It should come as no surprise that how well we sleep can affect the trajectory of our day. A good night’s rest gives us the energy to move through the day’s tasks with focus and poise, while a poor night’s sleep can leave us feeling unfocused, irritable, and less equipped to handle whatever the day throws our way.

In last week’s Part 1 of our Better Sleep = Better Teaching series, we looked at six simple habits that can help online teachers improve their sleep, from maintaining a consistent sleep schedule to getting enough exercise during the day.

As teachers, we spend so much time thinking about how to improve our lessons, support our students, and become better educators. But sometimes, one of the best things we can do for our teaching happens before we even open our laptop.

Getting enough quality sleep gives us the energy, patience, concentration, and emotional bandwidth to show up for our students. So don’t think of sleep as time you’re taking away from work. Sleep is an essential part of the work!

Here are six more tips that can help you get better sleep and wake up ready to give your students your best.

1) Get Some Natural Light

Getting enough natural light during the day can help support your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.

This is especially important for online teachers who may spend most of their working hours indoors in front of a computer. Try getting outside in the morning or early afternoon, even if it’s just for a short walk. Opening your curtains and working near a window can also help you get more daylight throughout the day.

Not only does stepping outside give you your much needed Vitamin D, it also gives you a chance to take a break from your screen and move your body, too.

2) Make Your Bedroom Sleep-Friendly

Your sleeping environment can have a surprisingly big impact on the quality of your sleep.

Ideally, your bedroom should be comfortable, cool, dark, and quiet. Blackout curtains or an eye mask can help if there’s too much light, while earplugs may help if noise is keeping you awake.

It’s also helpful to keep your bedroom associated with sleep and relaxation rather than work. If possible, avoid working from your bed. When your bedroom doubles as your classroom, office, and entertainment space, it can become harder for your brain to switch into “sleep mode.”

3) Be Mindful of Late-Night Meals and Alcohol

What you consume in the evening can affect how you sleep.

Eating a very large meal right before bed can leave you feeling uncomfortable, while going to bed hungry can also make it difficult to fall asleep. If you need something to eat before bed, a light snack may be a better option.

Alcohol can be particularly tricky. Although it may make you feel sleepy initially, it can interfere with your sleep later in the night.

If you’re struggling with your sleep, pay attention to whether your evening meals or drinks seem to affect how well you sleep. You may find that simply changing the timing makes a difference.

4) Manage Stress Before Bed

Sometimes the biggest thing keeping us awake isn’t our environment, it’s what’s running through our minds!

Teachers have plenty to think about at the end of the day. Their thoughts revolve around tomorrow’s lesson plans, unfinished tasks, student concerns, emails to be answered and likely many other things on their to-do list.

If your brain becomes particularly active when your head hits the pillow, try doing a “brain dump” before bed. Write down anything that’s on your mind and anything you need to remember for the next day. Getting those thoughts onto paper can make it easier to stop thinking about them.

You could also try reading, stretching, deep breathing, meditation, journaling, or prayer as part of your evening routine.

5) Don’t Let Work Take Over Your Evening

One of the biggest advantages of online teaching is flexibility. But that flexibility can also make it very easy for work to creep into every part of your day.

When your workspace is only a few steps away, it can be tempting to check one more email, prepare one more lesson, or respond to a student message late at night.

Whenever possible, establish a clear end to your workday. Once your final class is finished and your essential tasks are done, give yourself permission to switch off.

You don’t have to be productive every waking hour. Creating boundaries around your work gives your brain time to relax, which can make it easier to transition into sleep at night.

6) Listen to Your Body

There’s no single perfect sleep routine that works for everyone.

Some people naturally feel tired earlier in the evening, while others are more alert at night. Some people need complete silence to sleep, while others prefer background noise. Your ideal routine may also change depending on your teaching schedule.

Pay attention to your own patterns. When do you feel most tired? What helps you fall asleep? What tends to keep you awake? Do late-night classes affect your sleep? Does afternoon caffeine make a difference?

Instead of trying to follow every sleep tip you find online, experiment with a few changes and see what works for you!

Remember that taking care of yourself is part of taking care of your students! What sleep strategies work best for you? Share your tips in the comments section!