The Healthspan Map · Sleep (Ch6)

Sleep hygiene - Wind-down

What this is linked to

Where Sleep hygiene - Wind-down is linked — 9 sources.In the order the Map holds them: strongest evidence first. That is a statement about the evidence, not about what matters most.
Nutrient or lever	Direction	Strength	Evidence type	What was found	Source
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Moderate	RCT / meta-analysis	Poor/short sleep and anxiety are bidirectionally linked; better sleep lowers physiological arousal.	De Nys et al. 2022 (opens in a new tab)
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Moderate	Systematic review	Sleep deprivation impairs attention and working memory; 7-8 h is optimal for cognition.	Sleep-cognition overview 2023 (opens in a new tab)
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Emerging	Established clinical	Wind-down routines improve sleep continuity, indirectly reducing daytime fatigue.	Excessive daytime sleepiness review (AFP) (opens in a new tab)
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Moderate	RCT / meta-analysis	Insomnia roughly doubles the risk of developing depression (OR 2.60); a core modifiable risk factor.	Baglioni et al. 2011 (opens in a new tab)
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Moderate	RCT / meta-analysis	Irregular sleep is a major migraine trigger; consistent sleep-wake schedules are a cornerstone of prevention.	Robblee & Starling 2019, Cleveland Clinic J Med; lifestyle-migraine meta 2024 (opens in a new tab)
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Moderate	Review / narrative	Irregular sleep is a major migraine trigger; consistent sleep-wake schedules are a cornerstone of prevention.	Robblee & Starling, "SEEDS for success: Lifestyle management in migraine", Cleve Clin J Med 2019 (opens in a new tab)
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Strong	Review / narrative	A wind-down buffer lowers pre-sleep cortisol/arousal; stimulus control and relaxation are core CBT-I components.	HPA-axis & insomnia (Endotext); CBT-I (opens in a new tab)
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Strong	RCT / meta-analysis	A wind-down buffer lowers pre-sleep cortisol/arousal; stimulus control and relaxation are core CBT-I components.	Effects of sleep hygiene education for insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Sleep Med Rev 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Sleep hygiene - Wind-down	Do this	Moderate	RCT / meta-analysis	Poor sleep and elevated stress are bidirectionally linked; better sleep associates with lower cortisol.	De Nys et al. 2022 (physical activity, cortisol & sleep) (opens in a new tab)