Improving Sleep Habits | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 最近、よく眠れていません。

   I have not been sleeping well recently.

   最近

   recently

   よく

   well

   眠れていません

   have not been able to sleep

   More detail

   最近 means “recently” or “lately” and places the situation in the recent period. It is a time expression, not part of the verb’s inflection. Example: 最近、忙しいです。 — “I have been busy recently.” よく means “well” here: it describes the quality of sleeping. The same adverb can also mean “often” in other sentences, but the sleeping context supports “well” here. Example: よく食べます。 — “I eat well” or “I eat a lot,” depending on context; its exact meaning comes from what it modifies. 眠れていません is the polite negative form of 眠れている. The underlying lexical verb is 眠る (“to sleep”); 眠れる is its potential form, meaning “be able to sleep.” The pattern 眠れている expresses being in a state of being able to sleep, and 眠れていません says that this has not been the case. Thus, this form focuses on not managing to sleep well, rather than simply choosing not to sleep. 眠りません would instead be the ordinary polite negative of 眠る: “do not sleep.” Together, 最近 sets the time, よく describes the quality, and 眠れていません states the continuing/recent negative sleep condition. The whole utterance means: “I have not been sleeping well recently.” It is a polite, natural way to describe a recent ongoing difficulty with sleep.

2. 夜の習慣を変えたほうがいいかもしれません。

   Maybe your evening routine needs changing.

   夜

   evening; night

   習慣

   routine; habit

   変えたほうがいい

   it would be better to change

   かもしれません

   maybe; might be

   More detail

   夜 means “night” or “evening” here. The exact choice depends on context; with the supplied translation, “evening” is natural. In compounds, 夜の習慣 means “an evening/night habit” or “evening routine.” 習慣 means a habit or routine: a repeated way of doing something. Aの習慣 can mean “A’s habit” or “a habit involving/associated with A”; here 夜の習慣 identifies the routine associated with the evening. The sentence does not explicitly state the possessor in Japanese, while the fixed translation presents it as the listener’s routine. 変えたほうがいい is a reusable advice pattern. The verb is 変える (“to change”); 変えた is its past form. In V-たほうがいい, the past-shaped form is used to say that doing V is preferable: 早く寝たほうがいい。 means “You should go to bed early.” This is advice, not a statement that the change has already happened. The subject of 変える is omitted here and is understood from the situation rather than marked in the phrase itself. かもしれません expresses possibility politely: “may,” “might,” or “perhaps.” It follows the preceding clause and softens the advice, so 変えたほうがいいかもしれません means “it might be better to change it,” rather than giving an unqualified command. The polite ending is ません; the possibility expression itself is かもしれない in a less formal form. Together, 夜の習慣 identifies the evening routine, 変えたほうがいい presents changing it as preferable, and かもしれません makes that recommendation tentative. The whole utterance therefore means: “Maybe your evening routine needs changing.” In the supplied context, this suggestion is connected to the reported poor sleep and phone use immediately before bed.

3. 寝る直前にスマートフォンを使っています。

   I use my phone right before bed.

   寝る

   sleep; go to bed

   直前に

   immediately before

   スマートフォン

   smartphone

   使っています

   am using

   More detail

   寝る means “to sleep” or, in this context, “to go to bed.” It is the dictionary form and can modify a following noun or time expression: 寝る前 means “before going to bed.” Here, the translation supports the bedtime reading rather than a general statement about sleeping. 直前に means “immediately before.” 直前 is a noun meaning “the moment just before” something, and に marks that point as a time. The pattern X直前にY means “Y immediately before X.” For example, 出発直前に電話しました。 means “I called immediately before departure.” スマートフォン is the noun “smartphone.” It is a loanword written in katakana. In this sentence it is the thing being used; the object marker を connects it to the verb: スマートフォンを使う means “use a smartphone.” 使っています is the polite form of 使っている, from the verb 使う (“to use”). The form 使っています combines the て-form 使って with います. This construction can describe an action in progress, but it can also describe a current habit or practice; the fixed translation presents it as “I use,” not necessarily as an action happening at this exact instant. The subject is omitted in Japanese and is understood here as “I” from the fixed translation. A reusable contrast is 使います (“will use/use”) versus 使っています (“am using” or “currently use as a habit”). Together, 寝る直前に sets the time—“immediately before going to bed”—and スマートフォンを使っています says that the speaker uses a smartphone at that time. The whole utterance therefore means, “I use my phone right before bed.”

4. 画面を見る時間を減らすと、リラックスできるかもしれません。

   Less screen time may help you relax.

