How i can sleep better

How to Sleep Better

Tired of tossing and turning at night? These simple tips will help you sleep better and be more energetic and productive during the day.

How can I get a better night’s sleep?

Sleeping well directly affects your mental and physical health. Fall short and it can take a serious toll on your daytime energy, productivity, emotional balance, and even your weight. Yet many of us regularly toss and turn at night, struggling to get the sleep we need.

Getting a good night’s sleep may seem like an impossible goal when you’re wide awake at 3 a.m., but you have much more control over the quality of your sleep than you probably realize. Just as the way you feel during your waking hours often hinges on how well you sleep at night, so the cure for sleep difficulties can often be found in your daily routine.

Unhealthy daytime habits and lifestyle choices can leave you tossing and turning at night and adversely affect your mood, brain and heart health, immune system, creativity, vitality, and weight. But by experimenting with the following tips, you can enjoy better sleep at night, boost your health, and improve how you think and feel during the day.

Tip 1: Keep in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle

Getting in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, is one of the most important strategies for sleeping better. If you keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, you’ll feel much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times, even if you only alter your sleep schedule by an hour or two.

Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. This helps set your body’s internal clock and optimize the quality of your sleep. Choose a bed time when you normally feel tired, so that you don’t toss and turn. If you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock, you may need an earlier bedtime.

Avoid sleeping in—even on weekends. The more your weekend/weekday sleep schedules differ, the worse the jetlag-like symptoms you’ll experience. If you need to make up for a late night, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping in. This allows you to pay off your sleep debt without disturbing your natural sleep-wake rhythm.

Be smart about napping. While napping is a good way to make up for lost sleep, if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, napping can make things worse. Limit naps to 15 to 20 minutes in the early afternoon.

Start the day with a healthy breakfast. Among lots of other health benefits, eating a balanced breakfast can help sync up your biological clock by letting your body know that it’s time to wake up and get going. Skipping breakfast on the other hand, can delay your blood sugar rhythms, lower your energy, and increase your stress, factors that may disrupt sleep.

Fight after-dinner drowsiness. If you get sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.

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How to sleep better

15 science-backed tips

Good sleep is a foundation for good health and a happier frame of mind. But when was the last time you woke up feeling refreshed, alert, and hopeful — ready to take on the day? Or, fell asleep easily without worry or effort?

If you’re nodding after reading those questions, know you’re not alone. These issues affect many of us.

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Wind down for a restful night’s sleep

Try this simple visualization to soothe the mind and relax the body, creating the ideal sleep conditions.

Do you need to get better sleep?

If you’re waking up tired and fuzzy-headed, it can be harder to remember things, like where you left the keys when you’re rushing to get out the door, or maybe at work, you don’t feel as focused or productive as you could be.

Not surprisingly, by the time you get home you may be feeling irritable or cranky, and a little wound up. Not the best state of mind for peacefully drifting off a few hours later.

To feel your best during the day, you need to sleep well at night. Unfortunately, there’s no magic wand you can wave to make that happen. But there are some simple steps you can take to help you sleep better.

Here are 15 things to consider if you want to get better sleep:

5 tips to create a restful environment for a good night’s sleep

Your bedroom should feel like a sleep oasis — stress and distraction-free. While creating the right environment is, to a certain extent, a matter of personal preference, sleep experts offer these sleep hygiene suggestions that are backed by science.

1. The ideal room for sleep is cool and dark. Most experts agree that the sweet spot for temperature is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, 73% of Americans say the darker the room the better. 65% of people use shades, curtains, or blinds to block unwanted light.

3. Choose the bedding (and sleep position) that’s best for you. A comfortable mattress and pillows are essential for good sleep, but whether they’re soft or firm is up to you. The pillow you choose may depend on your preferred sleep position. If you’re a side sleeper (as most people are), your pillow should comfortably support your head, neck, and ear as well as your shoulder. People who sleep on their backs should consider a thinner pillow to limit stress on the neck.

4. Declutter your bedroom. If your bed feels dreamy but your room is a mess, you could be at a higher risk for sleep problems. A study presented at the June 2015 SLEEP conference in Seattle suggests that those surrounded by clutter were more likely to have a sleep disorder. What your eyes see when you walk into a room can influence whether or not you’ll have an easy time falling asleep. So, as many of our parents used to say, clean up your room!

5. Pick the perfect pillow for you. Pillow fill is important to consider if you suffer from allergies. Fills vary from natural choices like feathers to synthetics like rayon, foam, or latex. Look for pillows that are hypoallergenic to lessen the chance of nighttime congestion and sniffles that can keep you awake.

