One of the latest trends is the 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule, a countdown-style sleep hack. But does this strategy actually help, or is it another trend with little scientific backing that’s circulating on social media?
Learn what the 10-3-2-1-0 rule is, what sleep experts and studies say about it, and who it might work for.
What Is the 10-3-2-1-0 Sleep Rule?
The 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule is a simple guideline designed to help you quiet your mind and body in the hours leading up to your bedtime, says William Lu, MD, a sleep medicine physician based in San Francisco, and the medical director at the sleep clinic Dreem Health.
The method took off on social media in 2021, when Boston-based sports medicine physician and pediatrician Jess Andrade, DO, at Mass General Brigham, explained the method in an Instagram post.
The 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule breaks sleep hygiene into five steps, which are part of Dr. Andrade’s original post and are promoted by many other social media users who follow the strategy, Dr. Lu says:
10 Hours Before Bedtime Stop caffeine use
3 Hours Before Bedtime Stop drinking alcohol and eating
2 Hours Before Bedtime Stop work and stressful activities
1 Hour Before Bedtime Put away all screens
Zero Number of times to hit the snooze button in the morning
What Sleep Experts Say About the 10-3-2-1-0 Sleep Rule
Sleep experts say that the 10-3-2-1-0 rule is grounded in solid science, though research doesn’t conclusively back the exact timing of each step.
The principles behind each step are supported by evidence, says Amit Shetty, DO, a board-certified neurologist who specializes in sleep medicine at Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Washington. “It offers a practical framework for improving sleep hygiene.”
Here’s how each step might be good for you:
Stopping Caffeine 10 Hours Before Bed
Research has long shown a link between sleeplessness and caffeine use.
“Avoiding caffeine 10 hours before bedtime is important, as it can cause insomnia and worsen your sleep quality,” says Dr. Shetty. Caffeine blocks adenosine, a natural chemical that builds up in your brain during the day and signals it’s time to sleep at night.
“This can make you feel more alert even when your body is ready to sleep, reducing the amount of slow-wave and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep you experience at night,” Shetty says.
Slow-wave sleep, the deepest non-REM sleep phase, is when your body strengthens its immune system and repairs tissue, among other tasks. REM is when dreaming occurs.
Caffeine has a half-life of five hours for the average adult, but research shows this varies widely between people, ranging from 2 to 10 hours. This means that about half of the caffeine you consume remains in your body after this time, and roughly 25 percent may still be present 10 to 14 hours later, Shetty says.
“For those who are caffeine-sensitive or slower metabolizers, reducing total caffeine intake and avoiding caffeine even earlier in the day may be necessary to prevent sleep disruption,” he says.
Stopping Eating and Drinking 3 Hours Before Bed
“Eating late in the evening elevates [the] hormones cortisol and ghrelin while reducing melatonin and leptin — two hormones that play key roles in sleep initiation and maintenance,” Shetty says.
And yes, research specifically points to the three-hours-before-bed benchmark as a helpful one. Data suggests that eating within three hours of bedtime may delay when you fall asleep, cause you to wake up more at night, and sleep fewer hours.
Alcohol is another enemy of good sleep, which may be surprising, given how drinking it also makes you drowsy. Having one drink at dinner several hours before bedtime likely won’t affect your sleep, but having more than that can lead to worse sleep quality, a higher chance of snoring, and fewer hours of sleep overall.
Drinking alcohol can worsen symptoms of sleep disorders like sleep apnea and reduce your sleep quality (and quantity) even more.
Powering Down Work and Screen Time 1 to 2 Hours Before Bed
Putting away work (including emails and homework) and screens (such as smartphones and laptops) helps your brain shift into rest mode. “Screen use and late-night work can delay melatonin production and keep your brain alert when it should be winding down,” says Lu.
Research shows that people who use laptops, smartphones, or similar devices late at night often struggle to fall asleep.
A Norwegian study, for example, found that young adults who used screens in bed were 59 percent more likely to have insomnia and sleep 24 minutes less each night.
Sleep experts recommend swapping out your work to-do’s and cell phone use for relaxing, screen-free activities, such as stretching, breathing exercises, and meditation.
