What should I do after a bad night's sleep?

One poor night is unpleasant but unimportant. The risk is the compensating behaviour — sleeping in, napping, going to bed at eight — which shifts the body clock and causes the following night to be poor as well.

What you'll need

• Daylight (optional)
• Water (optional)

Step by step

1. Get up at your usual time.This is the most important thing. Sleeping in shifts your body clock and makes the following night harder, which is how one bad night becomes a run of them.
2. Get bright light early.Outside if possible, within an hour of waking. Daylight is the strongest signal for anchoring the body clock and it also improves alertness directly.
3. Keep any nap short and early.Twenty minutes before mid-afternoon. Longer or later naps take pressure out of the following night's sleep.
4. Use caffeine early and stop by early afternoon.It helps in the morning. Caffeine has a long half-life, so an afternoon coffee is still active at bedtime and perpetuates the problem.
5. Move, even a little.A short walk is more effective against tiredness than sitting still, and it also strengthens the following night's sleep.
6. Lower your expectations for the day.Do the necessary things and postpone anything demanding. Accepting a reduced day is more useful than pushing through and doing everything badly.
7. Go to bed at your normal time, not much earlier.Going to bed very early usually means lying awake, which builds an association between bed and frustration.
8. Be careful driving.Sleep deprivation impairs driving substantially and people consistently underestimate it. If you are very tired, do not drive.

Tips

• One bad night has little lasting effect. The anxiety about it often causes more harm than the lost sleep itself.
• If poor sleep continues for weeks, or you snore heavily and wake unrefreshed, it is worth seeing a doctor — sleep apnoea and other conditions are treatable.
• Alcohol makes you fall asleep faster and sleep considerably worse. It is a common and counterproductive response to a bad night.

Common mistakes

• Sleeping in to catch up — It shifts the body clock and makes the next night harder. Getting up at the usual time is what breaks the cycle.
• Going to bed very early the next evening — You usually lie awake, which builds an association between bed and frustration and makes the following night worse.
• Drinking alcohol to sleep better — It shortens the time to fall asleep but fragments sleep badly, so you wake unrefreshed and the pattern continues.

Questions people ask