Sleep, Decoded › Module 2: Your two sleep switches › Unit 7 of 11

Try this tonight (and tomorrow morning): light and your caffeine cut-off

Try this tonight 5 min

You will be able to: Write two if-then plans, one for morning light and one for your caffeine cut-off, and commit to a mini-experiment.

This is still week 1, so the diary stays a record of your normal sleep. But two small habits from this module are easy to try for a single day, and they will help you choose your week-2 experiment later.

Steps 2 to 4 are practical suggestions built on the light research in unit 3; step 5 is the NHS 6-hour advice.

Two if-then plans

Plans written as "If [situation], then I will [action]" help people follow through on what they intend: a review that pooled 94 tests from earlier studies found a medium-to-large benefit. Here are two examples, then your turn:

If ______________________, then I will get some daylight by ______________________. If ______________________, then I will choose ______________________ instead of caffeine.

Put the day in order

Drag the steps (or use the arrow buttons) into the order that best uses light and caffeine for a 23:00 bedtime, then press Check.

Your mini-experiment

Pick one change to try, predict how rested you will feel, and record how it went the next morning. The check-in asks how it went, and the result joins your chart.

One day is a hint, not proof. If one of these feels promising, it is a good candidate for your 7-night experiment in Module 4.

Sources

Next: your diary, days 3 and 4

Get each new module and article by email

Module 3 opens on Tuesday 13 October. One short email every two weeks with the new modules and articles, with the links. No spam; unsubscribe with one click.