9 Sleep Tips That Actually Help (Without the Pressure)

What if a few small shifts in your evening rhythm could open the door to better sleep?

These tips aren’t magic fixes—but they can be meaningful nudges. How much they help depends on what else your body’s holding: stress hormones like cortisol, blood sugar swings, gut inflammation, and the deeper layers underneath.

So no, this list won’t solve everything. But it might help you tune your system in a new way. Think of these tips not as rules, but as gentle invitations to create an evening rhythm your body can trust.

1. The "12 and 12 Hours" Rhythm

Try dividing your day into two simple halves: 7am to 7pm for movement, work, and output; 7pm to 7am for softening, nourishment, and turning inward.

You don’t have to follow it rigidly. The point is to let your body know: "Now it’s time to slow down." You may only sleep 7–8 hours, but this wider container helps make space for transition.

Even a small evening ritual can say: "This part of the day belongs to me."

And if life is full—children, obligations, last-minute tasks—see how you can carve even just a small portion of the evening that consistently signals "this is the unwinding time." Over time, your body will begin to respond.

2. Evening Eating: Gentle Fuel for Rest

Dinner can be sacred—a moment to nourish without overstimulating. Aim to eat 3 hours before bedtime, ideally no later than 7pm. This can be your cue to begin stepping into your evening rhythm.

Each body is different, but here’s a helpful plate to consider: half veggies, the rest split between quality carbs and protein, with a dash of healthy fats.

Too many simple carbs (like pasta, potatoes, or sweets) may cause blood sugar spikes that later crash—leaving you restless at night.

Curious about alcohol? Some bodies can handle it. Others wake up at 2am. If you do choose to drink, keep it to one drink, at least 3 hours before bed, no more than three times a week.

3. Caffeine: Know Your Window

Caffeine timing matters more than we often think. A cup at 3pm may still be humming in your system at 9pm.

A gentle experiment: try limiting caffeine to one cup in the morning, ideally before 10am. See how your sleep responds.

If you often reach for that second or third cup, ask: "What am I really needing right now? Rest? Nourishment? A pause?" Caffeine might offer a quick lift, but often it just deepens the cycle of depletion.

4. Blue Light & Boundaries

Screens before bed don’t just emit blue light—they also stir our minds and emotions.

Try turning off screens one hour before bedtime. Let it be a gentle digital sunset. You might place your phone on airplane mode or tuck it away with a soft reminder: "I’ll return to this tomorrow."

If you want to watch a show or read online, shift it earlier in the evening. Your nervous system will thank you.

5. Pre-Bedtime Rituals

The hour before bed is a bridge, not a task list.

Start with simple self-care: brush your teeth, wash your face, turn the bed down. Then, take 5–10 minutes to sit quietly. Just breathe. Feel your body. Let your thoughts pass by like clouds.

This might be the first time all day you’ve really listened inward. And sometimes, that quiet space lets feelings or insights emerge.

If they do, try journaling, or gently acknowledging what arises. Fiction is also a lovely nighttime companion—it helps your brain disengage from the day.

Read until you feel groggy, then turn off the light and rest.

6. Waking in the Night

If you wake up in the night, try to stay soft.

Avoid clock-watching—it invites judgment and activates stress hormones. If the alarm hasn’t gone off, there’s no need to know the time.

If you feel calm, stay in bed. Gentle bilateral movements like opening and closing your fists or slowly pedaling your feet can help your system down-regulate.

You may also listen to a guided meditation or audiobook, to help keep the mind focused off of worries and support it to drift off into sleep.

If you feel anxious or your thoughts start spinning, it's okay to get up. Go to another room. Do something quiet and screen-free. When drowsiness returns, return to bed. This is not failure, it’s responsiveness.

7. Wake at the Same Time Daily

This one might surprise you: waking at the same time every day is more important than going to bed at the same time.

Try choosing a wake-up time that you can stick to most days. Resist the urge to sleep in on weekends or after a rough night. Over time, your body will find a rhythm that works.

Sleep tends to follow 90-minute cycles. Aim for 5 or 6 of these—about 7.5 to 9 hours. Let your body guide you. And once your evening rituals begin, stop checking the clock. Wait for sleepiness to arrive naturally as much as possible.

8. Morning Anchors

How you wake up shapes how you sleep.

Try starting your morning with natural light (or a light box), gentle movement, and a protein-rich breakfast (20–30 grams).

This combo resets cortisol, stabilizes blood sugar, and sets the tone for sustained energy. It helps you avoid that afternoon caffeine spiral—and supports restful sleep later.

Eating well in the morning also supports emotional steadiness. You may feel more grounded, more resilient, more yourself.

9. A Note on Naps

Naps aren’t "bad."

In fact, when used wisely, they can be a nervous system gift—especially during periods of stress or sleep debt.

If you nap, try doing so between 1 and 3pm, and keep it under 30 minutes. Think of it as topping up your rest reserves, not replacing nighttime sleep.

Read this article to learn more about how to nap to improve your sleep and health.

Ready to Go Deeper?

Try weaving in a few of these tips over the next week. Let them be invitations, not obligations.

And if your sleep still feels off, there may be deeper roots—hormonal patterns, gut health issues, or emotional layers that haven’t fully had space to unwind.

You don’t have to figure it out alone.

If you’d like support, you can schedule a free consult with me, either in Boulder, CO or via telehealth.

And if you haven’t yet, check out my book: schedule a free consult for local help in Boulder, CO, or long-distance via telehealth.

Check out my book: The Deep Blue Sleep—A Roadmap to Fall Asleep and Stay Asleep Naturally.

Available in Paperback, E-book, and Audio.