7 Things You Should Stop Doing Before Bed
Better Sleep
The habits most worth dropping before bed are late caffeine, a nightcap, a big late meal, scrolling in bed, working or worrying in bed, hard exercise right before lights out, and watching the clock when you cannot sleep. You do not need to give up everything you enjoy. Often a small change in timing, such as having your last coffee earlier or moving your phone out of reach, is enough to make evenings feel calmer.
Below, you will find each of the seven habits explained, why it can get in the way of sleep, and a simple swap to try instead. There are also a few honourable mentions, a checklist to copy and some guidance on when it is worth speaking to your GP. Pick one or two to start with. You do not have to change everything tonight.
Key takeaway
You do not need to stop everything at once. Choose the one or two habits on this list that sound most like your evenings, swap them for something calmer, and give the change a couple of weeks before you judge it. If sleep problems carry on, speak to your GP or pharmacist.
Why your evening habits matter
Sleep does not begin the moment the light goes off. Your body and mind need time to slow down, and the hours before bed set the tone. NHS advice is to keep regular sleep hours, wind down before bed and cut back on things that keep you alert, such as caffeine.
The good news is that most of the habits below are easy to adjust. Think of it as swapping, not sacrificing: for each thing you stop, there is usually something more soothing to put in its place.
The 7 things at a glance
Here is the whole list in one place, with a simple swap for each.
| Stop doing this | Why it can get in the way | Try this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Late caffeine | Can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep, even hours later | Move your last tea or coffee earlier; switch to herbal tea or decaf |
| A nightcap | May help you drop off, but tends to disturb sleep later in the night | Finish any drink well before bed; try a warm herbal tea |
| Big or late meals | Feeling too full, or needing the loo, can keep you awake | Eat your main meal about three hours before bed |
| Scrolling in bed | Keeps your mind busy and time slips away | Charge your phone across the room; read or listen to quiet music |
| Working or worrying in bed | Teaches your brain that bed means alert and busy | Write a list earlier in the evening and leave it on paper |
| Hard exercise right before bed | Can leave some people feeling wired | Move earlier in the day; keep the evening gentle |
| Watching the clock | Adds pressure and makes lying awake feel worse | Turn the clock away; get up and relax if you cannot drift off |
1. Having caffeine too late in the day
Caffeine is found in tea, coffee, cola, energy drinks and chocolate. NHS-based advice is to cut down on it, especially in the evening, because it interferes with falling asleep and can prevent deep sleep.
It can also hang around for longer than you might expect. In a small study of 12 healthy sleepers, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, a dose of caffeine equal to about two to three cups of coffee taken six hours before bedtime reduced sleep time by more than an hour. Interestingly, the volunteers did not notice the difference themselves.
Try instead: bring your last caffeinated drink forward. Many people do well with an early-afternoon cut-off, but everyone is different, so experiment for a week or two. Herbal tea, decaf or a warm milky drink make easy evening swaps.
2. Relying on a nightcap
A glass of wine can feel relaxing, and alcohol may help you drop off faster. The catch is what happens next. NHS advice is that alcohol may help you fall asleep initially but disrupts your sleep later in the night. Research reviews have also linked alcohol before bed with less REM sleep, the stage of sleep linked with dreaming.
Drinkaware notes that it takes about an hour on average to process one unit, although this varies a lot from person to person. Giving your body time to catch up before you go to bed is a sensible idea.
Try instead: if you enjoy a drink, have it with your evening meal rather than as a last drink in bed, and try a few alcohol-free evenings to see how you feel. A warm herbal tea makes a lovely ritual in its place.
3. Eating a big meal or drinking lots late on
Going to bed uncomfortably full is no recipe for sleep, and neither is going to bed hungry. Many NHS-trust leaflets suggest eating your main evening meal about three hours before bed. Large amounts of fluid late at night can also mean more trips to the loo.
Try instead: have dinner earlier where you can, and keep any later snack small and light. Sip drinks through the evening rather than drinking a lot just before bed.
4. Scrolling in bed
You may have heard that the blue light from phones is the problem. The evidence is more mixed than you might think. A large review of 73 studies found that people who used a bright, blue-light screen before bed took only about 2.7 minutes longer to fall asleep on average.
That does not mean scrolling is harmless. Emails, news and social media can keep your mind busy, and it is easy to lose half an hour without noticing. NHS advice is still to keep screens out of the last hour before bed, and to keep your bed for sleeping, not for watching TV or working.
Try instead: put your phone on charge across the room (or outside the bedroom) and keep a book, magazine or quiet radio by the bed. If you like to wind down with something on screen, choose something gentle and finish it before the last half hour.
5. Working, planning or worrying in bed
If your brain starts running through tomorrow's jobs the moment your head touches the pillow, it learns to link bed with being alert. Sleep advice is to avoid doing these things when you are in bed trying to sleep, and to avoid anything mentally demanding in the 90 minutes before bedtime.
