5 tips for lawyers to improve sleep hygiene
Stacy Parmer is director of the Missouri Lawyers' Assistance Program.
The long work hours, deadlines, and heavy caseloads associated with the legal profession can be detrimental to lawyers’ overall sleep quality and duration, negatively impacting their ability to effectively practice law and serve their clients.
Impact of sleep
A 2024 Bloomberg Law Well-being Report found that when lawyers were asked what health issues and well-being challenges prevented them from performing at optimum levels, a staggering 56% indicated they experience disrupted sleep.1
Sleep hygiene is the set of behavioral and environmental aspects that support healthy sleep patterns, and it is a growing health concern across the globe.2 Good sleep hygiene can help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling rejuvenated, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Disrupted sleep, on the other hand, impairs cognitive function, making it difficult to focus on important work-related tasks. It impairs executive functioning, responsible for decision-making and problem-solving. It reduces the ability to effectively handle stress, increasing irritability and agitation. It decreases concentration and attention span leading to poor memory retention.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, anxiety and sleep are closely linked. Stress and worry can make it harder to fall and stay asleep, and poor sleep can worsen anxiety symptoms.3 This cyclical pattern interferes with daily functioning, affects mood and concentration, and even contributes to long-term health issues.
This connection between anxiety and sleep is particularly concerning for legal professionals as over half of surveyed lawyers in the Bloomberg Law Well-being Report indicated experiencing anxiety, and 48% stated they struggled to focus on work tasks.4
For lawyers, the ramifications of poor sleep hygiene can affect performance in courtrooms, negotiations, productivity, and client interactions.
Tips for improving sleep hygiene
Here are five ways lawyers can promote good sleep hygiene and improve sleep patterns:
1. Establish a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day.
2. Create a sleep conducive environment by dimming bedroom lights, limiting noise, and keeping the temperature cool.
3. Limit screen time to 30-60 minutes before bed. Resist the urge to check your work email one last time or review documents.
4. Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or stretching exercises.
5. Avoid large meals, caffeine, or alcohol within a few hours of bedtime.
Not sure if your sleep hygiene is high? Test your sleep habits here.5 This can also help you identify areas where you could improve your sleep hygiene.
It’s easy to overlook the importance of good sleep hygiene to overall mental health and well-being. Prioritizing sleep hygiene can help lawyers improve work focus and advocate effectively for clients while also taking care of themselves.
If you would like to improve sleep hygiene, reduce anxiety, or improve concentration, MOLAP is here to help. Contact MOLAP at 1-800-688-7859 or MOLAP@MoBar.org.
Endnotes
1 Bloomberg Law Attorney Workload and Hours Survey, Bloomberg Law (2024), pro.bloomberglaw.com/insights/business-of-law/attorney-workload-and-hours-survey.
2 Alanazi EM, Alanazi AMM, Albuhairy AH, Alanazi AAA., Sleep Hygiene Practices and Its Impact on Mental Health and Functional Performance Among Adults in Tabuk City: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus. 2023 Mar 16;15(3):e36221. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36221. PMID: 37069886; PMCID: PMC10105495.
3 The stress-sleep connection, National Sleep Foundation (March 13, 2022), https://www.thensf.org/the-stress-sleep-connection/.
4 Bloomberg Law Attorney Workload and Hours Survey, Bloomberg Law (2024), pro.bloomberglaw.com/insights/business-of-law/attorney-workload-and-hours-survey.
5 Sleep habit test, Psychology today (March 17, 2026), https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/health/sleep-habits-test.