   画面

   screen

   見る

   to look at; to watch

   時間

   time

   減らす

   to reduce

   リラックスできる

   can relax

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   画面 means “screen” or “display.” In this sentence it is the thing being looked at. A useful compound pattern is 画面を見る (“look at the screen”); 画面 is a noun, while 見る is the verb. 見る is the dictionary form “to look at,” “to watch,” or, with a suitable object, “to see.” Its polite form is 見ます, and its negative form is 見ない. Here it takes 画面 as its object: 画面を見る = “look at the screen.” 時間 means “time.” In 画面を見る時間, it refers to the amount of time spent looking at the screen. Japanese commonly places a modifying phrase before a noun, so 画面を見る modifies 時間: “time for looking at the screen” or more naturally “screen time.” 減らす means “to reduce” or “to decrease something.” It is a transitive verb, so the thing reduced can be marked with を: 時間を減らす = “reduce the time.” Its related intransitive verb is 減る (“decrease”): 時間が減る means “the time decreases,” whereas 時間を減らす means “someone reduces the time.” リラックスできる means “can relax.” リラックスする is the verb “to relax,” and できる here expresses its potential form: being able to relax. For example, 音楽を聞くとリラックスできる。 means “When I listen to music, I can relax.” The subject is not stated in the Japanese sentence; the fixed translation gives the intended reading as helping you relax. かもしれません expresses possibility: “may” or “might.” Its less formal counterpart is かもしれない. It follows the plain form リラックスできる, producing リラックスできるかもしれません = “may be able to relax.” This makes the statement cautious rather than certain. The pattern Aを減らすと、Bかもしれません means “If/when someone reduces A, B may happen” or, in a suitable context, “Reducing A may lead to B.” Here 画面を見る時間を減らす means “reduce the time spent looking at screens.” The conditional と connects that condition to the result リラックスできるかもしれません. Putting the parts together: 画面を見る時間を減らすと gives “if you reduce screen time,” and リラックスできるかもしれません gives “you may be able to relax.” The whole utterance means: “Less screen time may help you relax.”

5. 代わりに本を読んだほうがいいですか。

   Should I read a book instead?

   代わりに

   instead

   本

   book

   読んだ

   read

   ほうがいいですか

   would it be better?

   More detail

   代わりに means “instead” or “in place of something else.” Here it sets up reading as the alternative. A reusable pattern is A の代わりに B (“B instead of A”), although the replaced activity can also be understood from context rather than stated directly. 本 means “book.” It is a noun and can combine with counters when counting books, for example 本を一冊読みます (“I read one book”). In this sentence, 本を marks “a book” as the thing being read; を is the particle marking the direct object. 読んだ means “read” here. Its base form is 読む (“to read”), and 読んだ is its plain past form. In 読む → 読んだ, the verb changes to the past form before ほうがいい; this construction does not mean that the reading has already happened. For example, 早く寝たほうがいいです means “You should go to bed early.” ほうがいいですか asks whether one option is preferable or advisable. Together with a plain past verb, V-たほうがいい commonly means “it is better to V” or “you should V.” The polite form ですか makes the question polite. Compare 読んだほうがいいです (“You should read”) with 読まないほうがいいです (“You should not read / It is better not to read”); the negative recommendation uses the plain negative form 読まない. The whole utterance is assembled as 代わりに (“instead”) + 本を (“a book,” the object) + 読んだほうがいいですか (“would it be better to read?”). Thus, 代わりに本を読んだほうがいいですか。 means “Should I read a book instead?”

6. 落ち着ける、簡単なものを選びましょう。

   Choose something calm and easy.

   落ち着ける

   calming; able to help someone relax

   簡単な

   easy; simple

   もの

   thing

   選びましょう

   let’s choose

   More detail

   落ち着ける is related to 落ち着く, “to calm down” or “to feel settled.” Here it is the potential form: it describes something that can help someone become calm or relaxed. In 落ち着けるもの, the form modifies もの; it does not say that the thing itself literally becomes calm. Example: ここでは落ち着ける。 — “I can relax here.” 簡単な means “easy” or “simple” here. 簡単 is a na-adjective, so な appears before the noun it describes: 簡単なもの (“something simple”). This is different from an i-adjective such as 易しいもの, where no な is used. もの is a broad noun meaning “thing” or “something.” A modifier before it narrows the meaning: 簡単なもの is “something simple.” The particle を marks this noun phrase as what is chosen. 選びましょう comes from 選ぶ, “to choose.” The ending -ましょう is the polite volitional form, used for a suggestion such as “let’s choose.” It is not the plain present form 選ぶ and does not by itself specify how many people will choose. Together, 落ち着ける、簡単なものを選びましょう。 means “Let’s choose something calming and easy.” The two descriptions come before もの, and the complete noun phrase 落ち着ける、簡単なもの is the object of 選びましょう.

