Medically Reviewed by Dr. Laura Sharbash, DDS, FAGD, D.ABDSM
Good sleep hygiene means the daily habits and bedroom environment that shape how well you sleep each night, and for most adults, small consistent changes make a bigger difference than any product or gadget. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that adults need seven or more hours of quality sleep a night, yet many people still wake up tired no matter how long they spend in bed. Often the issue is not the number of hours but the quality of those hours, and that is where sleep hygiene comes in.
At Newport Beach Dental Center, we look at sleep from a slightly different angle than most people expect from a dental office. Dr. Laura Sharbash, DDS, FAGD, D.ABDSM, holds a Diplomate credential from the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, and part of her practice focuses on sleep apnea treatment for patients whose sleep problems turn out to be a medical condition rather than a habit issue. The steps below can help most people sleep more soundly, and they can also help you recognize when a sleep problem may need more than a habit change.
Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, including weekends, helps keep your body’s internal clock steady. Large swings between weekday and weekend sleep times, sometimes called social jet lag, can leave you feeling groggy even after a full night in bed. Long naps during the day can work against this consistency too, especially naps taken in the afternoon, since they reduce how tired you feel at your normal bedtime. If you need a nap, keeping it short and earlier in the day tends to interfere with nighttime sleep less.
Build a Sleep-Friendly Bedroom Environment
Your bedroom plays a bigger role in sleep quality than most people realize. A quiet, dark, and cool room supports the natural drop in body temperature that helps trigger sleep. Turning off the television and setting aside phones, tablets, and laptops in the hour before bed matters as well, since the bright light from those screens can delay the release of melatonin, the hormone that signals your body it is time to sleep. If outside noise or light is unavoidable, earplugs, blackout curtains, or a white noise machine can help recreate a calmer environment.
Wind Down With a Bedtime Routine
A relaxing pre-bedtime routine gives your body a clear signal that sleep is coming. A warm bath, light reading, or a few minutes of stretching can all work well, as long as the routine is calming rather than stimulating. Try to keep the routine consistent from night to night. Over time, your body starts to associate those specific activities with the transition into sleep, which can make falling asleep feel more automatic.
Pay Attention to Food, Caffeine, and Alcohol Timing
What and when you eat and drink during the day affects sleep more than most people expect. Caffeine late in the afternoon or evening can stay in your system for hours and delay sleep onset, and large or heavy meals close to bedtime can cause discomfort that keeps you awake. Alcohol is a common source of confusion here, since it can make you feel drowsy at first but tends to fragment sleep later in the night, leading to more awakenings. Regular exercise during the day supports better sleep as well, though vigorous workouts too close to bedtime can have the opposite effect for some people.
Following the habits above consistently gives most people a noticeably better night’s sleep. A few habits worth building into your routine include the following:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time daily, weekends included
- Keep the bedroom quiet, dark, and cool
- Turn off screens at least 30 minutes before bed
- Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening
- Limit alcohol and large meals close to bedtime
Most people notice an improvement within a couple of weeks of building these habits consistently, though it can take longer if your sleep problems have been ongoing for a while.
Why Sleep Quality Affects More Than Just Energy Levels
Consistent, quality sleep supports far more than feeling alert the next day. The CDC notes that adults who regularly get enough good quality sleep tend to get sick less often, maintain a healthier weight, and manage stress and mood more easily. Sleep also plays a direct role in heart health, and the CDC links chronic insufficient sleep to a higher long-term risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Attention, memory, and reaction time also depend heavily on sleep quality, which is part of why drowsy driving remains a meaningful public safety concern.
These are strong reasons to take sleep hygiene seriously even if you do not feel severely sleep-deprived day to day. Small, cumulative sleep debt can affect your health and daily functioning well before it feels like a serious problem.
When Poor Sleep Hygiene Might Be Something More
Good sleep hygiene resolves a lot of sleep complaints, but it does not address every sleep problem. If you are consistently following these habits and still waking up exhausted, snoring loudly, or gasping for air during the night, the underlying issue may be a sleep disorder rather than a habit problem. Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the more common culprits, and it typically will not improve with a better bedtime routine alone because the airway itself is physically obstructed during sleep. A dentist can often spot early warning signs of sleep apnea during a routine exam, which is one reason dentists are frequently the first to notice it.
If a sleep physician confirms a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, treatment options range from lifestyle changes to CPAP therapy to oral appliance therapy, a smaller, quieter alternative that many patients find easier to tolerate night after night.
Improve Your Sleep With Newport Beach Dental Center
Healthy sleep habits can meaningfully improve your quality of life, and building the routines above is a strong first step for most people. If you have tried consistent sleep hygiene changes and are still waking up tired, snoring, or feeling like your sleep just is not restful, it may be worth having your airway evaluated rather than adjusting your routine further. Dr. Sharbash and our team can help determine whether a sleep-related breathing issue may be part of the picture, and if a sleep physician confirms obstructive sleep apnea, we can also walk you through oral appliance therapy as a comfortable, CPAP-free option for many patients.
Reach out through our online contact form to schedule a visit and talk through your sleep concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep Hygiene
How many hours of sleep do adults need each night?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most adults between 18 and 60 need seven or more hours of quality sleep each night. Adults over 60 generally need slightly less, closer to seven to nine hours depending on age. Quality matters as much as quantity, so uninterrupted sleep tends to feel more restful than a longer night with frequent waking.
Does napping ruin nighttime sleep?
A short nap earlier in the day usually does not interfere much with nighttime sleep. Long naps, or naps taken in the late afternoon, can reduce how sleepy you feel at your normal bedtime, which makes it harder to fall asleep on schedule. If you regularly nap and struggle at night, cutting naps to twenty or thirty minutes and taking them earlier in the day is a reasonable place to start.
Why does my bedroom need to be cool for good sleep?
Your body temperature naturally drops as part of falling asleep, and a cooler bedroom supports that process rather than working against it. A room that is too warm can make it harder to fall asleep and more likely that you wake up during the night. Most people sleep best with the thermostat somewhere in the mid to upper sixties.
When should poor sleep be checked out by a doctor or dentist?
If you have consistently practiced good sleep hygiene for a few weeks and still wake up exhausted, snore loudly, or gasp for air during the night, it is worth having your sleep evaluated rather than continuing to adjust your routine. These can be signs of obstructive sleep apnea, which requires a diagnosis and treatment rather than habit changes alone.
Can alcohol before bed help you sleep better?
Alcohol can make you feel drowsy at first, but it tends to fragment sleep later in the night and leads to more awakenings as it is metabolized. It can also relax the muscles in the throat, which may worsen snoring or breathing interruptions in people prone to sleep-disordered breathing. Limiting alcohol close to bedtime generally supports more restful, uninterrupted sleep.