5 ways to wind down for better sleep at the end of your day

Especially after a busy day, it’s important to allow time in the evening to decompress and unwind before heading to bed. That doesn’t mean turning your home into a silent retreat. Just a few small changes can awaken your senses and calm your busy mind, easing the transition from daytime to night.

2. Dim the lights when you’re home at night. Instead of switching on a bright overhead light, think about lamps, a dimmer switch, or candles to create a more serene setting. In addition to being more low key, indirect light is less disruptive the body’s natural circadian rhythms.

3. Consider limiting caffeine and alcohol later in the day. Part of the winding down process at night actually begins during the day. It includes exercising early, limiting caffeine — coffee, tea, and soda — after lunch, avoiding foods that might upset your stomach, and perhaps skipping happy hour, since alcohol too late in the day can diminish sleep quality.

4. Expose yourself to natural light (outdoors, if possible) in the morning or earlier in the day. Getting enough natural light during the day will also keep your body clock on a healthy sleep-wake cycle.

5. Ramp down evening emails. Try not to read (or send) work emails after dinner. According to a 2018 study out of Virginia Tech, the mere expectation of checking work email after hours can cause anxiety and stress. Each new message represents another decision you have to make, keeping your mind active (and taking away from social time, family time or alone time). The study recommends practicing mindfulness to help you unwind and keep you present for social, family or solo activities.

5 suggestions to help you de-stress and sleep better

1. Try some gentle yoga poses before bedtime. According to a survey by The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, more than 85% of those who practiced yoga reported reduced stress and 55% reported better sleep. These 7 restorative yoga poses before bed have been shown to increase relaxation and relieve tension.

3. Bathe before bedtime. Taking a warm bath or shower an hour or two before bed has been shown to relax both the body and mind, in one study lowering both heart rate and blood pressure. Heat relaxes tense, tired muscles, and helps you de-stress.

4. Read yourself a bedtime story (in book form). Reading is a great way to relax. Even just six minutes absorbed in a story can reduce stress by 68%, according to research from the University of Sussex. The cognitive neuropsychologist who conducted the test, Dr. David Lewis, described getting lost in a good book as “the ultimate relaxation … you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world. ” Best case scenario, it’s a book — you know, those hardcover or paperback volumes with the pages sewn together — not a Kindle, iPad, or other backlit devices. If you don’t have a book at the moment, try listening to one of the sleepcasts from Headspace. Choose from a series of descriptive narrations, where soothing voices guide you through relaxing, dreamy landscapes — allowing you to unwind and power down gently.

The Science of Sleep: A Brief Guide on How to Sleep Better Every Night

If you want to learn how to sleep better, then you’re in the right place. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know if you want to get better sleep. I’ll explain the science of sleep and how it works, discuss why many people suffer from sleep deprivation without knowing it, and offer practical tips for getting better sleep and having more energy.

Plain and simple, the purpose of this guide is to explain the science of how to sleep better. You can click the links below to jump to a particular section or simply scroll down to read everything. At the end of this page, you’ll find a complete list of all the articles I have written on sleep.

I. The Science of Sleep

II. How Sleep Works

III. How to Sleep Better

I. The Science of Sleep

Sleep is one of the strangest things we do each day. The average adult will spend 36 percent of his or her life asleep. For one-third of our time on earth, we transition from the vibrant, thoughtful, active organisms we are during the day and power down into a quiet state of hibernation.

But what is sleep, exactly? Why is it so important and so restorative for our bodies and minds? How does it impact our lives when we are awake?

The Purpose of Sleep

Sleep serves multiple purposes that are essential to your brain and body. Let’s break down some of the most important ones.

The first purpose of sleep is restoration. Every day, your brain accumulates metabolic waste as it goes about its normal neural activities. While this is completely normal, too much accumulation of these waste products has been linked to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Alright, so how do we get rid of metabolic waste? Recent research has suggested that sleep plays a crucial role in cleaning out the brain each night. While these toxins can be flushed out during waking hours, researchers have found that clearance during sleep is as much as two-fold faster than during waking hours.

The way this process occurs is fairly remarkable:

During sleep, brain cells actually shrink by 60 percent, allowing the brain’s waste-removal system—called the glymphatic system—to essentially “take out the trash” more easily. The result? Your brain is restored during sleep, and you wake up refreshed and with a clear mind.

The second purpose of sleep is memory consolidation. Sleep is crucial for memory consolidation, which is the process that maintains and strengthens your long-term memories. Insufficient or fragmented sleep can hamper your ability to form both concrete memories (facts and figures) and emotional memories.

