Your Sleep Starting Point
Before making changes, it helps to understand what good sleep actually looks like and where your current habits might be falling short.
Signs of Healthy Sleep
According to the National Sleep Foundation, good sleep quality means:
- You fall asleep within 20 minutes of getting into bed
- You sleep through the night with no more than one brief awakening
- If you do wake, you fall back to sleep within 20 minutes
- You spend at least 85% of your time in bed actually asleep (sleep efficiency)
- You wake feeling refreshed and alert within 15-30 minutes
Common Red Flags
If any of these apply to you regularly, your sleep hygiene likely needs attention:
- Taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep
- Waking multiple times and struggling to get back to sleep
- Relying on caffeine to function before mid-morning
- Feeling exhausted despite being in bed for 8+ hours
- Sleeping significantly later at weekends than weekdays (social jetlag)
- Using your phone in bed as a regular habit
Quick Self-Assessment
Ask yourself: If I did not set an alarm, what time would I naturally wake up? The gap between that time and your actual alarm time is a rough measure of your sleep debt.
For a more detailed picture, try our Sleep Debt Calculator and Bedroom Scorer.
Key Fact: Healthy sleep means falling asleep within 20 minutes, minimal awakenings, and waking refreshed. If you regularly miss these markers, this course will help.
