Quality rest is essential for mood stability when living with bipolar disorder. Try these habits to sleep better.
Key Takeaways
- Sleep and mood are tightly linked in bipolar disorder, and sleep disruption can make mood changes more likely.
- Both too little and too much sleep can affect stability, so consistency matters as much as quantity.
- Simple habits like a calming wind-down routine, less screen time, and a cooler sleep space may help you rest better.
- Keeping a regular sleep and wake schedule — and talking with your doctor if problems continue — can support long-term mood health.
Quality sleep is vital for your physical and mental health. When you don’t get enough rest, you may face serious health risks like obesity, diabetes, and a weakened immune system, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Beyond these physical concerns, irregular sleep patterns have a profound effect on your mood — particularly if you have bipolar disorder.
The Link Between Sleep and Mood Stability
If you have this diagnosis, disturbances in your sleep-wake cycle are common and can significantly affect how stable you feel. Research shows that sleeping too little or too much — specifically less than six hours or more than nine hours — can predict how quickly depression might return, even when you’re currently feeling well. These imbalances in your rest can make you more vulnerable to mood shifts and may even trigger a manic or depressive episode.
Because sleep and mood are so closely linked, building a consistent sleep routine is an important step in supporting overall well-being and keeping bipolar symptoms in check.
There’s a variety of medical treatments and therapy options that you can discuss with your doctor. In the meantime, here are seven steps you can try tonight:
1. Establish a Calming Wind-Down Routine
According to an article published in Sleep Medicine Clinics, people with bipolar may benefit from a 30 – 60-minute wind-down period before bed. This can help support the body’s internal clock, especially for those who naturally feel more alert or energized at night.
A good wind-down routine usually includes calming activities in dim light, so this is not the best time for chores, exercise, or screen time. Phones, computers, and TV can keep your brain engaged longer than you realize, and it’s easy to lose track of time while scrolling or texting. Setting a nightly alarm for an “electronic curfew” can be a simple way to remind yourself when it’s time to unplug.
Body temperature can also affect sleep. Taking a warm bath about an hour before bed may help your body ease into sleep mode. You might also find that a light lavender spray on your pillow or another calming bedtime cue helps signal that it’s time to rest.
2. Let Some Fresh Air In
A stuffy bedroom can make it harder to get comfortable at night. Opening a window, or at least making sure your room is well ventilated, may help create a cooler, fresher space for sleep.
In one randomized controlled trial, Danish researchers found that air quality, specifically carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, affected both sleep and thinking skills. College students who slept with the window open slept better and performed better on tests the next day than those who kept the window closed.
Better airflow can also help regulate room temperature, which matters because a cooler room is often more sleep-friendly. Even small changes that make your bedroom feel less stale and more comfortable can help support better rest.
3. Keep Your Feet Warm at Night
Cold feet can make it harder to settle in and fall asleep. For some people, warming their feet before bed can help signal to the body that it’s time to rest.
In one small study, people who wore socks to bed fell asleep faster, slept longer, and had fewer nighttime awakenings. Interestingly, wearing socks did not meaningfully affect core body temperature.
Your body’s internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm, naturally lowers core temperature at night to support sleep, which is one reason a cooler bedroom often helps. But if your feet get too cold, your body may pull warmth inward, making it harder to fully relax.
A simple pair of loose, comfortable bed socks may help. Just make sure they are not too tight, since anything that restricts circulation can be uncomfortable rather than soothing.
4. Turn the Clock Away From You
When you can’t sleep, it’s tempting to keep checking the time. But sleep experts say that habit can raise stress levels and make it even harder to relax.
Constantly looking at the clock can trigger what’s known as sleep-related performance anxiety, where the pressure to fall asleep becomes part of the problem. The more stressed you feel about being awake, the harder it may be to drift off.
Research from Indiana University found that clock-watching during the night was linked to worse insomnia and greater reliance on sleep aids. The observational findings support a simple CBT-I strategy often recommended by sleep specialists: Turn the clock away, cover it, and avoid checking the time.