Finally, sleep is paramount for metabolic health. Studies have shown that when you sleep 5.5 hours per night instead of 8.5 hours per night, a lower proportion of the energy you burn comes from fat, while more comes from carbohydrate and protein. This can predispose you to fat gain and muscle loss. Additionally, insufficient sleep or abnormal sleep cycles can lead to insulin insensitivity and metabolic syndrome, increasing your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

All of this to say, that better sleep is critical for your mental and physical health. Before we get too deep into this sleep guide though, let’s pause for just a second. If you’re enjoying this article on sleep, then you’ll probably find my other writing on performance and human behavior useful. Each week, I share self-improvement tips based on proven scientific research through my free email newsletter.

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How Much Sleep Do You Need?

Alright, so sleep is important, but how much sleep do you really need? To answer that question, let’s consider an experiment conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Washington State University.

The researchers began the experiment by gathering 48 healthy men and women who had been averaging seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Then, they split these subjects into four groups. The first group had to stay up for 3 days straight without sleeping. The second group slept for 4 hours per night. The third group slept for 6 hours per night. And the fourth group slept for 8 hours per night. In these final three groups—4, 6, and 8 hours of sleep—the subjects were held to these sleep patterns for two weeks straight. Throughout the experiment the subjects were tested on their physical and mental performance. 1

Here’s what happened…

The subjects who were allowed a full 8 hours of sleep displayed no cognitive decreases, attention lapses, or motor skill declines during the 14-day study. Meanwhile, the groups who received 4 hours and 6 hours of sleep steadily declined with each passing day. The four-hour group performed worst, but the six-hour group didn’t fare much better. In particular, there were two notable findings.

First, sleep debt is a cumulative issue. In the words of the researchers, sleep debt “has a neurobiological cost which accumulates over time.” After one week, 25 percent of the six-hour group was falling asleep at random times throughout the day. After two weeks, the six-hour group had performance deficits that were the same as if they had stayed up for two days straight. Let me repeat that: if you get 6 hours of sleep per night for two weeks straight, your mental and physical performance declines to the same level as if you had stayed awake for 48 hours straight. 2

Second, participants didn’t notice their own performance declines. When participants graded themselves, they believed that their performance declined for a few days and then tapered off. In reality, they were continuing to get worse with each day. In other words, we are poor judges of our own performance decreases even as we are going through them.

The Cost of Sleep Deprivation

The irony of it all is that many of us are suffering from sleep deprivation so that we can work more, but the drop in performance ruins any potential benefits of working additional hours.

As Gregory Belenky, Director of the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University, puts it: “Unless you’re doing work that doesn’t require much thought, you are trading time awake at the expense of performance.”

And this brings us to the important question: At what point does sleep debt start accumulating? When do performance declines start adding up? According to a wide range of studies, the tipping point is usually around the 7 or 7.5 hour mark. Generally speaking, experts agree that 95 percent of adults need to sleep 7 to 9 hours each night to function optimally. Most adults should be aiming for eight hours per night. Children, teenagers, and older adults typically need even more. 4

Here’s a useful analogy for why sleep is so important.

The Theory of Cumulative Stress

Imagine that your health and energy are a bucket of water. In your day-to-day life, there are things that fill your bucket up. Sleep is one of the main inputs. These are also things like nutrition, meditation, stretching, laughter, and other forms of recovery.

There are also forces that drain the water from your bucket. These are outputs like lifting weights or running, stress from work or school, relationship problems, or other forms of stress and anxiety. 5

The forces that drain your bucket aren’t all negative, of course. To live a productive life, it can be important to have some of those things flowing out of your bucket. Working hard in the gym, at school, or at the office allows you to produce something of value. But even positive outputs are still outputs and they drain your energy accordingly.

These outputs are cumulative. Even a little leak can result in significant water loss over time.

Keeping Your Bucket Full

If you want to keep your bucket full, you have two options.

Recovery is not negotiable. You can either make time to rest and rejuvenate now or make time to be sick and injured later. Keep your bucket full.6

Ok, But Can You Catch Up on Sleep?

Extra sleep can remedy some of the negative effects of several bad nights of sleep. New research found that catching up on sleep on the weekends brought daytime sleepiness and inflammation levels back to baseline; however, cognitive performance did NOT rebound.

What exactly does that mean? If you’re not getting enough sleep during the week, you cannot depend on catch-up sleep on the weekends to restore your focus and attention. The only way to keep levels of those performance measures high is to make sure you’re getting adequate sleep every night.

Now does this mean you shouldn’t even try to catch up on sleep? No. If you’re already sleep deprived, you should definitely try to get some extra sleep. But the best thing to do, both for immediate performance and for the long-term, is to prioritize sleep every night—not just on the weekends. 7

II. How Sleep Works

The Sleep-Wake Cycle

The quality of your sleep is determined by a process called the sleep-wake cycle.

