Mohamad-Ali Salloum is a Pharmacist and science writer. He loves simplifying science to the general public and healthcare students through words and illustrations. When he's not working, you can usually find him in the gym, reading a book, or learning a new skill.
How to Sleep early?
Mohamad Ali Salloum, PharmD • January 16, 2022
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Our daily functions depend on how well we slept, so how can we enhance our sleep?
A lot of studies were done about why humans sleep and why do we need it, however, no direct answer is given.
Sleeping is a complex process that is important to our brain where it allows us to continue doing our daily functions and go through the day.
Although we don't know the real reason behind why humans sleep, what we are sure of is that we really need it! There are studies that show going days without sleep will drive you crazy...LITERALLY. (1)
So let us go through several tips on how to sleep early. Applying these recommendations will lead to several changes in your life, and of course to the positive side.
1) Avoid Caffeine.
Having a drink that contains caffeine before bed will make it hard to fall asleep. It can stay in your system for up to 8 hours, so it is for the best to avoid it in the late afternoon and evening.
2) Avoid Alcohol.
Drinking alcohol may make you feel sleepy at first, but it can actually disrupt your sleep later at night. (6)
3) Create a bedtime routine and stick to it.
This might include taking a hot bath, reading a book, or writing in a journal. Do whatever makes you feel relaxed and sleepy.
4) Avoid Screens before bedtime.
Avoid watching television or working on the computer in bed. The bright screens can inhibit the release of Melatonin in your brain- a hormone that helps us to sleep- and will keep your mind active and make it harder to fall asleep . In addition, having screen time before bed is positively associated with poor sleep quality (2)
5) Make sure your bedroom is dark.
Alongside to avoiding the screen-time, it is also important to have a dark room to sleep in. Back in 2011, a study showed that chronically exposing oneself to electrical lighting in the late evening disrupts melatonin signaling and could therefore potentially impact sleep, thermoregulation, blood pressure, and glucose homeostasis. (3)
6) Exercising before bed time might be a good option.
However, DON'T do it less than one hour before you sleep (4). New study has shown that doing exercises more than one hour before bedtime will not affect your quality of sleep and It will rather enhance the quality of your Sleep. (5)
7) Have a goal.
Sleeping early is already a tough task, the real deal is to be consistent with it. With time, some people lose motivation to sleep early and give up to the temptation of sleeping late. The fix for this is to have a goal you want to work for and achieve it. Having a goal will motivate you to sleep early so you can wake up early and start your day productively. Your goals can be whatever you want, like learning music, video editing, meditation, morning sports…
Resources:
1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6048360/
2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7320888/
3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3047226/
4) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-018-1015-0
5) https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/does-exercising-at-night-affect-sleep
6) https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20130118/alcohol-sleep
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Mohamad-Ali Salloum, PharmD
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References: Qiang S, Wu J, Zheng D, et al. The effect of stress mindset on psychological pain: the chain mediating roles of cognitive reappraisal and self-identity. Front Psychol. 2025;16. 1 Bosshard M, Gomez P. Effectiveness of stress arousal reappraisal and stressisenhancing mindset interventions on task performance outcomes: a meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2024. 2 Zhao S, Chen P, Jin L, et al. Unlocking Emotional Well-Being: Evaluation of a Stress Mindset Intervention With a Metacognitive Approach. Emotion. 2025;25(5):1169–1184. 4 Meyer HH, Stutts LA. The Effect of Mindset Interventions on Stress and Academic Motivation in College Students. Innov High Educ. 2024;49:783–798. 7 Crum AJ, Santoro E, Handley-Miner I, et al. Evaluation of the “Rethink Stress” Mindset Intervention: A Metacognitive Approach to Changing Mindsets. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2023. 3 Laferton JAC, Fischer S, Ebert DD, et al. The Effects of Stress Beliefs on Daily Affective Stress Responses. Ann Behav Med. 2020;54(4):258–267. 5 UCSF Stress Measurement Network. Beliefs about Stress . 2026. 6
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