Tips For Better Sleep

Long Story Short

• The average person takes about 11.7 minutes to fall asleep and sleeps for about 6 hours. (1)(2)
• Getting better sleep is associated with healthy weight, emotional balance, and overall mental and physical performance, among other benefits. (3) (4)
• To get better sleep, consider setting a sleep schedule, following a relaxing bedtime routine, and optimizing your sleep environment. (5)
• Consistently taking 30 minutes or more to fall asleep is associated with an increased risk of negative health outcomes like cancer and cardiovascular disease. (6) 
• Napping can improve your mood and boost alertness, but the key is to limit them to 30 minutes and time them right. (7)
• To sleep better at night, consider adding exercise to your daily routine and boosting your exposure to natural sunlight to help regulate your circadian rhythm. (8) 
• Other sleep tips include avoiding caffeine and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening and heavy meals before bed. (9) (10)

While the jury is still out on why we sleep, one thing we know for sure is that we need it, and we need enough of it. In fact, sleep is so important that it’s considered the third pillar of health. (11) Yet research, surveys, and statistics repeatedly show that many of us have deficits, with shortfalls alternating between not getting enough sleep and not getting enough high-quality sleep. (12) 

And when the ill effects of poor sleep take a toll (daytime sleepiness, impaired focus, and a lack of motivation, to name a few), we find ourselves on the search for tips and advice on how to sleep better. What it typically boils down to is this: if you want to sleep better at night, the answer often lies in myriad aspects of your bedtime and sleep habits. Here’s the skinny. 

Note: The content on Sleepopolis is meant to be informative in nature, but it shouldn’t be taken as medical advice, and it shouldn’t take the place of medical advice and supervision from a trained professional. If you feel you may be suffering from any sleep disorder or medical condition, please see your healthcare provider immediately.

Get At Least Seven Hours of Sleep 

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults get seven (or more) hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. And while guidelines on how much sleep we really need are often common knowledge, research shows that a third of Americans are coming up short. (13) 

Laura Purdy, M.D., MBA, and board-certified family medicine physician, tells Sleepopolis, “Getting a full night’s rest and good sleep quality is so important for your body and mind. Your body resets and repairs itself overnight, allowing you to wake up focused, refreshed, and ready for the day.”

Besides robbing you of all those benefits, short sleep can lead to a host of physical and mental health issues. Short-term effects of short sleep may include irritability, anxiety, impaired judgment, and poor job or academic performance, while long-term effects may include more serious conditions like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, and stroke. (14) (15) (16)

We’ll add here that while we all need enough time for our brains and bodies to perform the necessary biological processes while we sleep, the amount we need varies from person to person. Age, genetics, environment, and overall health can also play a role in our sleep needs across a lifetime. (17) (18)

Establish and Maintain a Sleep Schedule

While some sleep topics can be polarizing (looking at you, naps), many sleep experts agree that consistency is key. Establishing and maintaining a sleep schedule where you go to sleep and wake up at the same time (yes, even on weekends and holidays) is the best way to ensure you’re well rested and that your sleep is consistent in terms of duration and quality. (19)

Create A Relaxing Nighttime Routine

Bedtime routines are almost always associated with kids, but adults may find that a soothing bedtime routine can help their sleep, too. According to Purdy, a good bedtime routine can “set your sleep quality up for success.” The science here is that bedtime routines have a conditioning effect of sorts. By doing the same things night after night and then going to sleep, your brain will eventually associate those behaviors with sleep. 

And there are no hard and fast rules here; a relaxing bedtime routine can mean different things to different people. Ultimately, the key is to have a set of practices and activities that signal or condition your brain to understand that sleep is imminent. 

Activities for your bedtime routine may include:

• A warm bath (20)
• Reading something that doesn’t create stress or excitement (skip the blue light from e-readers and opt for old-school books here)
• Journaling (this helps you get your thoughts on paper so you’re not ruminating on them come bedtime)
• Light exercise
• Meditation (21)
• Listen to music

Invest In Quality Bedding 

Many of us overlook one critical factor in our quest to get better sleep at night — our bedding. Considering that we spend ⅓ of our lives in bed sleeping or trying to sleep, it matters. 

