Is tiredness ruining your life? Sleep experts share four foolproof tips for a great night’s kip – and you can start using them TONIGHT

As we edge closer to the festive rush, every bit of mustered energy counts—and that means getting a good sleep, every night.  

While nodding off used to be as simple as just getting into bed, turning off the lamp and shutting our eyes, in 2025 we’ve seen an explosion in people desperately trying to ‘perfect’ their shuteye, tooling up with supplements, trackers, scented sprays, pricey weighted blankets, mouth tape and an arsenal of gadgets. 

This obsession, dubbed ‘sleepmaxxing’, has made the leap from social media into our real lives—but some people have found their new preoccupation with how long they spend in light, deep and REM sleep is actually stopping them from getting any meaningful rest at all.

Survey data published earlier this year revealed that a quarter of people who ‘sleepmax’ said it increased anxiety towards bedtime.

Instead, specialists say that making simple tweaks throughout the day can help you to get the NHS recommended eight hours of sleep, and ensure that you wake up feeling rested, reinvigorated, and ready to go.

‘It is more than just sleeping well to feel bright and sharp the next day, a sleep problem can affect quality of life,’ says Adrian Zacher, the CEO of the British Society of Pharmacy Sleep Services.

‘There is also a myth that you can catch up on your bad habits at the weekend and that will reduce the risk, but that is not the case, the key is consistency.’

It’s not only energy levels which are affected by poor sleep—it’s been linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.

And in March, researchers from Sweden found that sleeping for less than four-and-a- half hours just three nights in a row permanently damages your heart, raising the risk of cardiovascular disease.

With so much noise around bedtime, the Daily Mail spoke to two leading slumber scientists to get their foolproof tips for a great night’s kip.  

Watch the clock

Experts say that having a regular bed time is key to not waking up feeling groggy and unable to focus during the day.

‘One of the most effective ways to support a steady, reliable sleep pattern is keeping a consistent wake up time,’ says Maryanne Taylor, a sleep consultant at the Sleep works.

‘This anchors our body clock, and maintains a regular rhythm, also supporting our energy, mood, focus, and motivation. 

‘Fluctuating wake up and bed times affects hormone release—if you get up at varying hours your body will not know when to release cortisol which makes us feel more awake and if you go to bed at varying times that will affect when the body releases melatonin which helps us sleep.

‘It doesn’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to be a slave to routine. But keeping things roughly consistent most of the time helps the sleep patterns overall.’

The time that someone goes to bed is just as important, according to recent research.

A study published earlier this month in medical journal Frontiers found that those who regularly go to bed after midnight on weekdays have more than 60 per cent higher risk of heart attack. 

They concluded that the timing of sleep could directly affect heart health.

A warm shower

A quick pre bedtime shower could be the key to a good night’s sleep according to the experts.

This is because as the body prepares for sleep it naturally cools as it prepares to enter a state of rest. By having a warm shower it ‘kickstarts’ that process and speeds up the body’s cooling.

‘Having a warm shower or bath can help the body prepare for a good night’s sleep,’ says Mr Zacher.

‘You don’t want the water to be scolding just warm, as your body cools this will help signal to the body that it is time for rest.’

Make bed a no-scroll zone 

It is well known that doom-scrolling before bed hinders getting a good night’s sleep but experts say that does not need to mean that phones are banished from the bedroom.

A review of studies published earlier this year by Indian researchers confirmed that increased smartphone use was associated with poor sleep quality.

‘There are two issues with scrolling before bed – the blue light from the screen and the stimulation’ says Ms Taylor.

‘Scrolling keeps the brain in an alert, reactive state which blocks the signals the brain needs to recognise when it is time to sleep. Social media, emails, messages, news all trigger spikes of adrenaline, and sometimes dopamine, making it harder for the nervous system to power down.

‘This delays the natural rise of melatonin, and keeps the body in ‘day mode’ rather than moving to relaxation and ‘night mode’ .

‘Ideally, aim for around an hour without the phone before bed, but starting with 15 minutes and gradually increasing that time is probably more realistic.’

However she does say that light engagement like listening to a podcast or music may help someone switch off, and that may be a useful part of a sleep routine.

Wake up properly  

Experts say that the real trick to having a good night’s sleep though, starts with a good morning routine.

‘Good sleep starts from when we wake up in the morning, not at bedtime. Most people focus on the night-time routine, but what we do during the day has a significant impact on how we sleep at night,’ says Ms Taylor.

‘Our sleep drive start building from the moment we wake up in the morning, and our daily habits can support or disrupt this build up,

‘Morning light from a walk outside helps switch off melatonin and signals to our body clock that the day has begun.

‘While eating breakfast stabilises blood sugar level after the night, and anchors the system for the day ahead.’