Question: what does a good sleeping routine include and look like

Jason Ellis answered on 3 Nov 2018:

Good question! If I were to say one thing about sleep routine it would be to try to keep to the same wake up time (or as close as you can) everyday. There are two things which help keep our sleep system working – the body clock and the drive to sleep. The reason I say wake up time is important is because it is in the morning when these two processes are working together.

Other things, which are important, but not as important are – going to bed around the same time everyday and putting the day to bed before you go to bed! I always talk about putting an hour to an hour and a half between finishing off the things you need to do (for me work stuff) and getting into bed. For me, I do my to-do-lists at that time – what do I need to do tomorrow, how far behind I am on bits and pieces, – and then I will watch some TV or read something that is not science! I also try to avoid anything that is going to upset or annoy me in those last few hours (like talking to my eldest brother!).

The thing I always ask is how do you feel in the morning – about an hour after waking up. If you feel refreshed and not sleepy then all is good. It is only when you don’t feel great that we might need to look more carefully at your sleep routine..