Sleep 101

Am I getting enough sleep?

People need different amounts of sleep, but most adults do best with about 7–8 hours each night. You want to wake up feeling rested, feel alert during the day, and have the energy you need to get through it.

How to improve your sleep

Your sleep is influenced by many factors. For example, sleep pressure (your need for sleep) builds the longer you stay awake. Your internal clock tells your body when it's time to sleep. These can create conditions that help you sleep. On the other hand, worries and frustration around sleep can make it difficult to fall asleep. A treatment called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBT‑i) influences these factors to help you get better sleep. CBT-i strategies include

Sleep hygiene

Sleep hygiene are everyday behaviours and practices that affect how well you sleep. Look over the tips below and choose one or two to work on.

• Healthy habits support better sleep: These include eating well, being physically active, getting daylight exposure during the day, and not smoking. Explore our Healthy Living topics for more information.
• Avoid stimulants, especially in the evening: Caffeine, nicotine, and some medicines can make it harder to sleep. Try stopping caffeine earlier in the day to see if your sleep improves.
• Make your bedroom sleep-friendly: Choose a firm, comfortable bed. Keep your bedroom dark and at a comfortable temperature. Use earplugs if noise is hard to control. If pets wake you during the night, keeping them out of the bedroom may help.
• Be mindful of your alcohol and cannabis use: Alcohol and cannabis change the balance between the different stages of sleep, making sleep less restful and restorative. If you use alcohol or cannabis, Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health, and Canada's Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines can help you make informed choices.

Stimulus control

When you have sleep problems, you may start to expect yet another night of tossing and turning. Stimulus Control strategies help re-train your brain to expect and connect your bed with sleep—and only sleep.

Stick to a regular sleep schedule

This is the #1 strategy: go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. Do this even if you didn’t sleep well the night before, and on days when you could sleep in. Get out of bed in the morning when you wake up: don’t linger.

Spend less time awake in bed

• Use your bed only for the 3 S': sleep, sex, and when you are sick.
• Go to bed only when you feel sleepy, not just tired.
• If you wake up during the night and can’t fall back asleep within 15-20 minutes, don’t stay in bed. Get out of bed and go to another room. Do something quiet and relaxing that doesn’t involve screens, like reading or gentle stretching. Go back to bed when you feel sleepy again and are pretty confident you will fall asleep.
• If you still can’t fall asleep after about 15 minutes, get out of bed again and repeat these steps.

Keep screens out of bed

Using your phone in bed—scrolling, checking messages or social media—makes it much harder to fall asleep or fall back to sleep. Using your phone in bed also conditions your brain to associate your bed with being awake, instead of with sleeping.

Keeping screens out of your bed may take discipline and putting in place new routines and habits, but tell yourself it is worth it.

Avoid naps

Short naps (15–30 minutes) can help in some situations. But the truth is, for most adults—especially people who have trouble sleeping—napping makes sleep problems worse instead of better. By avoiding naps, you build up your need for sleep, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Have a calming bedtime routine

Stimulating activities in the evening, such as video games, intense exercise, stressful studying, reading the news, or internet use can make it harder to wind down. Instead, spend 30–60 minutes before bedtime doing calm, screen‑free activities. This might include getting ready for bed, gentle breathing or other relaxation exercises, reading for pleasure, meditation, prayer or another calming spiritual practice, journaling, or writing down things you’re grateful for.

Self-monitor with a sleep diary

Tracking your sleep is part of your treatment, because what we pay attention to often improves. Note when you go to bed, when you wake up, how well you slept, etc. Share your monitoring tool with the health professionals you are working with so they can give you useful advice.

Manage worry

Worrying can make it difficult to fall asleep. If you are a worrier, take steps to manage your worry: consult Health Services’ Stress Management page, or use the mental health services you have access to as a Concordia student or staff.

What about sleeping pills?

There are different medicines that can help you fall asleep or stay asleep. These are usually meant to be used for a short time. Sleeping pills do not cure or address the root causes of sleep problems.

Do not use another person’s sleeping pills. Instead, speak to a healthcare provider to discuss whether medicine might be part of your complete care plan to improve your sleep.