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Lift Up Your Everyday - Sleep

Occupational therapy advice for improving your sleep

Sleep is an essential part of physical and mental wellbeing. Sleeping well benefits your mood, concentration and weight. It can help reduce stress and your chances of getting ill.

Sleep problems can be caused by an overstimulated body and mind. Stress, lifestyle changes, work pressures, health conditions and environmental issues can all make sleeping difficult.

It's normal for sleep quality to fluctuate, so don't panic if you have a few days, or even weeks, of poor sleep. However, if you've been having sleep problems for three months or more, it might be time to seek help, especially if it's affecting your daily life.

Changing just one thing is unlikely to improve your sleep on its own, and small details (such as one or two degrees temperature difference) may actually affect your sleep negatively if you're allowing yourself to stress about it. We're here to support you.

Occupational therapists can help you work through challenges you're facing to help maintain your wellbeing. Speak to your GP for a referral to an occupational therapist or sleep clinic if you need help.

Remember, sleep is when your body and mind heal, rejuvenate and recharge.

Expert advice to help improve your sleep

The bigger picture

1. Think about what you do each day and how you feel

What you do and how you feel throughout the day impacts your sleep. Have you been outside? Getting out in the daylight helps regulate your circadian rhythm and helps your brain make melatonin, which helps you sleep better at night.

Have you been active? If you haven't moved enough, or if you feel overloaded by sounds, lights or touch during the day, your body will be in a state of stress, making it much harder to get to sleep.

2. Think about what else is going on in your life

It may be helpful to look at the bigger picture of what brings stress or anxiety into your day and start from there. Feeling stressed throughout the day due to other aspects of your life can trigger your body's 'fight or flight mode'. This is when your body is feeling overwhelmed, so releases adrenaline to manage the stress. It can have a negative impact on long-term wellbeing and sleep and might mean you need more than a 'simple' fix. An occupational therapist could help identify where to start.

3. Review recent changes and disruptions

If you're having difficulty sleeping when you used to sleep well, think about recent changes in your routine, stressful events, or new medical or environmental changes. Then ask yourself if you can do anything about it. For instance, if you're taking new medication with sleep disturbance as a side effect, speak to your GP to see if there's an alternative.

4. Do what works best for you

Occupational therapists take a person-centred approach because it's important that the strategy matches the person, especially if you're neurodivergent - a group that is at high risk of sleep disorders and that occupational therapists often work with. You might find watching a true crime programme, going to bed under specific bedding and then listening to horror podcasts works for you. Others might need a light on or fan blowing on them. Try different things until you find what works for you.

Getting ready for bed

5. Have a consistent routine

The key is to go to bed when you're tired and get up around the same time each morning. Your body clock can then fall into its own rhythm.

Think about what you eat and drink in the evening and avoid caffeine and heavy meals close to bedtime. Alcohol and drugs may help you feel more tired in the short term, but they affect the quality of your sleep.

6. Understand your circadian rhythm

Your circadian rhythm operates over a 24-hour cycle and guides when you feel awake and when you feel sleepy. It's normal to have dips in your levels of alertness throughout the day, and that's related to the circadian rhythm. Learn to recognise what tiredness feels like for you, and (if you can) rest or get some fresh air when you become aware of it during the day. It might help you to get to sleep quicker at night too.

7. Create a wind-down routine

A wind-down routine can help slow your body and mind down. Parents often do this for children, but it works for adults too. This could include having a warm bath, brushing your teeth, getting into your pyjamas or listening to music. It'll help get your mind and body ready for bed. Consider having a morning routine too, which will help your body regulate its circadian rhythm. 

8. Limit the use of devices before bed

If you use your devices in the evening, think about switching them off half an hour before you go to bed and do something different like reading or listening to an audio book. Research has shown that reading a book helps create more calming hormones than reading on a screen. If it's not possible to put down the device, try changing the settings on your device to 'dark mode'.