It can also help to move your phone out of reach and skip the smartwatch if time-checking has become a habit. In the middle of the night, knowing the exact time usually doesn’t help — it often just gives your mind something else to worry about.
5. Try the 4-7-8 Breathing Method
If you’re lying in bed feeling tense or frustrated, shifting your attention to your breath may help. One technique to try is the 4-7-8 method: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and breathe out for 8.
Slow, controlled breathing can help settle the body by lowering heart rate and easing physical tension. That’s because it helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system — the part responsible for rest and relaxation — rather than the stress response that keeps you feeling keyed up.
According to Cleveland Clinic, 4-7-8 breathing may help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation, which can make it easier to fall asleep. It’s simple, free, and easy to try when your mind or body feels too activated for rest.
6. Cut Back on Blue Light Before Bed
Melatonin is the hormone that helps signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep. But blue light from phones, tablets, and computers can interfere with that process, making it harder to fall asleep and stick to a steady sleep routine.
A systematic review published in Frontiers in Physiology found that blue light can have both benefits and drawbacks. For example, it may help boost alertness and cognitive performance in some situations, such as for young athletes. But when it comes to sleep, the review found that blue light exposure was linked to shorter sleep, lower sleep quality, and taking longer to fall asleep.
The most effective way to reduce blue light at night is still the simplest one: spend less time on screens before bed. Switching your device to night mode may also help a little, but it’s not a substitute for putting the screen away.
Some people with bipolar may also hear about “dark therapy,” which goes a step beyond simply staying off your device. The idea is to minimize evening light exposure to support your sleep-wake cycle and protect mood stability. In some cases, that may include using blue-blocking glasses or creating a very low-light environment at night.
7. Stick to a Regular Sleep Routine
An inconsistent sleep schedule can throw off your body’s internal clock. Even though it may feel tempting to stay up late and sleep in on the weekend, sleep experts say that kind of back-and-forth can make it harder for your body to settle into a steady rhythm. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can help support more stable sleep.
Research suggests that keeping a regular sleep schedule also helps support mood stability, energy levels, and overall functioning in people living with bipolar. Because sleep and mood are so closely connected, irregular habits can sometimes make it harder to stay on even footing.
This idea is also built into Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT), a therapy designed specifically for bipolar disorder. IPSRT focuses on keeping daily routines — especially sleep and wake times — as steady as possible. An older randomized controlled trial found that, when used alongside medication, IPSRT helped improve depressive and manic symptoms as well as social functioning, particularly in young adults. At its core, the approach helps people notice how daily habits affect mood and build routines that support greater stability.
Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking
- Kaplan KA, Sleep and Sleep Treatments in Bipolar Disorder. Current Opinion in Psychology. August 2020..
- Why Is Sleep Important? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. March 2022.
- Gershon A et al. Abnormal Sleep Duration Associated With Hastened Depressive Recurrence in Bipolar Disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. February 25, 2019.
- Harvey AG et al. Interventions for Sleep Disturbance in Bipolar Disorder. Sleep Medicine Clinics. March 1, 2015.
- Strøm-Tejsen P et al. The Effects of Bedroom Air Quality on Sleep and Next-Day Performance. Indoor Air. October 26, 2016.
- Ko Y et al. Effects of Feet Warming Using Bed Socks on Sleep Quality and Thermoregulatory Responses in a Cool Environment. Journal of Physiological Anthropology. April 24, 2018.
- Dawson SC et al. Losing Sleep Over Losing Sleep: How Watching the Clock Impacts Insomnia, Use of Sleep Aids. The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders. May 18, 2023.
- How to Do the 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise. Cleveland Clinic. September 2022.
- Silvani MI et al. The Influence of Blue Light on Sleep, Performance, and Well-Being in Young Adults: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Physiology. August 16, 2022.
- Luna-Rangel FA et al. Efficacy of Blue-Light Blocking Glasses on Actigraphic Sleep Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Crossover Trials. Frontiers in Neurology. November 17, 2025.
- Gold AK et al. The Role of Sleep in Bipolar Disorder. Nature of Science and Sleep. June 29, 2016.
UPDATED: Originally published August 3, 2023