Getting sun exposure within one hour of waking up can have a powerful effect on your sleep later that night. (Photo: iStock)

6 daytime habits that can help you sleep better at night

One advice is to reassess your relationship with caffeine.

02 Apr 2026, 23:09 · CNA · Join

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Much of the advice about improving sleep focuses on what to do before bedtime. But many of the choices we make during the day are just as important, said Dr Joseph Dzierzewski, senior vice president of research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. Try these daytime steps for a good night’s rest.

SOAK IN THE MORNING SUN

Getting sun exposure within one hour of waking up can have a powerful effect on your sleep later that night, said Dr Indira Gurubhagavatula, a professor of sleep medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. The light suppresses hormones that make you sleepy and shifts your body into wake mode, setting you up to be tired again by bedtime, she said.

KEEP MEALTIMES CONSISTENT AND LATER MEALS LIGHTER

Some research suggests that people who eat breakfast, lunch and dinner around the same times each day tend to sleep better than those who don’t. It may also be beneficial to eat heavier meals earlier in the day, since a big dinner close to bedtime can cause digestive issues like acid reflux, which may disrupt sleep.

REASSESS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CAFFEINE

Most of us have heard the rule: No caffeine after 2pm unless you want to have trouble falling asleep. But in certain cases, the clock might start even earlier. Some people metabolise, or break down, caffeine more slowly than others, which causes them to feel alert for longer, said Dr Charlene Gamaldo, a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

TAKE SLEEP-AFFECTING MEDICATIONS EARLIER

Some drugs have stimulating effects that may make it harder to fall or stay asleep, especially if taken too close to bedtime, said Dr Gurubhagavatula. If you’re having sleep issues, ask your doctor if you should take your medication earlier in the day.

WAKE UP AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY

One of the best things you can do for your sleep is resist the urge to fiddle with your alarm, even on weekends, Dr Dzierzewski said.

EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR WORKOUT SCHEDULE

If you’re able to work out in the evenings without any issues, don’t change a thing, Dr Gamaldo said. But if it causes you to feel “jazzed and pumped up” in a way that makes it challenging to fall or stay asleep, she said, try shifting to a morning exercise routine and see if it helps.

The article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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