Sleep Hygiene Checklist Protocol

A comprehensive protocol for optimizing sleep quality through environmental, behavioral, and timing interventions, based on sleep medicine research. Environmental setup: (1) Temperature: Set bedroom to 65-68°F (18-20°C). Cool environments promote sleep onset. (2) Darkness: Blackout curtains or eye mask. Even dim light suppresses melatonin. (3) Noise: White noise machine or earplugs for inconsistent noise environments. (4) Reserve the bed for sleep and intimacy only — no work, no screens, no eating. Behavioral protocol: (5) Consistent wake time 7 days per week (more important than consistent bedtime). (6) No caffeine after 2 PM (caffeine's half-life is 5-6 hours). (7) No alcohol within 3 hours of bed (alcohol fragments sleep architecture). (8) No vigorous exercise within 3 hours of bed (but morning/afternoon exercise improves sleep). (9) 10-15 minutes of sunlight within 30 minutes of waking (calibrates circadian rhythm). Timing protocol: (10) If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do a calm activity until sleepy, then return. Lying awake in bed trains your brain to associate bed with wakefulness.

When to use it

If you sleep fewer than 7 hours per night. If you take more than 20 minutes to fall asleep regularly. If you wake during the night and can't return to sleep. If you feel unrefreshed in the morning despite adequate sleep time. As a diagnostic tool: work through the checklist and identify which factors you're currently violating.

How it can help

Sleep is the foundation on which every other health, cognitive, and emotional protocol depends. Improving sleep quality produces measurable improvements in decision-making, emotional regulation, immune function, and physical performance. This checklist addresses every major modifiable factor affecting sleep quality. The consistent wake time and 20-minute rule are the two highest-leverage items — implementing just these two changes improves sleep quality for most people within one week. Requires no medication, equipment, or expense beyond blackout curtains.