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1. Consistency Is Everything
Your body runs on circadian rhythms—internal clocks that regulate everything from hormone production to sleep. When you go to bed and wake up at different times, you're constantly resetting these clocks, which confuses your thyroid and your sleep.
What to do: Pick a bedtime and wake time, and stick to them—even on weekends. Yes, even on weekends. Your body doesn't know it's Saturday. Within a week or two, you'll notice it gets easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally.
Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep. If you need to adjust your schedule, do it gradually—shift by 15 minutes every few days rather than jumping by an hour.
Harvard Health, VA, and CCI WA guidelines all emphasize consistency as the foundation of good sleep hygiene. This single change often makes the biggest difference.
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2. Make Your Bedroom a Sleep Sanctuary
Your bedroom should signal one thing to your brain: sleep. Right now, it probably signals work, entertainment, stress, and everything else. That needs to change.
Temperature: Your body temperature needs to drop for sleep. Keep your bedroom cool—around 60-67°F (15-20°C). If you're waking up hot, you're probably too warm. Experiment with different temperatures until you find what works.
Darkness: Even small amounts of light can disrupt sleep. Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask. Cover or remove LED lights from electronics. If you need a nightlight, use a red one (it's less disruptive than white or blue light).
Quiet: If noise is an issue, use earplugs or a white noise machine. Some people find pink noise (softer than white noise) more soothing.
The bed rule: Use your bed only for sleep and sex. No TV, no work, no scrolling on your phone. When your brain associates your bed with wakeful activities, it's harder to sleep there.
Harvard Health and the National Sleep Foundation emphasize that your sleep environment directly impacts sleep quality. This isn't optional—it's essential.
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3. Create a Real Wind-Down Routine
You can't go from 100 miles per hour to sleep in five minutes. Your nervous system needs time to shift from "go" mode to "rest" mode. A wind-down routine signals your body that sleep is coming.
Start 30-60 minutes before bed: Dim the lights. Turn off screens (yes, really). Do something calming: read a book (paper, not a screen), listen to calming music or a podcast, take a warm bath, do gentle stretching or yoga.
What not to do: Don't check email, scroll social media, watch intense TV shows, or have difficult conversations. These activate your nervous system, making sleep harder.
If you must use electronics: At minimum, use blue light filters and keep content calm. But honestly? Put your phone in another room. You'll sleep better.
Harvard Health and VA guidelines recommend this wind-down period as crucial for transitioning to sleep. It's not optional if you want quality rest.
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4. Time Your Meals and Substances
What you consume and when you consume it directly impacts sleep. This is especially important for thyroid patients, as digestion and metabolism are already challenged.
Caffeine: Caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours, meaning half of it is still in your system 5-6 hours after you consume it. If you drink coffee at 2 PM, you still have significant caffeine in your system at 8 PM. Cut off caffeine at least 6 hours before bed—earlier if you're sensitive.
Nicotine: Nicotine is a stimulant. If you smoke or vape, it's disrupting your sleep even if you don't realize it.
Alcohol: This one surprises people. Yes, alcohol makes you feel sleepy initially, but it disrupts sleep architecture. You might fall asleep faster, but you'll wake up more often and get less restorative sleep. Avoid alcohol within 3-6 hours of bedtime.
Meals: Large meals close to bedtime keep your digestive system working when it should be resting. Finish eating 2-3 hours before bed. If you're hungry before bed, a small snack is fine, but keep it light and simple.
CCI WA and AASM guidelines emphasize timing as crucial for sleep quality. What you consume matters, but when you consume it matters just as much.
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5. Move Your Body and Get Light
Regular exercise improves sleep, but timing matters. Vigorous exercise too close to bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep because it raises body temperature and activates your nervous system.
Exercise timing: Finish vigorous exercise at least 3 hours before bed. Gentle movement (like walking or stretching) is fine closer to bedtime, but intense workouts should happen earlier in the day.
Light exposure: Your circadian rhythm is set by light exposure. Get natural light during the day, especially in the morning. This reinforces your sleep-wake cycle. If you work indoors, try to get outside for at least 15-20 minutes in the morning.
Evening light: As bedtime approaches, dim the lights in your home. Avoid bright overhead lights. Use lamps instead. This signals your body that night is coming.
VA, CCI WA, and AASM guidelines emphasize that both exercise and light exposure are crucial for maintaining healthy circadian rhythms, which directly impact sleep quality.
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6. If You Can't Sleep, Get Up
Lying in bed awake, watching the clock, getting frustrated—this conditions your brain to associate your bed with wakefulness and anxiety. That's the opposite of what you want.
The 20-minute rule: If you've been trying to sleep for about 20 minutes and it's not happening, get out of bed. Go to another room. Do something boring or relaxing in dim light: read a book, listen to calm music, do some gentle stretching. Don't check your phone or watch TV.
When you feel sleepy again, return to bed. If you still can't sleep after another 20 minutes, repeat the process.
Why this works: You're breaking the association between your bed and wakefulness. You're also reducing sleep anxiety—the fear of not being able to sleep that makes sleep harder.
CCI WA and VA guidelines recommend this approach as part of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. It's one of the most effective strategies for improving sleep.
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7. Deal With Your Worries Before Bed
Your bed shouldn't be a worry zone. When you lie down and your mind starts racing with to-do lists, problems, and anxieties, sleep becomes impossible.
Worry time: Set aside 15-30 minutes earlier in the evening (at least 2 hours before bed) to write down everything that's on your mind. Write down worries, to-do items, things you need to remember. Get it all out on paper.
Then, tell yourself: "I've written this down. I don't need to think about it now. I can address it tomorrow." Put the list away, physically and mentally.
If worries come up in bed: Remind yourself that you've already written them down. They're handled. Right now, your job is to rest. You can return to them tomorrow.
This might sound simple, but it's powerful. When you externalize your worries, they lose their power to keep you awake.
VA and CCI WA guidelines recommend this "worry time" technique as part of effective sleep hygiene. It's particularly helpful for people whose minds race at bedtime.