There are two important parts of the sleep-wake cycle:

During slow wave sleep the body relaxes, breathing becomes more regular, blood pressure falls, and the brain becomes less responsive to external stimuli, which makes it more difficult to wake up. This phase is critical for renewal and repair of the body. During slow wave sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormone, which stimulates tissue growth and muscle repair. Researchers also believe that the body’s immune system is repaired during this stage. Slow wave sleep is particularly critical if you’re an athlete. You’ll often hear about professional athletes like Roger Federer or LeBron James sleeping 11 or 12 hours per night. 8

As one example of the impact of sleep on physical performance, consider a study researchers conducted on the Stanford basketball players. During this study, the players slept for at least ten hours per night (compared to their typical eight hours). During five weeks of extended sleep, the researchers measured the basketball players accuracy and speed compared to their previous levels. Free throw shooting percentage increased by 9 percent. Three point shooting percentage increased by 9.2 percent. And the players were 0.6 seconds faster when sprinting 80 meters. If you place heavy physical demands on your body, slow wave sleep is what helps you recover. 9

REM sleep is to the mind what slow wave sleep is to the body. The brain is relatively quiet during most sleep phases, but during REM your brain comes to life. REM sleep is when your brain dreams and re-organizes information. During this phase your brain clears out irrelevant information, boosts your memory by connecting the experiences of the last 24 hours to your previous experiences, and facilitates learning and neural growth. Your body temperature rises, your blood pressure increases, and your heart rate speeds up. Despite all of this activity, your body hardly moves. Typically, the REM phase occurs in short bursts about 3 to 5 times per night.

Without the slow wave sleep and REM sleep phases, the body literally starts to die. If you starve yourself of sleep, you can’t recover physically, your immune system weakens, and your brain becomes foggy. Or, as the researchers put it, sleep deprived individuals experience increased risk of viral infections, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, mental illness, and mortality.

To summarize: slow wave sleep helps you recover physically while REM sleep helps you recover mentally. The amount of time you spend in these phases tends to decrease with age, which means the quality of your sleep and your body’s ability to recover also decrease with age.

Age-Related Sleep Changes

According to Harvard Medical School researchers, “As people age, it takes longer to fall asleep, a phenomenon called increased sleep latency. And sleep efficiency – the percentage of time spent asleep while in bed – decreases as well.”

Based on my calculations of the above data, the average 80-year-old gets a whopping 62 percent less slow wave sleep than the average 20-year-old (20 percent of the average sleep cycle versus 7.5 percent). There are many factors that impact the aging of body tissues and cells, but it stands to reason that if your body gets less slow wave sleep to restore itself each night, then the aging process will accelerate as a result.

In other words, it seems reasonable to say that getting good sleep is one of your best defenses against aging quickly.

The Circadian Rhythm

What is your sleep-wake cycle dictated by?

Answer: the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is a biological cycle of different processes that happen over a time span of about 24 hours.

Here are some key points in the typical 24-hour cycle:

Obviously, these times are not exact and merely display the general pattern of the circadian rhythm. The exact times of your circadian rhythm will vary based on daylight, your habits, and other factors we will discuss later in this guide.

The circadian rhythm is impacted by three main factors: light, time, and melatonin.

Light. Light is probably the most significant pace setter of the circadian rhythm. Staring into a bright light for 30 minutes or so can often reset your circadian rhythm regardless of what time of day it is. More commonly, the rising of the sun and light striking your eyes triggers the transition to a new cycle.

Time. The time of day, your daily schedule, and the order in which you perform tasks can all impact your sleep-wake cycle.

Melatonin. This is the hormone that causes drowsiness and controls body temperature. Melatonin is produced in a predictable daily rhythm, increasing after dark and decreasing before dawn. Researchers believe that the melatonin production cycle helps keep the sleep-wake cycle on track.

The 2-Process Model of Sleep Regulation

In 1982, Dr. Alexander Borbely published an article in the journal Human Neurobiology describing something he called the 2-process model of sleep regulation. This conceptual framework for sleep describes two processes that occur simultaneously to regulate sleep and wake states.

Process 1 is sleep pressure. Basically, sleep pressure mounts from the moment you wake up, to the time when you go to sleep. While you’re sleeping, pressure decreases. If you get a full night of sleep, you start the next day with low sleep pressure.

Process 2 is wake drive, which counteracts sleep pressure and is controlled by a 24-hour rhythm that repeats in a wave-pattern.

