Most of my patients already know the sleep rules. Cut the late coffee. Put the phone down. Keep the room cool and dark. Then they go home and do the opposite, because nobody ever showed them what each habit actually costs them at 3 AM.

So I built a game that shows it. It is called Climb to Dreamland, it is free, and it runs right in your phone browser. Every hazard in it is a real sleep disruptor, and every power-up is a real habit that helps.

What Is Climb to Dreamland?

It is a retro 8-bit arcade game. You play as a character, climbing a house one room at a time to reach the Dream Door at the top. The Insomnia Gremlin flies above you and drops everything that keeps people awake.

• 8 rooms, 8 lessons. Each floor is one section of my book, 30 Sleep Hygiene & Biohacks.
• One life. When your sleep meter hits zero, the night is over.
• Sleep carries over. Damage from one floor follows you to the next, just like a bad night follows you into the next day.
• Each night gets harder. Floors get shorter on time, and the Gremlin gets faster and smarter.

Your Sleep Meter Is Built Like a Real Night

The meter at the top of the screen is split into the four stages of sleep: N1, N2, N3 and REM. Each section is sized roughly like a typical adult night. N2 takes about half, deep sleep (N3) and REM share most of the rest, and N1 is a thin sliver.

Get hit, and you lose REM first. That is on purpose. REM is the stage most people quietly lose to alcohol, late nights and early alarms.

Each Room Is a Lesson From My Book

• The Bedroom (Light). Dodge blue light, energy drinks, your phone and a street light sweeping through the window. Grab morning sun, a sleep mask and an amber lamp.
• The Bathroom (Temperature). Dodge ice cubes, a cold shower and an overheated blanket. Grab a thermostat set to 65 and light pajamas. Bonus: a warm bath.
• The Coffee Bar (Caffeine and Substances). Dodge coffee, beer, wine and vape clouds. Grab water and warm milk.
• The Home Office (Behavior). Dodge the laptop, work papers, phone and TV. Grab a paper book, a sleep mask and some yoga.
• The Home Gym (Exercise). Dodge late-night kettlebells and dumbbells. Grab daytime cardio. Bonus: a morning workout.
• The Midnight Kitchen (Food and Supplements). Dodge pizza, burgers and donuts. Grab a small snack and low-dose melatonin. Bonus: a visit with a sleep doctor.
• The Living Room (Stress). Dodge a racing heart and work that follows you home. Bonus: 4-7-8 breathing on the couch.
• The Sleep Lab (Biohacking). Dodge mouth tape, mega-dose supplements, ice baths and sleep trackers. There are no power-ups here. Collect all 3 Z’s to open the Dream Door.

The Science Behind the Hazards

I did not make these up for fun. Every hazard is backed by research.

Coffee hits hard because caffeine lingers. A 2023 meta-analysis found that caffeine cut total sleep by about 45 minutes and sleep efficiency by about 7 percent. To avoid that loss, a regular coffee needed to be finished at least 8.8 hours before bed.¹ So if you sleep at 10 PM, your last cup is around 1 PM.

Alcohol hurts you later, not right away. In the game, beer and wine drain your meter a few seconds after you get hit. In real life, a 2025 meta-analysis found that even about two drinks delayed and reduced REM sleep, and the damage grew with more alcohol.² The nightcap helps you fall asleep, then takes REM away.

Light at night sends the wrong signal. In one study, evening light around 30 lux, about the level of a floor lamp, cut melatonin by more than half on average. Some people were over 50 times more sensitive than others.³ That is why the amber lamp in the game turns off the blue light hazards.

Why a Game?

People often ask me if a game can really change how you sleep. Honestly, the research is still early. A 2025 review of sleep hygiene games found promising results, including fewer insomnia symptoms in the largest trial, but most studies were small and short.

So I do not see this game as treatment. I see it as a memory hook. The next time you reach for a 4 PM coffee, I want you to picture that coffee cup falling on Dr. Snoozz and your REM bar going dark.

Practical Takeaways You Can Start Tonight

• Finish your last coffee about 9 hours before bed.
• Skip the nightcap. Swap it for a glass of water, sipped, not chugged.
• Dim the lights 1 to 2 hours before bed and switch to warm, amber bulbs.
• Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
• Get 10 to 30 minutes of sunlight within an hour of waking.
• Keep the phone out of arm’s reach, with Do Not Disturb on.
• Move your workouts to the morning or afternoon.

Play, Compete and Share

There is a public leaderboard for this week and all time. Save your score with your name, and add your Instagram handle if you want other players to find you. When you post your score, tag @dr.snoozz so I can see how far you climbed.

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References

1. Gardiner C, Weakley J, Burke LM, et al. The effect of caffeine on subsequent sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2023;69:101764.
2. Gardiner C, Townshend A, Weakley J, et al. The effect of alcohol on subsequent sleep in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2025;80:102030.
3. Phillips AJK, Vidafar P, Burns AC, et al. High sensitivity and interindividual variability in the response of the human circadian system to evening light. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2019;116(24):12019.
4. Liang Z, Melcer E, Hoang NH, Khotchasing K. Sleep hygiene games and gamification: where are we and where are we heading? Front Sleep. 2025;4:1607117.
5. Wasey W. 30 Sleep Hygiene & Biohacks. Snoozz, LLC.

This article and game share general, educational information, not medical advice. Talk with your own doctor before changing your sleep routine, medications or supplements.