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Sleep - Medical and Physical Health

About power naps and hours of sleep needs

Section titled “About power naps and hours of sleep needs”

Hours of Sleep Needs: Suggest 7-9 hours for adults and make up any accumulated sleep debt

10-3-2-1-0 Rule for Sleep Preparation

Section titled “10-3-2-1-0 Rule for Sleep Preparation”

Source: The Viral 10-3-2-1-0 Rule Can Help You Create Better Sleep Habits

  • 10 hours before bed: No more caffeine
  • 3 hours before bed: No more eating or alcohol
  • 2 hours before bed: No more work or studying
  • 1 hour before bed: No more screen time
  • 0: Next morning, do not use snooze

Example: sleep at 12 midnight

Section titled “Example: sleep at 12 midnight”
  • no caffeine after 14
  • no eating/drinking after 21
    • No alcohol
    • 3 hours allows digestion
  • no work after 22
    • Avoid exercising close to bed time
    • Ideas: reading books, light stretching, meditation, journaling, create to do list, passive screen time
  • no screen time after 23
    • Instead try meditation, reading physical books, journaling

Example Sleep Improvement Habit Tracker 2025-11

Section titled “Example Sleep Improvement Habit Tracker 2025-11”
DayScheduleBedroomSl. RoutineWake RoutineLifestyle
Monday[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Tuesday[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Wednesday[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Thursday[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Friday[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Saturday[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
Sunday[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

Habit Details

  • Sleep Schedule: Bed by 2300, wake by 700
  • Bedroom Setup: Cool (16–19°C), dark, quiet, clutter-free
  • Bedtime Routine: Wind-down 30 min, with journaling, meditation, or reading a physical book. If having trouble sleeping after 20 minutes, leave the bedroom and do something else relaxing and return to bed
  • Morning Routine: Sunlight within 30 min, hydrate, light movement
  • Lifestyle Support: No caffeine after 2 PM, no alcohol before bed, exercise earlier in day, reserve bed for only sleep and sex to develop a mental association

Managing Daytime Fatigue and Sleepiness

Section titled “Managing Daytime Fatigue and Sleepiness”
  • Take power naps (10-20 minutes) more than 8 hours before bed time
  • Use caffeine earlier in day. Avoid alcohol, smoking, and other drugs
  • Exercise, take (active) breaks, meditation and mindfulness practice as short as 10 minutes
  • Get light exposure in morning
  • Do something new, challenging, interesting
  • CBT: reframe and let things go
  • Eat a healthy snack like fruits, nets, low fat/sugar items

See Also

Section titled “See Also”

References

Section titled “References”