VIDEO: Sleep tips
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It may be helpful to keep a sleep diary to keep track of how well you're sleeping and identify factors that might be helping or hurting your sleep. If you're testing out a new sleep schedule or other lifestyle changes, your sleep diary can help document how well it's working. To learn more, see sleep tips tracker [PDF, 126 KB].
Regular daytime exercise improves sleep because it helps to regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
For most people short naps (short sleeps) generally don't affect your sleep at night but for some, napping at the wrong time of day or for too long can cause problems. Eg, if you have insomnia or poor sleep at night, napping during the day might make this worse. Long or frequent daytime naps might interfere with your sleep at night.
Here are a few tips to get the most out of a nap without affecting your sleep:
After napping, give yourself time to wake up before starting any activities.
What you eat and drink affects your sleep — consuming certain foods and drinks close to bedtime can lead to poor sleep.
Read more about how food and drink affects sleep.
Blue light has a short wavelength that affects levels of melatonin (a hormone that regulates the sleep–wake cycle) more than any other wavelength does. This disrupts your body clock, causing poor sleep. Blue light sources include smartphones, tablets, computer screens, LED TVs and fluorescent light.
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(Royal Society, NZ, 2018)
Taking the time to relax and unwind before bed has been shown to improve sleep quality. It helps you destress and sends signals to your body and mind that daytime activities are over and it's time to prepare for sleep.
Your environment can affect your ability to fall and stay asleep.
Try to resolve your worries or concerns before bedtime. If you often lie awake worrying, set aside time before bed to make a to-do list for the next day – this can be a good way to put your mind at rest.
If you have ongoing sleep problems, using techniques like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you understand and change the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that cause sleep problems or make them worse.
Sometimes ongoing sleep problems themselves can make you feel anxious around bedtime and cause worry about falling asleep. CBT can help to change inaccurate or unhelpful thoughts about sleep.
Controlled breathing can help you feel more relaxed, and might give you a greater sense of control over your stress or anxiety. Read more about controlled breathing.(external link) (This resource is in English but other languages are available below in 'More information'.)
There are a variety of mobile apps available for use on your smartphone or tablet that can be helpful if you have sleep problems.
If you have ongoing trouble sleeping, contact your healthcare provider if:
If you have any trouble getting to sleep, or staying asleep, take our Twenty Winks Sleep Questionnaire to get personalised information about how to improve your sleep quality.
There are 20 questions about your sleep habits, lifestyle and health.
After you've completed the questionnaire you'll get a set of recommendations and links to information based on your answers.
How much sleep do I need?
Common sleep problems
Sleep apps
How shift work affects your sleep
The importance of sleep
How does food and drink affect your sleep?
Insomnia | Rarunga moe
How does sleep affect mental wellbeing?
Te Kete Haerenga – sleep
Te Kete Haerenga – sleep tips tracker [PDF, 137 KB]
Twenty Winks Sleep Questionnaire
Apps to help with sleeping Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ
Te Kete Haerenga – sleep Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ
Te Kete Haerenga – sleep tips tracker [PDF, 137 KB] Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ
Te Hikuwai resources for wellbeing – sleep/moe(external link) Te Pou, NZ, 2022
Children – sleep for kids (external link) National Sleep Foundation (NSF), US
Tips for getting a good night's sleep(external link) Here to Help Canada
Good sleep habits(external link) Sleep Health Foundation, Austraila
Sleeping problems – an NHS self help guide(external link) NHS, UK
Note: These resources are from overseas so some details may be different in New Zealand, eg, phone 111 for emergencies or, if it’s not an emergency, freephone Healthline 0800 611 116:
What you can do to sleep better – bilingual information(external link) Health Information Translations, US, 2020
English(external link), Arabic(external link), Chinese (simplified)(external link), Chinese (traditional)(external link), French(external link), Hindi(external link), Japanese(external link), Korean(external link), Nepali(external link), Russian(external link), Somali(external link), Spanish(external link), Vietnamese(external link)
(external link)Controlled breathing(external link) This Way Up, New South Wales Multicultural Health Communication Service, Australia English(external link), Arabic(external link), Chinese (simplified)(external link), Chinese (traditional)(external link), Filipino(external link), Greek(external link), Hindi(external link), Italian(external link), Korean(external link), Spanish(external link), Vietnamese(external link)
(external link)Progressive muscle relaxation(external link) This Way Up, New South Wales Multicultural Health Communication Service, Australia English(external link), Arabic(external link), Chinese (simplified)(external link), Chinese (traditional)(external link), Filipino(external link), Greek(external link), Hindi(external link), Italian(external link), Korean(external link), Spanish(external link), Vietnamese(external link)
Healthify He Puna Waiora, 2022
Auckland DHB, NZ
Healthify He Puna Waiora and Mediboard, 2023
Credits: Healthify Editorial Team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.
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