sleep hygiene

noun

: conditions or practices conducive to healthful and restorative sleep
Improving your sleep hygiene … can help limit the number of times you wake up at night. One key step is staying clear of tea, coffee and alcohol in the evenings, … Dr. [Alison] Huang said.Simar Bajaj
… teens can also practice good sleep hygiene, including creating relaxing bedtime routines, limiting electronics use in the hours before bedtime, avoiding heavy meals before bed, restricting caffeine and participating in daily physical activity.Brooke Aggarwal, quoted in The Philadelphia Tribune
I am told all the ways that learning to sleep independently helps babies' brain development and leads to happier waking hours. I get it: good sleep hygiene for everybody.Idrissa Simmonds-Nastili
sometimes used before another noun
sleep hygiene practices/habits

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sleep hygiene was in 1899

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sleep hygiene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleep%20hygiene. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.

Last Updated: - Entry added
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster