How "Habit-Stacking" Can Help You Build Your Way to a Better Sleep

Habit stacking is a behavioural method created by BJ Fogg as part of his Tiny Habits programme, and popularised in best-selling books such as James Clear's Atomic Habits. 

The official format for this practice is:

After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

In short, habit stacking is the act of pairing one habit/activity with another, rather than a location or time, such as exercising at the gym or journaling at your desk.

The following are examples of habit stacking, pairing one activity with another, with suggestions by James Clear:

1. After writing my to-do list, I will get started on my first activity.
2. During my hot drink before bed, I will begin to read a chapter of my book.
3. After I pour my morning cup of coffee, I will meditate for sixty seconds.
4. While waiting for my dinner to cook in the oven, I will clean the kitchen worktops.

The idea is that making a habit of something that you would like to achieve - such as learning meditation, getting better sleep, or reading more books - can become a habit: an unconscious, thoughtless action with little exertion on your part. 

Our desired lifestyles - whether it be becoming a gym-loving fitness fanatic, or an organised person who has productive, stress-free mornings - are difficult to start, and even harder to continue once the initial burst of motivation begins to fade. Forming a habit is the key to turning an activity into a lifestyle, rather than a fleeting experience.

Habit stacking is an ideal method for those who want to improve their sleeping habits, such as getting up or falling asleep earlier, to improve their number of hours of rest. 

Crafting a pre-bed routine by forming habits has been linked to longer, better quality sleep. A series of routine habits, such as reading before bed or even brushing our teeth, can help prompt the body's brain-to-body associations, signalling that it is time for bed. 

As stated above, the formula for habit stacking is After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Your stack should:

• begin with a pre-existing habit
• make habits easy
• make them desirable

For example, you might get already changed into your pyjamas when you get into your room at night. You could follow this activity with a healthy, sleep-boosting activity like having a cup of herbal tea. You could then drink the tea along with reading that book about a topic you're interested in, but procrastinated getting into. These activities help you unwind and get into the right headspace for sleep. 

You could write these ideas down in a journal or your phone, broken down with through the formula:

1. After/before [pre-existing bedtime habit I currently partake in]
2. I will [desired pre-bedtime activity]
3. Any additional desired habits will be linked from here. 

Some ideas if you're looking for inspiration:

• After having a hot drink, I will brush my teeth.
• When I get in bed, I will meditate for sixty seconds. 
• When I put my pyjamas on, I will take all my meds and vitamins.