The start of any new year is the perfect opportunity to set goals for your health and wellbeing – and there’s no better way to begin 2025 afresh, than by committing to habits that will see you waking up on the right side of the bed for the year ahead.
Sleep expert and owner of Woolroom, Chris Tattersall, shares the best goals to consider that will make the biggest difference to sleep quality, and the reasons why everyone should consider making New Year’s “resolutions” to set you up for sleep success over the coming year.
Why is sleep important for health?
Having insufficient sleep can cause issues with both physical and emotional wellbeing, leading to the increased risk of conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems. It can also compromise the immune system, making us all more susceptible to illness and impaired cognitive function, such as poor memory, attention, problem-solving, productivity and decision-making.
According to Woolroom’s latest Clean Sleep Report, 83% of people surveyed said that getting a regular, good night’s sleep was the most important factor for their general wellbeing. Despite this, 60% admitted they were getting less than six hours sleep per night. So, what are the easy steps that everyone can take to start improving sleep hygiene in 2025?
Five New Year’s Resolution's for 2025
1. Commit to getting the right amount of shut eye for you
To wake up feeling refreshed, the average adult needs seven to ten hours of sleep per night, with women tending to benefit from closer to ten hours than men. This increases for youngsters; teens should be aiming for eight to ten hours, with school-age children requiring nine to twelve hours of sleep a night.
As part of your 2025 New Year’s resolutions, figure out how much sleep is optimal for you, and commit to achieving this every night come rain or shine. Using a sleep-tracking fitness watch can often be helpful for monitoring levels of sleep and using the data to create these goals, but this can also be achieved naturally by trialing new bedtimes and assessing energy levels the next day.
2. Create a bedtime routine – and stick to it
Routine is king when it comes to getting the best night’s sleep. Consistently carrying out the same, soothing activities before bedtime, signals to the brain that it’s time to wind down.
Positive habits to consider for your bedtime routine include having a hot bath, using cozy lighting or candles, listening to calming music, or getting tucked up with a book. Even something as simple as opening the window to lower the temperature in your room to 18 degrees – the optimal temperature for a good night’s sleep – can have a big impact.
When these actions become habits associated with sleep, they can help to boost melatonin – the hormone responsible for making us feel tired and ready for bed. Whatever it is that helps you to drift off – stick to it every day. And yes, that includes weekends.
3. Ditch the screens before bed
Screens produce blue light, which mimics the effect of daylight and suppresses melatonin. This disrupts your circadian rhythm and keeps our mind stimulated, so turning off TVs, phones, laptops and tablets two hours or more before bed works wonders for your sleep quality.
For 2025, consider replacing the doom scrolling with activities like meditation or gratitude journaling, which not only set you up for a deep, restorative sleep, but also help to boost your mood upon waking.
I’d also recommend using night mode on electronics in the evening to reduce the impact of blue light, and to avoid looking at social media, news platforms or particularly action-packed TV that might cause overstimulation close to bedtime.
4. Reconsider your bedding fiber
To ensure you are creating the ultimate sleep environment, try switching to natural fiber wool bedding with linen bedding sheets. It’s been scientifically proven to deliver a 25% deeper, more regenerative sleep than synthetic fibers due to its temperature regulating properties. Heat regulation is crucial to great sleep, and being too hot is often the number one disruptor. Waking intermittently throughout the night not only reduces the quality of sleep but leads to periods of restlessness, which in turn increase the symptoms of stress and deregulates your nervous system.
For those who co-sleep, waking through the night due to heat can also cause unnecessary disturbance to a partner. The temperature-regulating properties of wool are not only great for individuals, but also balance temperatures between two sleepers avoiding any further disruption.
5. Become sleep-conscious throughout the day
Good sleep hygiene starts from the moment you wake up, encompassing the daily habits that promote good sleep. I always advise limiting caffeine and alcohol in the afternoon and evening, avoiding naps longer than 30 minutes during the day, and getting natural sunlight exposure in the morning to regulate your circadian rhythm. It’s also important to leave a two-hour gap between both heavy exercise and meals before bedtime.
Ultimately, improving your quality of sleep doesn’t require a commitment to every practice mentioned above; it’s a handful of small, achievable improvements that will start to have an impact on your health and overall wellness. Start 2025 with these simple “resolutions”, and the rest will be history.