It’s important to understand this process because it helps reveal an important point about sleep in our modern world that I learned from sleep scientist Dan Pardi:

For millions of years, humans and our ancestors have evolved to sleep at night (when it is dark) and wake during the day (when it is light). However, in the modern world, we work inside all day, often in areas that are darker than the outside world. And then, at night, we look at bright screens and televisions. Low light during the day, more light at night: It’s the opposite of naturally occurring cycles and it seems quite likely that it could mess up your wake rhythm and circadian rhythm.10

The result of this shift? Drowsiness and impaired function through the day. We’ll talk more in just a minute about how to sleep better, including actionable steps you can take to anchor your rhythm, but it pretty much comes down to this: Use common-sense light habits. Get outdoor light exposure during the day, and turn down the lights and turn off your screens after dark.

When Should I Go to Sleep?

If you’re getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep, does it matter when you get it?

“The time of night when you sleep makes a significant difference in terms of the structure and quality of your sleep,” said Dr. Matt Walker, head of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.

The ratio of REM to non-REM sleep changes through the night, with non-REM sleep dominating cycles earlier in the night and REM sleep kicking in closer to sunrise, Walker said. That means a late night could result in insufficient amounts of deep, non-REM sleep. As we discussed earlier, it’s crucially important to get healthy amounts of both REM and non-REM sleep.

So how early do you need to be to bed to get enough of each type of sleep? Walker says there’s a window of several hours, about 8 p.m. to midnight.

The best time for you, though, will vary.

Till Roenneberg, a professor of chronobiology at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich who studies the biological roots of sleep, says each person has a unique internal timing profile called a sleep chronotype that determines where on the scale from “early bird” to “night owl” we fall. Your chronotype is largely genetic.

When choosing your bedtime, try not to fight your physiology. The best bedtime will differ a little bit for everyone, but it’s crucial that you pay close attention to your internal clock and what your body is telling you. As long as you’re getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep, just focus on finding the time that works best for you.

III. How to Sleep Better

How to Fall Asleep Fast

Develop a “power down” ritual before bed. The light from computer screens, televisions, and phones can hinder the production of melatonin, which means your body isn’t preparing the hormones it needs to enter the sleep phase. Specifically, it is the blue wavelength of light that seems to decrease melatonin production. Developing a “power down” routine where you shut off all electronics an hour or two before sleep can be a big help. Additionally, working late at night can keep your mind racing and your stress levels high, which also prevents the body from calming down for sleep. Turn off the screens and read a book instead. It’s the perfect way to learn something useful and power down before bed. (Another option is to download an app called f.lux, which reduces the brightness of your screen closer to bedtime.)

Use relaxation techniques. Researchers believe that at least 50 percent of insomnia cases are emotion or stress related. Find outlets to reduce your stress and you’ll often find that better sleep comes as a result. Proven methods include daily journaling, deep breathing exercises, meditation, exercise, and keeping a gratitude journal (write down something you are thankful for each day).

How to Improve Sleep Quality and Duration

If you want to know how to sleep better and boost your performance there are 3 levers you can “pull” to give yourself a boost.

Intensity refers to how well you sleep. The percentage of sleeping time you spend in slow wave sleep and REM sleep largely determine the quality of your sleep each night. 11

Timing refers to when you go to sleep. What time do you go to bed? This factor is important for two reasons. First, if you get in bed around the same time each night, it is easier for your body to develop good sleep habits. Second, the time you go to sleep should be in accordance with your circadian rhythm.

Duration refers to how long you sleep. This one is simple: how much time do you spend sleeping each night?12

How can you use these 3 levers to sleep better?

When it comes to intensity, the truth is that there isn’t much you can do. Your body largely manages the intensity of your sleep cycle (how much time you spend in slow wave sleep and REM sleep) for you. It adjusts automatically based on what you need and how much time you are spending asleep. Exercising consistently, being smart about light habits, and getting proper nutrition will help, but these actions only indirectly improve sleep intensity. 13

This is actually good news because it simplifies things for you. Because your body manages the quality of your sleep on its own, you only need to focus on two factors: timing (when you go to bed) and duration (how long you’re in bed).

If we make another assumption, then we can simplify the situation even further. That assumption is this: You wake up at approximately the same time each day.

If you wake up at about the same time each day, then your sleep duration is basically determined by when you go to bed. Generally speaking, if you get into bed earlier, then you’ll end up sleeping more. Improve the timing and you’ll improve the duration as well.

And that brings us to this practical punchline…

From a practical application standpoint, timing is perhaps the most important of the 3 levers of sleep. The intensity of your sleep is managed automatically by your body. The duration of your sleep is largely dependent on when you get into bed (assuming you wake up around the same time each morning). And that means getting to bed at an earlier, more consistent time is critical for improving the quality and duration of your sleep.14

Daily Habits for Better Sleep

Next, let’s talk about how to sleep better by harnessing the power of a few simple, daily habits.

