How to Sleep Better: 7 Best Sleep Routines for Men

Short answer: To sleep better, keep the same wake time every day, get daylight and exercise during the day, cut caffeine after lunch, finish heavy meals a couple of hours before bed, put screens away 30 to 60 minutes before lights out, and keep the bedroom cool (around 65°F), dark and quiet. Adults need 7 or more hours a night according to the CDC and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. If you still struggle most nights for weeks, loud snoring, gasping or daytime sleepiness included, see a clinician instead of piling on more routines or pills.

Key Takeaways

• The CDC recommends 7 or more hours of sleep for adults aged 18 to 60, and 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64.^[1]
• A fixed wake time, 7 days a week, is the single most useful habit: it anchors the body clock that decides when you feel sleepy.^[2]
• Caffeine and nicotine take hours to wear off, and heavy meals or alcohol late in the evening fragment sleep.^[2][3]
• If you are not asleep after about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm in low light, then return to bed.^[2][3]
• About 1 in 3 US adults report not getting enough sleep, and short sleep is linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and depression.^[4]
• Supplements containing Panax ginseng are best taken in the morning: NCCIH lists insomnia as ginseng’s most common side effect.^[6]

How Much Sleep Do Men Actually Need?

There is no separate sleep target for men. The numbers are set by age, and they apply to everyone. The CDC table below matches the consensus from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society, which state that adults should sleep “seven or more hours per night” on a regular basis and consider six hours or less inadequate to sustain health and safety.^[1][5]

The AASM sets no strict upper limit. Sleeping more than 9 hours can be appropriate for young adults or someone recovering from sleep debt or illness.^[5] Mayo Clinic offers a practical rule for the time you spend in bed: allow no more than about 8 hours for sleep, but at least 7.^[3] Lying in bed far longer than you sleep tends to make sleep lighter and more broken.

What short sleep costs you

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) links ongoing sleep deficiency to heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression, plus a higher risk of injuries such as drowsy driving crashes.^[4] NHLBI also notes that about 1 in 3 US adults report not getting enough rest or sleep every day, nearly 40% of adults unintentionally fall asleep during the day at least once a month, and an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic sleep disorders.^[4] Day to day, sleep loss shows up as slower reactions, poor focus, irritability and trouble reading other people’s emotions.

Sleep also matters for drive and hormones. We cover that link in detail in our guide to sleep and libido.

The 7 Sleep Routines That Make the Biggest Difference

These are the habits sleep medicine groups call “sleep hygiene.” None of them is exotic. What makes them work is doing them every day, not just on bad nights.

1. Lock in one wake time, 7 days a week

The Sleep Foundation’s first recommendation is to wake up at the same time every day, weekends included.^[2] Your wake time sets your body clock, and that clock decides when you feel sleepy at night. Sleeping in until 10 a.m. on Saturday creates a mini jet lag that makes Sunday night hard. If you need to shift your schedule, move it in steps of no more than 1 to 2 hours at a time.^[2]

2. Get daylight and movement early

Daylight exposure and regular exercise both support a stronger sleep drive at night.^[2] A short walk outside in the morning does double duty. Mayo Clinic adds one caveat: avoid being very active right before bedtime, since intense effort can leave you wired.^[3] If you want ideas for the first hour of the day, see our healthy morning routine guide.

3. Set a caffeine curfew

The stimulating effects of caffeine and nicotine take hours to wear off.^[3] The Sleep Foundation advises limiting caffeine in the afternoon and evening.^[2] A practical rule: make your last coffee, energy drink or pre-workout a lunchtime one, and remember that strong tea, cola and some pain relievers also contain caffeine.

4. Eat earlier and go easy on alcohol

Avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime.^[3] The Sleep Foundation adds spicy meals to the list of foods to avoid close to bedtime.^[2] Alcohol is tricky: it can make you drowsy, but it disrupts sleep later in the night, so the Sleep Foundation recommends moderating it and avoiding it later in the evening.^[2] Our article on how much alcohol is too much covers the limits.

5. Power down screens 30 to 60 minutes before bed

Phones, tablets and laptops keep your brain engaged and expose you to light right when your body is preparing for sleep. The Sleep Foundation recommends putting them away 30 to 60 minutes before bed.^[2] Charging your phone outside the bedroom removes the temptation to check it at 2 a.m.

6. Build a 30 minute wind down

Set aside about 30 minutes to relax before bed.^[2] Keep it boring and repeatable: a warm shower, light stretching, reading a paper book, or writing tomorrow’s to do list so worries are on paper instead of in your head. Mayo Clinic lists managing worries as one of its core sleep steps.^[3] If stress is the main thing keeping you up, our guide on how to lower cortisol goes deeper.

