. Now is the time to wind down, read a book, listen to music, practice mindfulness techniques or watch TV. If you prefer to exercise in the evening, take it slowly, as it can have a stimulatory effect. Towards the end of the evening, begin to reduce your exposure to blue light from phones and computer screens.”
9pm: Don’t fight the clock
“Our wind-down routine is an important signal to our body to prepare for sleep. Whatever yours is, try to keep it consistent. It could include a warm shower and washing your face, having a herbal tea (chamomile is especially beneficial for sleep), stretching or decluttering the house (as long as this doesn’t raise stress levels). The most important thing is to go to bed when you start to feel sleepy – don’t try to stay up later than your body wants to.”
10pm: Sleep and sex
“The final step of your bedtime routine should be getting into bed. Make this the very last thing you do, and once your head hits the pillow, do not do anything else other than try to fall asleep. Your bed should be a soothing place that is used specifically for rest (or sex), not scrolling on your phone, reading or watching TV. If you find yourself lying awake, try some deep breathing, but if you are still struggling to sleep, get out of bed and go into another room. Take 20 minutes to half an hour to let your sleep pressure build again, then go back to bed.”
Agnė Ramanauskė was a key speaker at Sleep Fest in Vilnius
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