Get outside. Aim for at least 30 minutes of sun exposure each day.

Turn out the lights. When it gets dark outside, dim the lights in your house and reduce blue or full-spectrum light in your environment. F.lux, a free software app for your computer, makes the color of your computer’s display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

Avoid caffeine. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, eliminating caffeine from your diet is a quick win. If you can’t go without your morning cup of coffee, then a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is “No coffee after noon.” This gives caffeine enough time to wear off before bed time.

Stop smoking or chewing tobacco. Tobacco use has been linked to a long line of health issues, and poor sleep is another one on the list. I don’t have any personal experience with tobacco use, but I have heard from friends who have quit successfully that Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking book is the best resource on the topic.

Natural Sleep Aids

Exercise. There are too many benefits to exercise to list them all here. When it comes to sleep, exercise will make it easier for your brain and body to power down at night. Furthermore, obesity can wreak havoc on your sleep patterns. The role of exercise only becomes more important with age. Fit middle-aged adults sleep significantly better than their overweight peers. One caveat: avoid exercising two to three hours before bedtime as the mental and physical stimulation can leave your nervous system feeling wired and make it difficult to calm down at night.

Temperature. Most people sleep best in a cool room. The ideal range is usually between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 21 degrees Celsius).

Sound. A quiet space is key for good sleep. If peace and quiet is hard to come by, try controlling the bedroom noise by creating “white noise” with a fan. Or, use ear plugs (here’s a good pair).

Alcohol. This one is a slippery slope. It is true that having a drink before bed — a “night cap” — often does help people fall asleep. However, while it makes it easier to fall asleep, it actually reduces the quality of your sleep and delays the REM cycle. So you fall asleep faster, but it’s possible that you’ll wake up without feeling rested. It’s probably best to improve your sleep through other methods before resorting to alcohol to do the job.

Final Thoughts on How to Sleep Better

Cumulative sleep debt is a barrier between you and optimal performance. If you want to know how to sleep better, the answer is simple but remarkably underrated in our productivity-obsessed culture: get more sleep.

How to Sleep Better: Your Guide for Good ZZZs

Is something keeping you up at night?

Maybe you find yourself tossing and turning as you try to drift off. Or maybe you wake up before dawn feeling hot, congested, and distracted. When this issue persists, it can be frustrating. From fatigued mornings to long, sleepless nights, it feels like there’s no remedy in sight. The good news? There are many simple tricks you can use to facilitate a healthier sleep cycle, from your nighttime routine to comparing mattresses to find your perfect fit.

So, if you find yourself wondering How can I sleep better, the tips below are for you.

#1 Reset Your Sleep Schedule

The best way to sleep is consistently. Have you ever heard of “sleep hygiene?” We brush and floss every morning and evening (well, some of us do). Why? Because good oral hygiene decreases the likelihood of dental issues.

Likewise, good habits can help limit issues when it comes to sleep.

When we sleep on a consistent schedule, we develop healthy circadian rhythms. Essentially, our bodies know when it’s time to go to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. We have an internal alarm clock that we calibrate through our sleep hygiene. This is the reason why parents set a bedtime for their children and why you should consider one, too! Healthy sleep habits lead to a more stable circadian rhythm, which sleep experts believe is key in getting restful sleep.

To maintain good sleep hygiene:

We know. Your weekends are your reward for a long workweek! Why shouldn’t you be able to sleep in? The reality is that the more consistent you are in your sleeping routines, the more consistent your quality of sleep will be.

It’s a lot like dental health; not flossing one morning won’t devastate your teeth. Neither will a few extra hours dozing off on Sunday destroy your sleep cycle. However, if you’re trying to overcome a problem, you’ll need to take more serious measures.

#2 Make Sure You’re Tired

It’s hard to get to bed at 10pm if you’re wide awake.

When you’re establishing your new sleep pattern, roll back your bedtime just 10-15 minutes per night. This way, your body will have time to adjust.

In addition, make sure you’re actually starting to get sleepy by bedtime. How?

In addition to these lifestyle changes, a healthy bedtime routine can help you wind down for a good night’s sleep.

#3 Create a Bedtime Routine

What do you usually do before bed? Watch Netflix until you’re half-asleep? Scroll through social media? That’s certainly one kind of bedtime routine, but it may not be the most soothing for your body and mind.

