Sleep Checklist

Morning Get early exposure to sunlight within first hours upon awakening

If morning sunlight is not available, use light therapy first thing in the morning for 30 minutes (10,000 lux)

Daytime Stick to exercise routine but try to exercise no later than two to three hours before bedtime

Strategic, time-appropriate use of caffeine

• Allow caffeine-containing beverages or foods before 2 PM; if slow metabolizer, limit use to before noon

Plan large meals and beverages during daytime and not late at night

Be aware of medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep

• Example: Decongestant cold medicines, medications with stimulating effects, diuretics

If taking any nap is necessary, do so before 3 PM

• Keep naps shorter than 45 minutes unless you are sick or quite sleep-deprived

Winding Establish a relaxing bedtime routine

down • Unwinding or relaxing activities include: reading (a good neutral book), listening to soothing music,
meditating, breathing exercises, relaxing yoga

Take a hot bath before bed

• Epsom salts and essential oils may also help reduce tension and lower stress levels

Journaling may help with racing mind and recurrent thoughts

• Keep a notepad and pen beside the bed to record things on your mind

Alcoholic drinks before bed do NOT help

Sleep Keep your bedroom dark, cool (between 60° and 67° F), and gadget-free
time • Consider eye masks and blackout curtains
• Consider using a dimmer for bathroom and bedroom lights in the evening

Play white noise

If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep or up in the middle of the night, get up and do some relaxing activity
in a different room until you feel sleepy

Sleep Have a regular sleep schedule

hygiene • Begin prepping for bed 30 minutes before getting in bed
• Plan for 8.5 to 9 hours in bed

Screens off 1-2 hours before bed

• Set up nighttime and low brightness settings in smartphones and tablets

Consider replacing your pillows with hypoallergenic pillows

Use clean sheets and bedding

Do breathing exercises

Situational Skip anxiety-provoking activities or conversations close to bedtime

Consider sleep training infants or toddlers

Consider moving pets to bed next to yours instead of having them sleeping in the bed with you

If your partner snores or is restless throughout the night:

• Encourage him or her to do a sleep study
• Consider sleeping in separate rooms temporarily

Get counseling if mood disorders such as anxiety and depression are present

Record sleep habits and patterns in a sleep hygiene tracker

Sources:
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker 2017
IFM Toolkit—Suggestions for Better Sleep
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-solutions/sleep-tools-tips Accessed on August 28, 2020
https://www.thensf.org/sleep-tips/ Accessed on August 28, 2020

MET3099 090920 © 2020 Metagenics Institute. All Rights Reserved.

 SLEEP HYGIENE INSTRUCTIONS
Sleep only as much as you need to feel refreshed during the following day. Restricting your time in bed helps
to consolidate and deepen your sleep. Excessively long times in bed lead to fragmented and shallow sleep.
Get up at your regular time the next day, no matter how little you slept.

Get up at the same time each day, 7 days a week. A regular wake time in the morning leads to regular times of
sleep onset, and helps to set your biological clock.

Exercise regularly. Schedule exercise times so that they do not occur within 3 hours of when you intend to go
to bed. Exercise makes it easier to initiate sleep and deepen sleep.

Don’t take your problems to bed. Plan some time earlier in the evening for working on your problems or
planning the next day’s activities. Worrying may interfere with initiating sleep and produce shallow sleep.

Train yourself to use the bedroom only for sleep and sexual activity. This will help condition your brain to see
bed as the place for sleeping. Do not read, watch TV or eat in bed.

Do not try and fall asleep. This only makes the problem worse. Instead, turn on the light, leave the bedroom,
and do something different like reading a book. Don’t engage in stimulating activity. Return to bed only when
you feel sleepy.

Avoid long naps. Staying awake during the day helps to fall asleep at night. Naps totalling more than 30
minutes increase your chances of having trouble sleeping at night.

Make sure that your bedroom is comfortable and free from light and noise. A comfortable, noise-free sleep
environment will reduce the likelihood that you will wake up during the night. Noise that does not awaken you
may disturb the quality of your sleep. Carpeting, insulated curtains, and closing the door may help.

Make sure your bedroom is at a comfortable temperature during the night. Excessively warm or cold sleep
environments may disturb sleep.

Eat regular meals and do not go to bed hungry. Hunger may disturb sleep. A light snack at bedtime (especially
carbohydrates) may help sleep, but avoid greasy or heavy foods.

Avoid excessive liquids in the evening. Reducing liquid intake will minimize the need for night-time trips to the
bathroom.

Cut down on all caffeine products. Caffeinated beverages and food (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate) can cause
difficulty falling asleep, awakenings during the night, and shallow sleep. Even caffeine early in the day can
disrupt night-time sleep.

Avoid alcohol, especially in the evening. Although alcohol helps tense people fall asleep more easily, it causes
awakenings later in the night.

Smoking may disturb sleep. Nicotine is a stimulant. Try not to smoke during the night when you have trouble
sleeping.

Individual instructions -
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Adapted from “The Diagnosis of Primary Insomnia and Treatment Alternatives,”

by M. L. Perlis and S. Youngstead. Comprehensive Therapy 26(4): 298-306, 2000
 Weekly Sleep Hygiene Tracker
Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do.
Use this form (or as a template) to keep track of your sleep habits.

Date Sleep Quality (1-10) Bedtime Wake Time Time Asleep Other Notes

Example 6 (felt groggy and sluggish 11 PM 7 AM 7 hours 30 minutes Took me 15 minutes to fall asleep and woke at 2 AM to use the bathroom
for the first 30 minutes) and had a hard time falling back to sleep; had coffee late in the day and
something on my mind from work

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday
What events or situations were challenging last week, and how could I handle them in the future?

What positive steps did I take last week?

I expect the following challenges this coming week:

My plan to deal with these challenges this coming week is:

MET4002 090820 © 2020 Metagenics Institute. All Rights Reserved.