Better sleep
Where to start when sleep has gone wrong: what helps, ranked by the evidence, and why.
- How to sleep better, ranked by the evidence
- How to fall asleep and stay asleep
- Fall asleep fine but can't stay asleep? Why the two problems differ
Community
Free articles, guides and tools on sleep. Every claim sourced, every page reviewed.
The library, in the order of the night
Eight of thirteen hubs open; the rest arrive with their first articles.
The evening
The hours before bed: routines, the ritual, and why the wake-up time decides your bedtime.
- How to build an evening routine that sticks
- How to wind down before bed
- Why a bedtime ritual works better than a routine
Falling asleep
Getting off to sleep: what the trials support, and how a busy mind switches off.
- How to fall asleep faster, according to the evidence
- Breathing timer for 4-7-8, box and slow breathing
- How to switch your brain off at night
Staying asleep
Waking in the night: why 3am, how to get back to sleep, and what sleeping through really means.
- Why do I wake up at 3am?
- How to sleep through the night
- How to get back to sleep after waking in the night
The next day
Mornings and daylight: why you wake groggy, and how the first hour shapes the night ahead.
All The next day articles
Food, drink & sleep
What you eat and drink, and when: caffeine, alcohol and the timings that reach the night.
All Food, drink & sleep articles
Life & sleep
Sleep when life gets in the way: the clock changes, the seasons, travel and shifts.
- How to adjust your sleep when the clocks go back
- When do the clocks go back? The clocks-change planner
Health & sleep
Sleep and your health: what to track, when to see a GP, and what the NHS can offer.
All Health & sleep articlesFree tools
No sign-up. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Calculator
Sleep calculator
Works back from your alarm to lights-off and the start of the wind-down.
Open: Sleep calculatorPlanner
Wind-down planner
Turns your lights-off time into the hour before it, with the one alarm that matters.
Open: Wind-down plannerTimer
Breathing timer
A pacer for 4-7-8, box and slow breathing, with nothing to count.
Open: Breathing timer for 4-7-8, box and slow breathingNotebook
Evening brain dump
Tomorrow's list and tonight's worries, written down so your head can let go of them.
Open: Evening brain dump: a to-do list before bed that lets you sleepPlanner
Clocks-change planner
The week around the clocks change, day by day, from your usual lights-off and alarm.
Open: When do the clocks go back? The clocks-change plannerDiary
Sleep diary
Two weeks, the columns a clinic asks for, kept in your own browser.
Open: Sleep diary template: two weeks, in your browserLatest
Better sleep
How to fall asleep and stay asleep
To fall asleep and stay asleep, two things must line up: real sleepiness at bedtime, and a body clock kept to the same hours. Fix the wake time first, let the evening wind down, and keep alcohol, heat and the phone out of the second half of the night.
Better sleep
How to sleep better, ranked by the evidence
The habits that help most are the dull ones: a fixed wake time, bed only when you're sleepy, and daylight and movement in the day. They work because they set your body clock and build real sleep pressure. Most of the other tips help a little, or not at all.