If you have trouble actually falling asleep, a consistent routine and ritual can help you relax and signal your brain that you’re preparing for bed. Consider including the following activities in your routine:

Try limiting your screen time as much as possible. You want to send healthy signals to your brain that it’s time to “power down.” It’s not time for stimulation, it’s time for relaxation. You can’t just tuck your body beneath that comfy duvet, you need to tuck your mind away too if you want a better night’s sleep.

#4 Block Out Light and Noise

Now you’re ready to fall asleep. What’s the next step? Ensuring that nothing wakes you up in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, light and sound are both common culprits of poor sleep.

Consider the following solutions:

With a few of these tools (or all of them), you might just find that sleep comes easier.

#5 Choose the Right Mattress

Another key to better sleep? Finding a comfortable sleep position. If you find yourself tossing and turning all night, your mattress could be at fault.

Do you have any of the following problems?

Any of the above could be solved by a new mattress. For saggy mattresses with little support, you could consider buying a mattress pad as a temporary fix. However, if your mattress has trapped allergens that are affecting your sleep, or it’s so saggy you feel like you’re sleeping on a sand dune, it’s time for an upgrade.

After all, if you’ve had your mattress for 7 (or more!) years, you may have missed out on some of the best technological innovations in the sleep industry.

Both kinds of mattresses may feature zoned support to help you align your spine whether you sleep on your side, stomach, or back. Depending on your needs, look for additional features like gel cooling and ergonomic zones.

Of all the items on this list, a new mattress has the biggest monetary cost. Remember that it’s a long-term investment in your health and wellness, too. Learn about the best time to buy a mattress and consider buying a mattress online, where you can avoid markups and delivery costs.

#6 Troubleshoot Common Sleep Issues with Pillows and Sheets

Once you’ve tackled your sleep routine, you might still wake up throughout the night. Luckily, a small upgrade to your sleep situation can help improve the issue that’s bothering you.

Here are some common sleep issues and their solutions:

Springing Back From Setbacks

We all have off nights of sleep from time to time. If you have a single sleepless night (or a few), don’t despair. You can always check with your doctor to see if underlying health issues are behind your bad sleep. However, in most cases, going back to a regular sleep schedule will eventually yield results.

Avoid the temptation to catch up with naps, and take extra care to avoid caffeine, get sleepy, and perform your nighttime rituals. With a bit of effort, you’ll be dreaming in no time!

Get Comfortable with Casper

Are you looking for the right mattress to carry you off to dreamland? Our line of mattresses uses state-of-the-art sleep technology to provide you with the comfort, support, and airflow needed for a good night’s sleep. Upgrade your bedding with natural fiber sheets and the pillows best suited to your sleeping style.

How to Sleep Better

Laura Harold is an editor and contributing writer for Verywell Family, Fit, and Mind.

Armeen Poor, MD, is a board-certified pulmonologist and intensivist. He specializes in pulmonary health, critical care, and sleep medicine.

Verywell / Jiaqi Zhou

A good night’s sleep can make you feel energized in body and mind, ready to take on the day. But did you know that sleep also supports many other processes, like learning and memory, emotional regulation, cardiovascular and metabolic function, and the removal of toxins from the body?

Unfortunately, sleep is something that many people struggle with. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 70 million Americans deal with chronic sleep problems. A poor night’s sleep can cause fatigue, concentration problems, moodiness, headaches, and more.

For many of us, sleep can come more easily by adding some healthy habits to our routines before we go to bed.

This article offers tips on how to improve the quality of your sleep. It also covers the possible reasons why you may not be sleeping at night and how to address them.

How to Sleep Better

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits that help set you up for a good night’s sleep. You can optimize your routine and your environment to help you sleep better. But there’s no-one-size-fits-all solution here. It’s all about finding what works best for you.

You may need to try different methods to figure out what gives you the best sleep. But it is also important to know that improving sleep hygiene may not resolve underlying sleep problems or mental health disorders. If you are having trouble sleeping, and you can’t find a healthy way to improve your sleep, it’s best to talk to a doctor or mental health professional.

Below are 11 tips to improve your sleep hygiene and get a better night’s sleep.

Create a Bedtime Routine

Having a bedtime routine means that you consistently perform activities that wind you down for sleep. Repeating your routine each night will help signal to your body that it’s almost time to rest.

Some examples of activities in bedtime routines include:

Make Sure Your Bedroom Is Comfortable

Ideally, your bedroom is a cool, dark place where there are no loud noises that keep you from falling asleep. If there is any light coming into your room, try blocking it out with blackout curtains or a sleep mask. You can also try a white noise machine or earplugs to drown out any sound.

Diffusing essential oils in your room may help bring on sleep as well. For instance, inhaling lavender has been shown to improve sleep quality in people with self-reported sleep issues.