According to Purdy, proper sleep hinges on making sure your body is relaxed and comfortable, and your mattress and bedding materials are a part of that. 

For those considering upgrades and improvements, high-quality sheets, pillows, and mattresses can transform your sleep experience. But before you add anything to your Amazon cart or pull into our local Home Goods, remember that the best mattress, best sheets, and best pillows for you are the ones that match your sleep preferences — Purdy cautions you should try not to be too hot or too cold, and your mattress shouldn’t feel too firm or too soft to you. 

Essentially, you need to take a Goldilocks or The Princess and the Pea approach; your bedding has to be just right — your sleep depends on it. 

Limit Blue Light Exposure 

Most of us spend the tail end of our day catching up on whatever we missed on TikTok or Instagram, and this could interfere with our sleep in more ways than one. First, blue light is known to meddle with your body’s melatonin production, ultimately delaying sleep onset. (22) Second, Mark Aloia, head of sleep and behavioral sciences at Sleep Number, tells Sleepopolis, “Scrolling leads to your brain anticipating the next dopamine hit that comes from social media, which delays sleep onset as well.” (23) Pair that with your emotional responses to the news cycle or whatever battle is boiling over that day, and you have a recipe for disastrous sleep. 

To mitigate those risks, Aloia suggests “Shutting down your electronics an hour before bed.” Not only does this allow your body to relax and prepare for sleep, but it also keeps your melatonin production on track.” (22)

Block Out Unwanted Light and Noise 

Noise and light discipline are vital to good sleep — shortfalls in either or both can have a negative impact on your sleep quality. (24)

Ultimately, if you want to sleep better at night, Purdy says you have to set the tone and fine-tune your environment by making sure your sleep space is quiet, dark, and cool (more on that later). Breaking it down just a bit further, when your eyes detect light, your melatonin production and release are halted. In turn, your body ramps up its cortisol production to promote wakefulness. (25). Noise disrupts your sleep because, well, it’s noise. (26)

To keep both in check, consider investing in blackout curtains or using a sleep mask. Sleep headphones, earplugs, or a white noise machine are smart choices to block or mask ambient noise. 

Set The Thermostat Between 62-68°F

For those looking to get better sleep at night, the answer may lie with your thermostat and the ambient temperature in your sleep space. To get better sleep at night, a cooler environment is best — think somewhere between 60-67°F. (27)

Aloia adds, “Your body is designed to drop in temperature during sleep, and this drop signals to your body that it’s time to sleep. If you’re sleeping too hot at night, this may throw off your body and not allow you to fall asleep, leading to tossing and turning. Sleeping too cold can also lead to difficulty getting comfortable and falling asleep.” 

While cold sleepers can always add an extra blanket to the bed, hot sleepers can always opt for smart bedding swaps like a cooling mattress or cooling sheets. 

Get Natural Sunlight

Most people don’t know this, but natural sunlight can be a powerful sleep aid — so much so that Alois says, “Getting outside is crucial to keep your circadian rhythm in check.” He explains that exposure to light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin to promote alertness. In the evening, as our exposure to light diminishes (sunset), our bodies begin to produce melatonin, which makes us feel tired and promotes sleepiness. 

According to Aloia, the TLDR is: “Getting outside during the day — whether it’s for fresh air or exercise — will help keep your body’s sleep routine in check, regulate your circadian rhythm, and help you sleep better at night — naturally.” (28)

Exercise Regularly 

Exercise and sleep complement each other well, and research repeatedly shows us as much. A recent study across nine European countries found that people who regularly exercise (2 to 3 times per week) not only have a lower risk for insomnia, but they are also more likely to get their recommended six to nine hours of shut-eye per night. (29) 

For those thinking about incorporating daily exercise into their sleep hygiene routine, Purdy says you don’t have to jump into the deep end right away. “Even if it is starting with a 15-minute walk or stretching,” she says, “little changes and movements can make a big difference in the long run.” 

