- Adults are generally advised to aim for 7–9 hours of sleep per night, but quality is what truly matters (according to sources such as the National Sleep Foundation).
- We recommend avoiding bright lights and screens starting one hour before bedtime, and making a habit of getting sunlight during the day to help regulate your body's internal clock.
- To promote deeper sleep, try to exercise in the morning or early afternoon, keep your bedroom dark and cool, and pay attention to soundproofing and comfortable bedding.
- Caffeine, alcohol, and overly long naps can reduce sleep quality, so please be mindful of their timing.
- Creating a bedtime routine that works for you and consistently making small improvements is the most effective approach.
How to hack your sleep to maximize your waking hours
Sleep resets a tired body and brain and has a major impact on memory consolidation, concentration, and mood. In a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, a certain number of people reported that they do not feel adequately rested by sleep, while there are also reports that excessively long sleep can actually increase health risks. Generally, as the National Sleep Foundation suggests, 7–9 hours is a guideline for adults, but what matters is not only the amount of time but the "quality." We’ve tried various approaches ourselves and have experienced that small habits can surprisingly change your performance the next morning.
5 Tips to Improve Sleep Quality
1. Avoid strong light and blue light at night.
Strong light or looking at smartphone screens at night suppresses the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that helps you sleep, making it harder to fall asleep. From about one hour before bed, dim the lights, use your phone’s night mode or a blue‑light filter, and if possible stop looking at screens. Conversely, even a short burst of sunlight in the morning can reset your internal clock and make nighttime sleep deeper. When we tried it, just 10–20 minutes of outdoor light in the morning reduced daytime sleepiness and helped us fall asleep more easily at night.
2. Stop using screens before bed
Stimulation from TV, social media, and games activates the brain and is known to negatively affect falling asleep and sleep continuity. Let’s turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime and switch to calming activities such as reading, stretching, or deep breathing. If we make this a routine, our brain will more easily recognize that it’s almost time to sleep.
3. Exercise in the morning or afternoon; avoid vigorous exercise just before bedtime.
Moderate exercise improves sleep quality, but doing intense workouts late at night activates the sympathetic nervous system and can make it harder to fall asleep. Research also shows that morning exercise increases parasympathetic activity at night and leads to better sleep. We began adding short morning sessions of aerobic exercise and strength training several times a week, and noticed an increase in the proportion of deep sleep.
4. Create a Sleep-Friendly Bedroom — Temperature, Light, Sound, Bedding
Bedroom temperature at bedtime varies from person to person, but generally a slightly cool setting (around 16–20°C) is recommended. That's because a drop in core body temperature helps you fall asleep more smoothly. Blackout curtains, earplugs or white noise, and a comfortable mattress and pillow are also important. When we switched to blackout curtains, one of our team members found they could sleep soundly until the morning on weekends.
5. Reconsider how you handle caffeine, alcohol, and naps
Caffeine has a half-life of several hours, so a late-afternoon coffee can interfere with your sleep at night. Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, but it tends to cause intermittent awakenings in the latter part of the night and reduces REM sleep. Short naps of 10–20 minutes (power naps) can be effective, but longer naps may disrupt nighttime sleep, so let's be cautious.
Practical example: geefee-style simple night routine (example)
- 21:00 Dim the lights and either leave your smartphone in the living room or set it to airplane mode.
- 21:10 Light stretching + 5 minutes of deep breathing
- 21:20 — Take a lukewarm shower to gently raise your body temperature, then take advantage of the natural cooling that follows.
- 21:40 — Get into bed and reflect on the day with some reading or journaling.
- 22:00 Bedtime (individual differences may apply; adjust by working backward from your wake-up time)
Members of our team who followed this routine for a week fell asleep faster and woke up feeling more refreshed. You don't need to aim for perfection — the key is to introduce small habits one at a time.
Summary
Sleep isn't just about quantity — quality matters too. By rethinking evening exposure to light and screens, the timing of exercise, your bedroom environment, and how you consume caffeine and alcohol, you can dramatically improve your morning performance. Use recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation and several studies as a guide, and find the sleep duration and routine that work best for you. We're continually experimenting ourselves, and we've found that small, consistent improvements add up to big changes.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.