7. そうすれば、心がゆっくり落ち着きます。

   So your mind can slow down.

   そうすれば

   if you do so; then

   心

   mind; heart

   ゆっくり

   slowly; gently

   落ち着きます

   calm down; settle down

   More detail

   そうすれば means “if you do so; then.” It links an action or situation just mentioned with its result. そう refers back to that preceding action or situation, and -ば marks a conditional relationship. Pattern: そうすれば、結果。 = “If you do so, the result will be …” 心 means “mind” here, matching the fixed translation. Depending on context, this noun can also refer to a person’s feelings, inner self, or emotional heart; it does not mean the physical organ in the usual sense, for which Japanese commonly uses 心臓. Example: 心が安らぐ。 — “The mind feels at peace.” ゆっくり means “slowly” or “gently.” It is an adverb, so it describes how the settling happens rather than changing form to agree with 心. Example: ゆっくり話してください。 — “Please speak slowly.” 落ち着きます means “settles down” or “calms down” in this sentence. Its base form is 落ち着く; 落ち着きます is the polite nonpast form. The nonpast form can describe a present tendency or an expected result, so after そうすれば it presents the calming as the result of the preceding action. The subject is not stated in Japanese; the fixed translation identifies the intended subject as “your mind.” Together, そうすれば sets up the result, 心が marks the mind as the thing that settles, ゆっくり describes the gradual manner, and 落ち着きます gives the result: “So your mind can slow down.”

8. それを数晩試してみます。

   I will try that for a few nights.

   それを

   that (as the object)

   数晩

   a few nights

   試してみます

   will try

   More detail

   それを means “that” as the object of the action. それ is a demonstrative pronoun referring here to the thing intended by “that”; を marks it as the object. The pronoun itself does not identify what the thing is. 数晩 means “for a few/several nights.” 晩 is a noun for a night or evening-night period, and 数 indicates an unspecified small number rather than an exact count. In this sentence, the phrase functions as a duration placed directly before the verb. 試してみます is the polite form of the reusable pattern 試してみる, “try doing [something].” 試す is the base verb “to try/test”; its て-form, 試して, combines with みる to express trying the action as an experiment. Here みる is an auxiliary, not the independent verb “see.” みます is the polite nonpast form, which the fixed translation interprets as a future intention: “will try.” Together, それを + 数晩 + 試してみます gives “I will try that for a few nights.” The subject is understood from context rather than stated in this utterance. The sentence presents trying the previously indicated thing over several nights, without specifying an exact number of nights.

9. 決まった習慣があると、よく眠れるようになります。

   A steady routine can improve sleep.

   決まった

   regular; fixed

   習慣

   routine; habit

   あると

   when there is

   よく

   well

   眠れる

   can sleep

   ようになります

   come to be; become

   More detail

   決まった modifies the noun that follows it. It is the past form of 決まる, “be decided; become fixed,” used before a noun here with the meaning “regular” or “established.” The past form in this position does not necessarily place the routine in the past; it describes a routine that has become fixed. For example, 決まった時間 means “a set time.” 習慣 means “habit” or “routine.” Together, 決まった習慣 means “an established routine.” 習慣 is a noun, so it can be used in other patterns such as 習慣を作る, “create a habit.” あると contains ある, “exist; be present,” followed by と. After a clause, と can mark a condition whose result follows naturally: “when there is ...” or “if there is ...”. Here it presents having an established routine as the condition for the result. The と is not part of the noun 習慣. よく is the adverbial form of よい/いい, meaning “well” here. It describes the quality of sleeping in よく眠れる, “be able to sleep well.” In other contexts, よく can also mean “often,” so its meaning comes from the word it modifies and the sentence context. 眠れる is the potential form of 眠る, “sleep,” meaning “can sleep” or “be able to sleep.” The form expresses ability or a favorable possibility, rather than simply the act of sleeping. For example, 今日は眠れる means “I can sleep today” or “I will be able to sleep today,” depending on context. ようになります expresses a change into a new state. ようになる can follow a potential form such as 眠れる, producing the pattern V-れるようになる: “come to be able to V.” なります is the polite non-past form of なる, “become”; the polite form is used for the sentence’s register. Thus the combination 眠れるようになります means “come to be able to sleep” or “become able to sleep.” As a whole, 決まった習慣があると means “when there is an established routine,” and よく眠れるようになります means “one comes to be able to sleep well,” without the Japanese sentence specifying a particular person. The complete utterance therefore means: “A steady routine can improve sleep.”