Building Healthy Sleep Habits for Life

Why Sleep Matters

Sleep affects everything — from mood and memory to energy and emotional resilience. Poor sleep can leave us feeling foggy, flat, and disconnected. But many of us struggle to get enough sleep, whether it’s trouble falling asleep or waking in the night.

Better sleep starts long before our head hits the pillow — and it’s shaped by how we support ourselves emotionally and physically throughout the day and night. Stress, overstimulation and physical discomfort can all affect the quality of our rest.

With the right tools and a little practice, we can create healthier sleep habits and make simple changes to feel more energised, focused, and ready to take on the day. 

Explore Smiling Mind’s Sleep Hygiene Tips to get started and visit Forty Winks to learn more about their science-led approach to matching individuals with the right mattress. 

When Sleep Is Hard

Two in three Australians struggle with sleep¹ — and for many, it’s an ongoing challenge. From racing thoughts to supporting restless kids, poor sleep can impact the whole family. The good news? With curiosity and the right tools, we can shift unhelpful patterns and bring some ease back to bedtime.

When sleep isn’t easy, it can leave us feeling frustrated, tired, or sometimes leads to getting anxious about bedtime itself. But exploring what’s going on beneath the surface — like stress, unhelpful habits, or the wrong sleep set-up — can help us to take small, effective steps forward.

Try this calming Sink into Sleep meditation to settle the body, soften tension, and meet restless thoughts with calm curiosity and visit Forty Winks to see how your sleep setup could be supporting you better.

¹Sleep Health Foundation. Reawakening Australia: The economic cost of sleep disorders in Australia. 2011.

Support for Families

Sleep can be especially tough for parents and kids — and sometimes the more we focus on sleep, the harder it can be to get it. But with calming routines, emotional support, and a setup that feels safe and comforting, families can reclaim rest.

Bedtime can be when worries surface and for many children going to sleep can seem scary. Creating space for connection can help parents promote a sense of calm and safety for their children in the lead up to sleep. The Smiling Mind App offers families tools for emotional regulation and routine-building— to help both adults and children rest well.

Try our Worry Box practice to help children explore concerns earlier in the day, making worries less likely to pop up as we’re easing into rest at bedtime and visit Forty Winks to explore their range of children's sleep solutions.

Building Better Bedtime Routines for Kids

Creating a healthy bedtime routine helps children feel safe, calm and secure — supporting emotional regulation and building resilience over time. Understanding how sleep works — like how the brain stores memories and restores energy — can make bedtime more meaningful, and empowering.

Introducing gentle, consistent practices in the lead up to bed can support a smoother transition to sleep; Creating a healthy bedtime routine helps children feel safe, calm and secure — supporting emotional regulation and building resilience over time, learn more from Smiling Mind’s  Sleep Checklist for Kids. 

Explore Golden Glow, a calming meditation designed to support young minds to relax and ease into sleep, and visit Forty Winks for sleep solutions tailored to growing bodies.

Sleep Better, Things to Help

Quick fixes like late-night workouts, a glass of wine, or weekend sleep-ins might seem helpful—but they often disrupt your sleep cycle. Instead, try proven habits, such as: exercising earlier, staying hydrated, and keeping a regular sleep schedule.

Mindfulness—the practice of being present and meditations like Soothing Sleep can help the nervous system, settle the mind, and prepare your body for rest.

Letting go of stress and unhelpful thoughts supports your body’s natural ability to rest. Try the Thought Catcher meditation to reduce stress in the lead up to bedtime and visit Forty Winks to learn more about their BedMATCH system — a science-based approach to finding your optimal mattress — ensuring your body is supported to rest alongside your mind.

Explore the Smiling Mind App

Looking for more support to wind down, reset or create better bedtime habits? The free Smiling Mind App is packed with sleep tools for every age and stage — including guided meditations, calming music, soundscapes, sleep programs and routines to help you wind down and rest well.

Sleep content in the Smiling Mind App can help you learn more about sleep and build healthy routines and practices to get the rest you need. Whether you’re building a new bedtime routine, supporting a restless child, or simply trying to fall asleep faster, you’ll find trusted, expert-led content to help make lasting changes for better sleep.

Download the Smiling Mind App for free, and search ‘Sleep’ into the Explore section to get started.