7. Make the bedroom cool, dark and quiet

Aim for a cool but comfortable room, around 65°F (about 18°C).^[2] Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask, and earplugs or a fan if noise is a problem. Keep the bed for sleep and sex, not for work or long scrolling sessions, so your brain links it with sleep.

A Sample Bedtime Routine for Adults

Here is how the habits above fit into one day. Adjust the clock times to your schedule, but keep the order and spacing.

How to Fall Asleep Faster on a Bad Night

Even with good habits, some nights are rough. Three rules help:

• Do not watch the clock. Turn it away. Calculating how few hours you have left raises stress and keeps you awake.
• Use the 20 minute rule. If you are not asleep after about 20 minutes, get up, keep the lights low, and do something relaxing until you feel tired.^[3]
• Keep tomorrow’s wake time. Sleeping in after a bad night pushes the next night later. Wake at your usual time and you will usually fall asleep more easily the following evening.

Supplements, Sleep Aids and Timing

Many men reach for a pill before fixing the basics. Sleep medicines and over the counter sleep aids have real side effects, including next day grogginess. We cover them in our article on sleeping pills side effects. Magnesium is a popular option; our magnesium glycinate guide explains what the evidence does and does not show.

Timing matters for daytime supplements too. NCCIH states that insomnia (trouble sleeping) is Asian ginseng’s most common side effect.^[6] If you take any product containing Panax ginseng, take it in the morning rather than at night, and notice whether your sleep changes. You can read more about this herb in our article on Panax ginseng benefits for men.

Where Ultra Bann fits

Ultra Bann is a natural male vitality supplement by DL Bioproducts, taken as one capsule every 2 days. It is not a sleep product and makes no sleep claims. Each serving lists seven botanicals with their amounts on the label, including Panax ginseng 110 mg, so following the timing advice above, take it earlier in the day. The full ingredient label is public, and first orders from the Ultra Bann shop include free US shipping and a 60-day money-back guarantee. No supplement replaces enough sleep.

When to See a Doctor About Your Sleep

Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night, but if you often have trouble sleeping, Mayo Clinic advises seeing your health care provider, because finding and treating the underlying cause can help.^[3] The Sleep Foundation also notes that sleep hygiene alone may not solve a serious sleep problem.^[2] Book an appointment if any of these apply:

• Trouble falling or staying asleep most nights for weeks, despite good habits. This may be insomnia, which responds well to structured treatment. See our guide to insomnia in men.
• Loud snoring, gasping or choking at night, morning headaches, or nodding off during the day. These are classic warning signs of obstructive sleep apnea, which needs a proper sleep study. Read more in sleep apnea and testosterone.
• Night shifts or rotating shifts that leave you exhausted or unable to sleep during the day. See our article on shift work sleep disorder.
• You rely on sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep most nights.
• Low mood, low drive or constant fatigue along with poor sleep. Sleep problems and depression often travel together, and a clinician can check for both.
• Falling asleep while driving, or close calls on the road. Stop driving drowsy and get evaluated promptly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I sleep better naturally?

Keep the same wake time every day, get morning light and regular exercise, stop caffeine after lunch, eat your last big meal a couple of hours before bed, limit alcohol, put screens away 30 to 60 minutes before bed and keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet. These habits are the first step recommended by sleep medicine groups before any pill.^[2][3]

How much sleep does a man need?

The same as anyone of the same age: the CDC recommends 7 or more hours for adults aged 18 to 60, 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64, and 7 to 8 hours from age 65.^[1] Regularly getting 6 hours or less is considered inadequate for health and safety.^[5]

Is it bad to sleep in on weekends?

A short lie-in is fine, but large swings shift your body clock and make Sunday night harder. The Sleep Foundation recommends waking at the same time every day, including weekends.^[2]

Are naps good or bad for sleep?

Short naps can help if you are short on sleep. Mayo Clinic advises limiting naps to no more than one hour and avoiding them late in the day, since long or late naps make it harder to fall asleep at night.^[3]

What should I do if I wake up at 3 a.m. and cannot fall back asleep?

Do not check your phone or the clock. If you are still awake after about 20 minutes, get up, keep the lights dim, do something quiet until you feel sleepy, then go back to bed.^[3] If this happens most nights, talk to a clinician, since early morning waking can be linked to insomnia, sleep apnea, alcohol or low mood.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Sleep. CDC.
2. Suni E, reviewed by Rosen D. Mastering Sleep Hygiene: Your Path to Quality Sleep. Sleep Foundation.
3. Mayo Clinic Staff. Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep. Mayo Clinic.
4. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency? NHLBI, NIH.
5. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Seven or more hours of sleep per night: A health necessity for adults. AASM, 2015 (recommendation published in SLEEP).
6. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Asian Ginseng: Usefulness and Safety. NCCIH, NIH.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for information only and is not medical advice.