Try instead: take about ten minutes earlier in the evening to write tomorrow's to-do list and jot down anything on your mind. Once it is on paper, it is easier to let go until morning. You will find more on this in our evening routine guide.
6. Doing hard exercise right before bed
Being active during the day generally helps people sleep better. NHS advice is to avoid vigorous activity near bedtime if it affects your sleep, because it can leave you feeling alert. How much this matters varies from person to person, so notice how your own body responds.
Try instead: do your more energetic exercise earlier in the day or in the early evening. Later on, a gentle walk, some slow stretching or a few minutes of deep breathing are easy ways to wind down.
7. Watching the clock
When you cannot sleep, it is tempting to check the time and work out how many hours you have left. That tends to add pressure. Research from Indiana University linked clock-watching with worse insomnia symptoms, and the researchers suggested turning the clock around or covering it up.
If you have been lying awake for around 20 minutes, NHS-style advice is to get up, sit somewhere comfortable with the lights low, do something calm until you feel sleepy, then go back to bed. This helps your brain link bed with sleep rather than with lying awake.
Try instead: turn your clock and phone face down, and have a calming activity ready, such as a few pages of a book or a herbal tea in a dimly lit room.
A few honourable mentions
These did not make the main seven, but they are worth a thought:
- Long or late naps. If you need a nap, keep it short and early in the day.
- Nicotine. It is a stimulant, so it is best avoided close to bedtime.
- Bright overhead lights. Switch to lamps in the last hour or so of the evening.
- Weekend lie-ins. A very different wake-up time can make Sunday night harder.
Tonight's stop-doing checklist
- Last tea or coffee finished early
- No nightcap, or any drink finished well before bed
- Dinner eaten about three hours before bed
- Phone charging across the room
- To-do list written down before bed
- Hard exercise finished earlier in the day
- Clock turned away and a calm backup plan ready
If your sleep has felt different in your forties and fifties
Midlife can bring changes to sleep for many women, and feeling warm at night can make settling harder. Caffeine, alcohol and spicy food are among the things some women find can bring on hot flushes, so cutting back in the evening may be worth a try. Our guides to evening habits for a more comfortable night during menopause and the 7-day nighttime comfort routine go into this in more detail.
For more everyday ideas, see our guides to healthy sleep habits to start tonight and how to sleep better naturally.
A note on your health
This article is general lifestyle information. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for speaking to your GP, pharmacist or another healthcare professional. Changing your evening habits is not a treatment for any sleep condition, and everyone's experience is different.
When is it worth speaking to your GP?
Everyone has a rough night now and then, but it is a good idea to get advice if:
- You have had trouble sleeping for months
- Poor sleep is affecting your daily life or making it hard to cope
- Changing your evening habits has not helped
- You feel very sleepy during the day
- You snore loudly, or someone has noticed that your breathing stops and starts, or that you make gasping or choking noises in your sleep
- You feel low, anxious or overwhelmed
Your GP can look for other causes of poor sleep and talk through the options available, which may include cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
Frequently asked questions
What should I avoid doing before bed?
The most common culprits are late caffeine, alcohol, big late meals, scrolling or working in bed, hard exercise right before bed and clock-watching. You do not need to avoid all of them. Start with the one or two that sound most like your evenings.
What time should I stop drinking coffee?
There is no single answer, but many people sleep better if they stop caffeine by early afternoon. A small study found caffeine taken even six hours before bed reduced sleep time, so try moving your last cup earlier and see how you feel.
Does a glass of wine help you sleep?
It may help you fall asleep faster, but alcohol tends to disrupt sleep later in the night, so many people find they sleep less well after a drink. Try having any drink earlier in the evening, and give yourself a few alcohol-free nights to compare.
Is it bad to use my phone before bed?
It is not harmful in itself, and the effect of blue light alone appears small. But emails, news and social media can keep your mind busy. Try putting your phone away for the last hour and choosing a book or quiet music instead.
Is it bad to eat before bed?
A big meal close to bedtime can leave you uncomfortable, and going to bed hungry can also make it harder to settle. Eating your main meal about three hours before bed, and keeping any later snack light, works for many people.
What if I cannot fall asleep?
If you have been awake for around 20 minutes, get up, keep the lights low and do something calm until you feel sleepy, then go back to bed. Turn your clock away so you are not tempted to check the time.
Final thoughts
You do not need a perfect evening to sleep well. Often it comes down to a few small swaps: an earlier last cuppa, a drink with dinner instead of in bed, a phone that stays out of reach and a to-do list that lives on paper instead of in your head.
Pick one or two to try tonight, give them a couple of weeks, and speak to your GP if you need extra support.