Try to avoid using your bed as a place to eat meals, watch TV, or work on your laptop during the day. This is so that you don’t associate your bed with activity, but rather, with rest.

Invest in Your Bedding

An old or uncomfortable mattress or pillow can result in interrupted sleep, back pain, and neck pain. To avoid this:

Ditch the Blue Light Before Bed

The blue light that your phone, laptop, and TV emit stimulate your brain and can prevent the relaxation you need for sleep. It’s recommended that you stop using electronics at least an hour before bed.

Reduce Eating Close to Bedtime

It’s often difficult to fall asleep on a full stomach. Of course, you don’t want to be hungry when you go to bed, either. Try eating your last meal about two to three hours before bed. If you’re hungry just before you go to sleep, try eating a light snack like fruit or a few crackers.

Stop Drinking Water Two Hours Before Sleep

Drinking water right before you go to bed often means you’ll be getting up in the middle of the night (perhaps even multiple times) to go to the bathroom. Make sure you drink enough water throughout the day so that you can stop drinking at least two hours before your nighttime routine.

Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine Before Bed

Alcohol and caffeine are both energy stimulants as well as bladder stimulants. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try limiting your alcohol and caffeine intake during the day, but especially before bed.

Even some foods contain caffeine, like chocolate, so be cautious about what you’re eating as a bedtime snack.

Avoid Nicotine

Nicotine is another stimulant that is known to negatively affect sleep quality. In addition to its other health risks, such as cardiovascular disease and cancers, smoking is linked with insomnia, sleep apnea (a condition in which breathing stops and restarts throughout the night), and other sleep disorders.

Be Consistent

Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on weekends. Of course, it’s natural to have nights where you stay up later than usual, whether you’re preparing for the next morning or having fun at a social gathering. It’s OK if you fall off track; just try to get to bed at your usual time the following evening.

It’s recommended that most adults get between seven and eight hours of sleep per night.

Get Up When You Can’t Sleep

On some nights, it can be difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. You may toss and turn, stare at the clock, count sheep, and become frustrated.

If you’re tossing and turning for 20 minutes or more, get out of bed and do something relaxing such as reading a book, journaling, listening to music, or meditating. Then, return to bed and try again.

Be Physically Active

A daytime routine is just as important as a bedtime routine. Including regular physical exercise into your routine can help you feel more tired at night and improve your sleep. Research also finds that exercise enhances the effects of the natural sleep hormone melatonin.

Skip the Daytime Nap

Taking long naps or napping too close to your bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.

Potential Causes of Sleep Problems

It’s possible that there are causes, other than poor sleep hygiene, that are contributing to sleep problems.

Common sleep disorders include:

Mental health conditions can also contribute to sleep difficulties. These include anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and depression. Depressive symptoms can also cause you to sleep longer than usual (for instance, if you’re sleeping 10 hours a day and have trouble getting out of bed).

Some medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), amphetamines (such as Adderall), anticonvulsants, and steroids can contribute to sleep difficulties.

If you’re having trouble sleeping no matter how you try to improve your sleep hygiene, it may be time to talk to a doctor or mental health professional. You deserve the best sleep possible.

How to Find Help

If you’re experiencing sleep difficulties that aren’t improving, try visiting a primary care doctor. They will likely ask you about your sleep routine and what your sleep issues are, give you a physical exam, and review your medical history.

Be sure to tell a doctor about any medications, vitamins, or supplements you’re taking, even if you don’t believe they’re interfering with your sleep.

Providing a full picture of your health and lifestyle can help a doctor determine what changes you may be able to make to get better sleep.

A doctor may refer you to a mental health professional (such as a therapist or psychiatrist) if you have a mental health condition that is contributing to your sleep problems. A doctor may even refer you to a sleep specialist.

A sleep specialist can diagnose sleep disorders and even teach you cognitive or behavioral modifications to improve your sleep quality. In some cases, it may be recommended that you participate in a sleep study. During a study, you sleep in part of a lab that is set up as a bedroom. A specialist monitors your brain activity while you sleep and can then diagnose any sleep disorders.

A Word From Verywell

Experiencing difficulty falling or staying asleep can be frustrating. But by paying attention to your sleep hygiene, you can make improvements to your routine to set yourself up for rest. If you’re consistently having trouble sleeping, however, you don’t have to go through it alone. Talk to a doctor or mental health professional who can identify any potential causes of your sleep difficulties and provide you with coping skills to get a better night’s sleep.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sleep and sleep disorders: About our program.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sleep hygiene tips.

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K. Pavlova M, Latreille V. Sleep disorders. The American Journal of Medicine. 2019;132(3):292-299. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2018.09.021

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What is sleep apnea?

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