Beginner · Sleep & Rest
Sleep Reset in 7 Nights
Change one sleep habit a night for a week, starting with the best-tested ones. Short lessons, plain words.
Course complete. You have finished every lesson.
What you’ll learn
- How much sleep adults need, and why feeling fine is a poor test
- One habit a night: wake time, daylight, caffeine, evenings, wind-down, bedroom
- What to do when you can't sleep, and how to catch up after short nights
- What trackers and sleep aids can and can't do
- The signs that poor sleep needs a doctor, and a simple plan to keep
This course is for adults who sleep badly or too little and want a simple plan. You don’t need any gadgets. Each lesson takes about two minutes and teaches one change, with simple pictures and plain words. Over seven nights you change one habit a night, starting with the ones best supported by research and health agencies.
Lessons
Chapter 1: Before you start
How much sleep you need, and how the week works.
Chapter 2: Nights 1 to 3
Wake time, morning daylight and your caffeine cut-off.
- Lesson 2 Fix Your Wake Time: Count Back to Lights Out Pick one wake time for every day and work out your lights-out time by counting back seven hours plus the time you take to fall asleep. 2 min Completed.
- Lesson 3 Morning Daylight and Dimmer Evenings for Better Sleep Learn how light sets your body clock, and use morning daylight and a dim last hour before bed to help your sleep. 2 min Completed.
- Lesson 4 Find Your Caffeine Cut-Off for Better Sleep Learn how long caffeine stays in your body and how to pick a cut-off time for your last tea, coffee or cola. 2 min Completed.
Chapter 3: Nights 4 to 7
Evenings, a wind-down hour, your bedroom, and when you can't sleep.
- Lesson 5 Alcohol, Late Meals and Evening Exercise: Sleep Habits See how alcohol, heavy late meals and hard evening exercise affect sleep, and how to move them earlier in the evening. 2 min Completed.
- Lesson 6 A Wind-Down Hour and the Phone: Better Sleep Habits Build a calm last hour before bed, keep your phone out of reach and use a short to-do list to settle a busy mind. 2 min Completed.
- Lesson 7 Make Your Bedroom Quiet, Cool and Dark Set up your bedroom for sleep: check light, noise, temperature and comfort, fix the one that bothers you most, and keep the bed for sleep. 2 min Completed.
- Lesson 8 What to Do When You Can't Sleep: The 20-Minute Rule Learn what to do on nights when sleep won't come, how to use the 20-minute rule, and how to handle naps so they do not hurt your night. 2 min Completed.
Chapter 4: After the week
Catching up, trackers and sleep aids, and when to see a doctor.
- Lesson 9 Catching Up After Short Nights: How to Repay Sleep Debt Learn why one lie-in will not repay sleep debt, and how earlier bedtimes and a steady wake time help you catch up after short nights. 2 min Completed.
- Lesson 10 Sleep Trackers and Sleep Aids: What They Can and Can't Do See how sleep trackers guess, why weekly patterns beat nightly scores, and why you should ask a pharmacist or doctor before any sleep aid. 2 min Completed.
- Lesson 11 When to See a Doctor About Sleep, and Your Sleep Plan Know the signs that poor sleep needs a doctor, not more tips, and put the seven habits of the course into one simple plan you can keep. 3 min Completed.
Videos coming soonAbout this course
Each lesson is a written page with pictures, a “Try it” step and the full script. A short video of each lesson is coming soon. Follow the nights in order, or jump to the habit you need.
What you need: a notebook or your phone’s notes for a simple sleep diary. If you work shifts or care for a baby, treat the steps as aims, not a standard to fail.
The lessons draw on our How to Sleep Better guide and the other sleep articles. This course is general information, not medical advice. Most everyday sleep advice rests on public-health guidance or short studies in healthy adults. If poor sleep goes on for months, or you snore loudly with gasping or pauses in your breathing, talk to a doctor. Never drive when you’re drowsy.
Good questions
Answers, plainly
How long does the course take?
11 lessons, about 24 minutes in all. Most lessons take about 2 minutes, so one fits into a short break. Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
Do I need to sign up or pay?
No. Every lesson is free and open, with no account and no email address. Your progress ticks are saved in your own browser only.
Can I watch it instead of reading?
Not yet. Every lesson is a written page with pictures and the full script. Short videos of each lesson are coming.
Who is it for?
Complete beginners, anywhere in the world. Plain words, round example numbers and no background needed.