Reserve Your Bedroom For Sleep and Sex Only  

A 2019 poll by Statista found that a significant portion of Americans are hanging out in bed (sometimes for hours) watching TV. (30) Don’t act too surprised — you know you’ve done it too. But here’s the rub: not only does staying up to binge your favorite shows put you at risk for sleep deprivation, but other activities in your bed can affect your brain’s connection between sleep and your bed. (31) Over time, that connection between the two drifts further and further apart until one day, you find yourself wondering why you can’t sleep at night. 

Aloia adds, “Watching TV, scrolling on social media, working, or reading emails in bed can be mentally stimulating and delay sleep latency (the time you take to fall asleep).” 

A line in the sand is crucial to keeping things on track. “Keeping your bedroom as a space for sleep and intimacy only trains your body to associate your bed with fewer activities so it knows what to expect when you go to bed,” says Aloia. (32)

Instead of watching TV from bed way past bedtime, he suggests leaning into a bedtime routine that exchanges screens for other relaxing activities like reading a book, meditation, or listening to music. (See above)   

Avoid Heavy Meals Close To Bedtime

Eating heavy meals, especially closer to bedtime, can open the doors to heartburn and other difficulties, making it harder to sleep at night. (33) Noting that heavy meals before bed can become a bad habit that leads to weight gain over time, Purdy suggests sticking to a meal schedule (as best you can), trying to eat your last meal a few hours before bedtime, and avoiding snacking too close to bedtime.

Limit Alcohol About Four Hours Before Bed 

Regarding alcohol and sleep, we have good news and not-so-good news. For the sake of sleep, you don’t need to cut alcohol completely — but you should avoid consuming it within 4-6 hours before bedtime. (33)

Aloia notes that alcohol is a depressant and typically makes people feel tired, but there’s more to the story. He says, “You may fall asleep quickly, but alcohol alters sleep stages and almost always disturbs the second half of your night. (29) (35) Your sleep quality won’t be great, and you’ll probably feel groggy in the morning.” 

Avoid Caffeine After 2 P.M.

While alcohol is a depressant that gives most people a false sense of sleep quality, you might be getting a little more than you bargained for in that Americano, as well — caffeine and sleep don’t pair well. The steaming hot truth is that caffeine is a stimulant, and ill-timed consumption can delay sleep onset, reduce your total sleep time by as much as 45 minutes, and cause a 7 percent decrease in sleep efficiency. (36)

Aloia says you can still enjoy your cup of coffee or tea each day, but you should consider implementing a cutoff around 1 p.m., as caffeine’s lengthy half-life means it could take as much as 10 hours to fully clear out of your system. (37)

Limit Daytime Naps 

Naps are a controversial topic in the sleep world. While some experts say naps are okay, others continually warn against them. So, what’s that deal?

Well, it turns out daytime naps can be beneficial to our physical, cognitive, and mental health. Research shows they can improve cognitive function, enhance mood, boost productivity, and positively impact cardiovascular health. (38) (7) (39) And courtesy of NASA, there’s even some evidence to suggest that a 26-minute power nap can enhance alertness by as much as 54 percent. (40)

Now, while naps are okay, timing and duration are critical. Lengthy naps can push you into deeper sleep stages, triggering sleep inertia and leaving you groggy and sluggish upon waking. Moreover, longer naps can weaken your sleep drive, leaving you wide awake when bedtime rolls around. (41)

Aloia tells us, “You don’t have to eliminate naps from your day. If you need to nap because you’re overtired, slept poorly the night before, or are adjusting to a new time zone, that’s fine.” Just remember to limit your nap to 20 to 30 minutes and catch your daytime zzz’s before 2 p.m. so you don’t disrupt your sleep come nighttime.

Don’t Hit Snooze

While many of us rely on the snooze button to avoid oversleeping, Aloia says, “Hitting the snooze button does not deliver better sleep.” He explains that your brain goes through this exercise of expecting to wake feeling more rested, and that typically never happens.” Instead, you get an increase in sleep inertia and heightened fatigue after awakening. (42) 

Sleep inertia typically wears off after 30 minutes, but Aloia says if it takes longer than that, you might need to give yourself more time to sleep the following night. (41)

FAQs

The Last Word From Sleepopolis

Getting enough sleep each day is important, but so too is the quality of that sleep. To get better sleep all around, consider adding any or all of the sleep hygiene practices outlined above to your daily and nightly routine. 

Sources

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