If you’re ready to give your sleep a seasonal refresh for the colder months, you might look to hygge—the Danish art of coziness—for inspiration. Emphasizing warmth and comfort, hygge invites you to snuggle under soft blankets, read by candlelight, sip warm drinks and savor intimate moments with loved ones.
While this tradition is associated with boosting happiness, it also has the added advantage of improving your sleep. By weaving hygge principles into your lifestyle, you can create an atmosphere that promotes relaxation and restful slumber. Here’s what the science says about hygge and sleep, along with ways to embrace the practice to get the coziest sleep ever this fall and winter.
What Is Hygge?
Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) is a Danish concept that describes a quality of coziness, comfort, contentment and community from life’s simple pleasures. According to Visit Denmark, it can be described as “creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.” According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, the word hygge is more than 200 years old, but the concept dates back to the Middle Ages.
It may even directly contribute to Denmark’s famously high level of happiness. The country took second place in the country rankings in this year’s World Happiness Report.
Danes practice hygge year-round, doing things like having picnics with friends in the park, enjoying leisurely bike rides, watching a movie with a loved one, and appreciating the warm glow of candles in their homes, but the sentiment peaks—across Scandinavia and in the U.S.—around Christmas as a way to fight the Seasonal Affective Disorder that comes with cold, dark winter days.
How Hygge Benefits Sleep
The elements of hygge that help promote serenity, relaxation and happiness also tend to benefit sleep.
“Hygge is worth exploring if you want to sleep better,” says Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown, sleep medicine physician at The Restful Sleep Place. “A lot of the practices align with sleep hygiene, which can promote good sleep.”
Lighting, for example, is just as important in hygge as it is to sleep. Candlelight is considered extremely hygge. It’s also common for Danes to carefully select warm-temperature, low-light lamps for their room rather than a bright overhead light. Light is a critical zeitgeber affecting circadian rhythm, so switching to dim, calming lighting two hours before bedtime can not only promote the hygge feeling but also help promote the secretion of melatonin and make it easier to fall asleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The absence of light is a big signal to relax, calm down, and sleep,” explains Dr. Dylan Petkus, a sleep medicine specialist and author of “Sleep Apnea Solution.”
How To Bring Hygge Into Your Bedroom
Hygge encourages us to carve out a cozy nook in our home (called a “hyggekrog”). It’s a dedicated place to wrap yourself in a blanket and get lost in a good book while sipping tea. This comforting space can also be the perfect place for a wind-down ritual before bedtime to help put you in the right state of mind for sleep.
“A cozy, comfortable space makes us feel safe and relaxed, which leads to better sleep,” says Afolabi-Brown. “And having a calming evening routine, with things like reading a book or doing some meditation with a nice scented candle, helps decrease the mind racing and signals to the body that it’s time to sleep.”
Hygge also prioritizes natural elements. Research analyzed by UC Davis Health shows that spending time outside can promote relaxation and help regulate our sleep-wake cycles. In the warmer months, that might mean camping trips, relaxing in the park or hiking outside—all of which could improve sleep.
“Making a habit of spending time outdoors can help improve our sleep quality overall. It decreases the chance of anxiety and depression, which can affect sleep,” says Afolabi-Brown.
In the winter, though, the Danes bring nature indoors as much as possible, especially through wood. It’s hygge to savor the scent of burning wood in a fireplace, decorate with natural wood tones, bring more greenery into your space, or simply notice the feel of a wood floor beneath your feet. A 2019 systematic review found that people who looked at wooden materials, flowers and green plants while indoors experienced a more relaxed state, which could promote better rest.
How Hygge Can Improve Relationships
While much of the focus of hygge is on aesthetics, interpersonal relationships are also a key component of hygge and can have just as large an impact on our sleep and overall well-being. Study after study shows that social isolation and loneliness are linked with low sleep quality, insomnia symptoms and sleep disturbances.
“Having good interpersonal relationships and intimate partner relationships, where people are actively focused on having conversations and forms of intimacy, like touching or cuddling, is linked with better sleep quality,” says Petkus.
“That makes a lot of sense when you think about humans 3,000 years ago. You experience a certain level of security and safety when you’re surrounded by people you’re friends with, compared to being out in the wild by yourself. That evolutionary framework leads to a more relaxed nervous system and better sleep,” he says.
How To Use Hygge for Better Sleep
By integrating hygge into your life, you create a peaceful, cozy atmosphere that encourages relaxation and better sleep. Whether it’s through dim lighting, connecting with loved ones or bringing nature into your space, hygge can fill your life with restorative moments and support quality rest all season long.
Here are five ways you can use hygge to sleep better:
Switch to dim, soothing lighting
Warm, soft lighting is an essential part of giving your home a sense of hygge (and getting your body ready for bed, too). Rather than leaving your overhead light on in the evening, switch on a few warm-bulbed floor lamps or light some candles—they’re a quintessential part of a hygge atmosphere. If you’re worried about having open flames around kids or pets, you can turn on LED tea light candles.
Set up a hyggekrog
A hyggekrog, or a cozy nook, can give you a space to relax and wind down before bed. Danes often place it in the kitchen or living room, but even a comfy corner of your bedroom can work. Pile it with soft cushions and snuggly blankets, and if possible, position the seating so you can enjoy a pleasant view. (What’s more relaxing than watching snowflakes fall outside on a winter night?) Adding sentimental touches, like family photos or a cherished heirloom, can remind you of loved ones and make the space feel more personal and comforting.
Make this your go-to spot for sleep-promoting evening activities, like light reading, meditation or listening to relaxing music.
Sip a soothing drink
A warm, soothing drink before bed is a classic hygge practice that can help ease you into slumber. Herbal teas like chamomile, valerian root or lavender can have calming effects that make you feel relaxed. For an extra hygge touch, sip it from your favorite mug and enjoy a moment of quiet before bed.
Bring nature into your bedroom
Bringing the outdoors into your bedroom with calming scents and natural materials can create a serene hygge environment. Try lighting a candle scented with lavender, pine or sandalwood, or use an essential oil diffuser with your favorite relaxing blend. When updating your bedroom furniture, opt for natural wooden materials, like a teak nightstand or a rustic oak bed frame. You can also add a few houseplants to create a peaceful, grounding atmosphere.
Minimize screen time
Put down your phone and embrace a grounding, screen-free activity instead. Knitting, scrapbooking, drawing, journaling or working on a puzzle fit perfectly with hygge’s emphasis on slow living and help you transition into a calm, restful state before bed.
Similarly, playing a board game can get family members off devices and promote a sense of togetherness.
There are almost endless ways to practice hygge, and its beauty lies in its simplicity. Whether savoring a warm cup of chamomile tea, wrapping yourself in blankets in your hyggekrog or gathering with loved ones for a Scrabble competition, hygge fills your life with cozy, comforting rituals that naturally promote better sleep and overall well-being.
