On TikTok and Instagram, it’s showing up more and more: people showering in the dark shortly before bedtime. Just warm, running water and darkness. They claim that dark showering helps them fall asleep faster. Is that true?

If you think you sleep poorly because your father or mother did too, and that it’s simply “in your DNA,” some nuance is needed. Predisposition explains why you may be more vulnerable. It doesn’t necessarily explain why you’re sleeping poorly now or why it just isn’t improving.

Good sleep is rarely the result of luck. More often, it reflects a pattern of choices, signals, and rhythms that either support rest or quietly undermine it.

What makes caffeine sneaky is that it’s in more products than you think. Many people only think of coffee, but tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate, and even some workout supplements and painkillers also contain caffeine. Together, they can add up to a stack bigger than you expect—and that your body still has to handle at night

Many people experience a surge of alertness shortly before bedtime. Why is that?

A sleep routine helps signal to your brain and body that it’s time to wind down. By repeating the same calming habits each day, you reduce stress, fall asleep more easily, and improve the quality of your sleep.

Which forms of physical activity are the most sleep-inducing? Research by an international team, drawn from several Asian universities, provides the answer.

Forcing sleep rarely works. It’s precisely by letting go of control and accepting the natural rhythms of our bodies that we can experience better sleep.