These 3 everyday habits are ruining your sleep, according to a sleep expert

You might not realise it, but what you do during the day has a significant impact on how well you sleep at night. On the outside, it might look and feel like you’re doing everything right to get the best sleep possible, but there are a few common things you’re probably doing everyday that are actually ruining your sleep.

According to Aaron M Fuhrman, sleep expert and founder and CEO of Sleeplay, many sleep disrupting habits hide in plain sight and are woven so tightly into your daily routine that you don’t recognise the damage they’re doing.

So, to help you sleep better in 2026, Fuhrman explains the three everyday habits that are ruining your sleep and how to avoid them.

1. Your late afternoon coffee

If you feel yourself getting drowsy or finding it hard to concentrate in the afternoon, you might be tempted to have a cup of tea or coffee. But consuming caffeine too late in the day can majorly affect your sleep.

Multiple studies show that caffeine stays in your system for up to six hours after you’ve consumed it, so having a 3pm latte can still impact your system at 9pm when you’re thinking about going to bed. It’s not just coffee that has this effect, either – energy drinks, chocolate and even pain killers can disturb your night’s rest due to their caffeine content.

Fuhrman suggests “if you're having trouble falling asleep, track everything with caffeine that you consume after noon. You might be surprised what's keeping you wired.” See what time you should stop drinking coffee for more details.

2. Eating meals at irregular times

The time you eat your evening meal could be affecting your night’s sleep, especially if you don’t eat at the same time each night. This is because eating at inconsistent times can confuse your body clock and your digestive system.

“When meal times shift unpredictably, it sends conflicting signals about when you should be awake or asleep,” says Fuhrman. “Late-night eating is particularly problematic, triggering digestion when your body expects to be winding down.” With this in mind, try to stick to the same meal time each night so your body is prepared for sleep and your food has been digested.

3. Napping for too long or too late

If you love an afternoon nap, it might be time to say goodbye to those if you’re not sleeping well at night. How long you should nap is often up for debate but in general, “naps longer than 30 minutes or those taken after 3 p.m. reduce your sleep pressure, the biological drive to sleep that builds throughout the day,” says Fuhrman. “When you nap too long or too late, you drain this pressure, making it harder to fall asleep at your regular bedtime.”

Napping during the day works against your body’s natural rhythms and timing cues. When you nap at the wrong time – as well as the other two habits in this list – you’re sending your body mixed signals, so it thinks it should be alert and awake when it should actually be resting. If you absolutely must nap, try to have one before 3pm and only for 20-30 minutes as this shouldn’t interfere with your nighttime sleep.

To get the best night’s sleep in 2026, it’s recommended to stick to the key rules for good sleep hygiene. Overall, “you don’t need a complete lifestyle overhaul”, and instead, you should “start with one simple rule: go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends,” recommends Fuhrman, as it can make a dramatic difference to how well you feel and sleep.