Bedtime habit: Citations

4 Aug

Citations cover both the Open Post and the Deep Dive. All citations are formatted in APA 7th edition style. DOIs are provided where available.

1. Light, Screens, and Melatonin Suppression

Sources supporting the claims about evening light, blue-spectrum light from screens, and melatonin delay.

Gooley, J. J., Chamberlain, K., Smith, K. A., Khalsa, S. B. S., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Van Reen, E., Zeitzer, J. M., Czeisler, C. A., & Lockley, S. W. (2011). Exposure to room light before bedtime suppresses melatonin onset and shortens melatonin duration in humans. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 96(3), E463–E472. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-2098

Cajochen, C., Stefani, O., Schöllhorn, I., Lang, D., & Chellappa, S. (2022). Influence of evening light exposure on polysomnographically assessed night-time sleep: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Lighting Research & Technology, 54, 609–624. https://doi.org/10.1177/14771535221078765

Schöllhorn, I., Stefani, O., Lucas, R., Spitschan, M., Slawik, H., & Cajochen, C. (2023). Melanopic irradiance defines the impact of evening display light on sleep latency, melatonin and alertness. Communications Biology, 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04598-4

Green, A., Cohen-Zion, M., Haim, A., & Dagan, Y. (2017). Evening light exposure to computer screens disrupts human sleep, biological rhythms, and attention abilities. Chronobiology International, 34, 855–865. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2017.1324878

Grzelak, A. (2024). Managing blue light exposure: impacts on sleep quality and circadian health. Quality in Sport. https://doi.org/10.12775/qs.2024.25.56741

2. Caffeine and Sleep

Sources supporting the claims about caffeine's half-life, adenosine receptor antagonism, and effects on sleep quality.

Gardiner, C., Weakley, J., Burke, L., Roach, G., Sargent, C., Maniar, N., Townshend, A., & Halson, S. (2023). The effect of caffeine on subsequent sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 69, 101764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101764

Gardiner, C., Weakley, J., Burke, L., Fernandez, F., Johnston, R., Leota, J., Russell, S., Munteanu, G., Townshend, A., & Halson, S. (2024). Dose and timing effects of caffeine on subsequent sleep: a randomized clinical crossover trial.Sleep, 48. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsae230

Drake, C., Roehrs, T., Shambroom, J., & Roth, T. (2013). Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 9(11), 1195–1200. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.3170

Silva, H., Del Coso, J., & Pickering, C. (2025). Caffeine and sports performance: the conflict between caffeine intake to enhance performance and avoiding caffeine to ensure sleep quality. Sports Medicine, 55, 1579–1592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02245-y

3. Alcohol and Sleep Architecture

Sources for the claims about alcohol's sedative effect and its disruptive impact on sleep architecture.

Baranwal, N., Yu, P., & Siegel, N. (2023). Sleep physiology, pathophysiology, and sleep hygiene. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2023.02.005

Sejbuk, M., Mirończuk-Chodakowska, I., & Witkowska, A. (2022). Sleep quality: a narrative review on nutrition, stimulants, and physical activity as important factors. Nutrients, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14091912

4. Evening Eating and Meal Timing

Sources supporting the claims about late meals, digestive activity, and sleep quality.

Chung, N., Bin, Y., Cistulli, P., & Chow, C. (2020). Does the proximity of meals to bedtime influence the sleep of young adults? A cross-sectional survey of university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082677

Saidi, O., Rochette, E., Dambel, L., St-Onge, M., & Duché, P. (2024). Chrono-nutrition and sleep: lessons from the temporal feature of eating patterns in human studies — a systematic scoping review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 76, 101953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101953

Nunes, M., Santos, C., Lima, M., Pedrosa, A., De Menezes, R., & Longo-Silva, G. (2023). Association of evening eating with sleep quality and insomnia among adults in a Brazilian national survey. Sleep Science, 17, e381–e391. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0044-1800807

5. Exercise Timing and Sleep

Sources for the discussion of physical activity, exercise timing, and sleep quality effects.

Castro-Santos, L., Lima, M., Pedrosa, A., Serenini, R., De Menezes, R., & Longo-Silva, G. (2023). Sleep and circadian hygiene practices association with sleep quality among Brazilian adults. Sleep Medicine: X, 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleepx.2023.100088

6. Cognitive Arousal, Wind-Down, and Bedtime Routines

Sources supporting the claims about pre-sleep cognitive arousal, thought offloading, relaxation techniques, and stimulus control.

Edinger, J. D., Arnedt, J. T., Bertisch, S. M., Carney, C. E., Harrington, J. J., Lichstein, K. L., Sateia, M. J., Troxel, W. M., Zhou, E. S., Kazmi, U., Heald, J. L., & Martin, J. L. (2020). Behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 17, 255–262. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.8986

Miller, M., Curtis, A., Hall, N., Everson, A., Park, C., Martinez, L., Freeman, L., & McCrae, C. (2021). Sleep hygiene compliance and sleep in young adult drinkers with insomnia: a daily analysis. Sleep, 44. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsab072.371

Kazzi, E., De Pasquale, C., Vincent, G., Shriane, A., & Bin, Y. (2022). Defining sleep hygiene: a scoping review of intervention studies. Sleep Advances: A Journal of the Sleep Research Society, 3, A39–A39. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleepadvances/zpac029.097

7. Sleep Schedule Consistency and Social Jet Lag

Sources supporting the claims about sleep timing regularity, social jet lag, and cardiometabolic outcomes.

Nikbakhtian, S., Reed, A. B., Obika, B. D., Morelli, D., Cunningham, A. C., Aral, M., & Plans, D. (2021). Accelerometer-derived sleep onset timing and cardiovascular disease incidence: a UK Biobank cohort study. European Heart Journal – Digital Health, 2(4), 658–666. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjdh/ztab088

Roenneberg, T., Wirz-Justice, A., & Merrow, M. (2003). Life between clocks: daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 18(1), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748730402239679

8. Sleep Environment

Sources for the claims about bedroom temperature, darkness, and sleep environment.

De Pasquale, C., Kazzi, E., Sutherland, K., Shriane, A., Vincent, G., Cistulli, P., & Bin, Y. (2024). Sleep hygiene — what do we mean? A bibliographic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 75, 101930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101930

9. Sleep Hygiene — Scope and Limitations

Sources for the note that sleep hygiene alone is not a sufficient treatment for clinical insomnia.

Edinger, J. D., et al. (2020). Behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 17, 255–262. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.8986

Notes on This Reference List

Format: All citations follow APA 7th edition style. Author surnames are listed first, followed by initials. Journal titles are italicised. DOIs are presented as hyperlinks where available.

Verification recommended: All citations should be verified via Consensus (consensus.app), PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), or Google Scholar before use. DOIs can be resolved at doi.org.

Consensus review: The Consensus AI review for this post confirmed the core evidence base is well-supported. Key caveats noted in the review: (1) specific pre-bed rituals have less direct evidence than broader scheduling and light-management principles; (2) sleep hygiene alone is not effective for clinical insomnia. Both caveats are reflected in the Open Post and Deeper Look.

Total sources: 19 references across 9 categories.

Nicholas Walters