Skipping the Snooze Button
It’s tempting to think that hitting the snooze button is a good thing, since it grants you a few extra minutes of shut-eye. But this habit may be adding to your sleepiness.
“Snoozing alarms creates these short periods of fragmented sleep,” Lu says. Research suggests that repeatedly using a snooze button increases fatigue and sleep inertia, which is the groggy feeling you experience the first 30 minutes after waking up.
Skipping the snooze button also helps you wake up at the same time each day. Lu says this consistency helps promote more efficient and restorative sleep for most people.
Who Should Try the 10-3-2-1-0 Sleep Rule, and Who Should Avoid It?
Lu and Shetty agree that the 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule can help most people. It’s a good fit for people who don’t want to become sleep health experts or memorize complicated rules, but would rather follow an easy-to-remember routine.
But this simplified routine shouldn’t be used without medical guidance if you have certain health conditions, such as:
Sleep Disorders This basic sleep hygiene hack doesn’t address underlying causes of ongoing insomnia or other sleep disorders. So it’s better to use this approach alongside other treatments rather than in place of them.
Eating Disorders The relationship between sleep and eating disorders is complicated, requiring more personalized support from qualified doctors and nutritionists than a simple rule can provide.
Some health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, require taking medications late in the evening and may not work with this rule's limitations on eating. If your current medication schedule or other health routine conflicts with this rule’s constraints, talk with your doctor before adjusting your timing.
The Takeaway
The 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule simplifies sleep hygiene guidelines, setting bedtime limits on caffeine, food, alcohol, work, and screens, and banning the snooze button in the morning.
Many sleep experts and studies agree that you can improve the quality and quantity of your sleep by practicing good habits like these.
Sleep experts prefer consistent wake-up schedules and ditching the snooze button, a practice that research says may help you wake up more refreshed. Still, some studies suggest that use of snooze buttons may be beneficial for very heavy sleepers or those with anxiety about oversleeping.
The 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule can likely help improve sleep hygiene. But those with a sleep disorder, eating disorder, or health condition requiring evening medication should first talk with their healthcare team, because adjusting eating and medication timing isn’t appropriate for everyone.
Additional reporting by Sarah Shelton.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Zhang J et al. The Impact of Stress on Sleep Quality: A Mediation Analysis Based on Longitudinal Data. Frontiers in Psychology. October 21, 2024.
Schöllhorn I et al. Melanopic Irradiance Defines the Impact of Evening Display Light on Sleep Latency, Melatonin and Alertness. Communications Biology. March 1, 2023.
Hjetland GJ et al. How and When Screens Are Used: Comparing Different Screen Activities and Sleep in Norwegian University Students. Frontiers in Psychiatry. March 2025.
Edinger JD et al. Behavioral and Psychological Treatments for Chronic Insomnia Disorder on Adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. February 1, 2021.
Mutti C et al. Sleep Pathologies and Eating Disorders: A Crossroad for Neurology, Psychiatry and Nutrition. Nutrients. October 23, 2023.
Abhinav Singh, MD, is a board-certified sleep medicine specialist and the medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center. He is also an associate clinical professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, where he developed and teaches a sleep medicine rotation.
Dr. Singh’s research and clinical practice focus on sleep disorders, including excessive daytime sleepiness, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, insomnia, and sleep education.
Singh is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Sleep Health (from the National Sleep Foundation) and the Journal of Sleep Disorders: Treatment and Care, and is coauthor of the book Sleep to Heal: 7 Simple Steps to Better Sleep. He has received several Top Doctor recognitions and is the sleep specialist for the Indiana Pacers NBA team.
He lives in the Indianapolis area and enjoys music production and racquet sports.
Cheyenne Buckingham is a freelance health writer, editor, and content strategist in Brooklyn, New York. She has a decade of professional writing, editing, and SEO experience. She covers topics ranging from practical tips for managing chronic conditions to deep dives into inequities in healthcare.
In addition to contributing to Everyday Health, she writes for HealthCentral, U.S. News & World Report, Self, EatingWell, Nike, Hinge Health, Simply Recipes, Condé Nast Traveler, and more.
When she isn’t writing, she’s running, strength training, or trying new restaurants with friends. Buckingham qualified and competed in the 2023 Boston Marathon.