Having the right environment

9. Experiment with your environment

With all five senses in mind, try different arrangements so that your environment suits your needs. This may mean using a different pillow, a thinner or thicker duvet, opening the window, using a scented pillow spray, or investing in black-out blinds. It needs to feel right for you. If you wake up with lower back pain, you could try sleeping with pillows under your knees to help take the pressure off.

Getting to sleep and staying asleep

10. Focus on your breathing

Concentrate on slowing your breathing down. This will help activate the network of nerves that relax your body after periods of stress and danger (known as your parasympathetic nervous system). Taking slow, deep breaths focuses the mind on the here and now. You could try different breathing techniques, such as box breathing or listening to guided sleep meditation, sleep stories or different sounds, such as white noise. 

11. Distract yourself 

If your brain is active, try a distraction technique like going through the alphabet and naming girls' names beginning with A, B, C and so on. Or use the 'the' technique: say 'the' to yourself repeatedly for a few minutes until you drift off. Better still, list all the things you're thankful for. Concentrating on something in this way can help quieten other thoughts and help you become calm enough to sleep.

12. Write down your worries

Have a notebook and pen by your bed and jot down any thoughts that pop into your head before you go to sleep or during the night. Try to finish with something you're grateful for. The list will be there in the morning, so you don't have to worry about it while you're trying to get to sleep.

13. Don't force it

If you struggle to get to sleep, it's OK to get up - instead of lying there worrying about not sleeping. Have a hot drink, read, do something you find boring, or watch some TV (we always hear 'no screens', but if a rerun of Friends helps you to relax, it's fine). Sometimes, 20 minutes out of bed doing something else, and not worrying about sleeping, is the best way to reset and get good quality rest. 

Watch these videos for expert advice from occupational therapists

Lydia shares her advice if you're struggling to get to sleep at night

Lisa shares her advice on how to get a good night's sleep

Kirstie shares advice on how to get creative and explore ways to relax before bed

Find out more about how occupational therapy can improve your life in many ways.  

Who are occupational therapists?

Occupational therapists help people of all ages overcome challenges and completing everyday tasks or activities – what we call ‘occupations’.

Occupational therapy is a science-based, health and social care profession that’s regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. Occupational therapy helps you live your best life at home, at work, and everywhere else. It’s about being able to do the things you want and have to do. That could mean helping you overcome challenges learning at school, going to work, playing a sport, or simply doing the dishes. Everything is focused on your wellbeing and your ability to participate in activities.

Find out more about occupational therapy.

What are occupations?

An occupation is any activity that we need, want or like to do to live and to look after our physical and mental health, and our emotional and spiritual wellbeing. We do occupations from the moment we're born, on our own or with others.

An occupation isn't just your job or activities of daily living. An occupation can be self-care, such as washing, eating or sleeping; productive, such as work, study, caring or domestic activities; and leisure, such as playing sports, hobbies or socialising.

We're all different and so are the occupations that matter to us. They vary depending on our environment, interests and values, talents and skills. Our occupations also change throughout our lives. 

Find out more about what occupations are.

Who are the RCOT?

We are the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. We’ve championed the profession of occupational therapy and the people behind it for over 90 years. More than 36,000 occupational therapists are members of our organisation. We’re here to help achieve life-changing breakthroughs for our members, for the people they support and for society as a whole through occupational therapy.

Why is the RCOT leading this campaign?

We have a vision, that people everywhere value the life-changing power of occupational therapy. One of the ways we can achieve this is by sharing occupational therapists’ advice more widely with the nation.

Do I still need to seek medical and health advice?

The advice given in the campaign doesn't replace the one-to-one medical and health advice you may receive direct from an occupational therapist, your GP or another healthcare professional.

Find out more about the support occupational therapists give to help people overcome challenges completing everyday tasks or activities.

Interested in career opportunities in occupational therapy? Visit our choose OT careers page.

Want to help raise the profile of occupational therapy? Sign up to get involved.

Visit the Lift Up Your Everyday campaign for more expert advice from occupational therapists. 

Find out more