How to Improve Your Sleep
Hopefully by now you realize Why Sleep Matters. While there are many reasons that sleep can be disrupted, fortunately, a few simple shifts can often make a big difference. While all of these suggestions are potentially useful, the ones that work for you will depend on your personal situation.
The sleep aid industry is burgeoning, and while there is a time and place for any prescription, you ultimately want to avoid relying on sleep aids, and sedatives. Not only can they become habit forming, further worsening your sleep problems due to a reliance on them, the sedation they provide does not allow for the same restoration as actual sleep.
I know that most of what is on this list is common sense. And I realize that not everything is practical at all times. But here are some top tips for improving your sleep.
Give yourself enough time to get 7-8 h sleep. Sounds ridiculous, and simple, but you have to give yourself ample time to get the sleep you need. For adults, that is somewhere between 7-8 hours. So work backwards from your desired/required wake up time, and put the requisite bedtime on your schedule.
Get up at the same time each day – even on weekends! This one sounds counter-intuitive, but if you are good about the step above, it will become easier and easier. Our bodies ultimately respond well to repetitive schedules, so with the same wake up time daily, and some hopeful consistency on bedtime, falling asleep actually becomes easier. The opposite also seems to be true, for those people with constantly varying sleep routines, getting to sleep can be harder.
Keep naps short. Let’s face it, sometimes you need one. Keep it to 20 min, and aim for early afternoon, shortly after lunch.
There are many things to do to help you relax in the 30 m before bed
Take a break from screens. Consider putting them down, all of them (TV, tablets, phones, computers) about 60 min before bed. Even if you have them on dark mode, so the light is not suppressing your melatonin, the activity on the screen is activating your brain. This makes it harder to fall asleep.
Relax/quiet your mind. Even if you are exhausted, it is much more difficult to fall asleep if your brain is wired. This happens to me constantly. There are MANY things to do to help you relax in the 30 min before you go to bed. Stop doom scrolling, and consider reading, stretching, soothing music, meditation, mindful breathing or guided imagery as ways to calm down your mind.
natural daylight early in the day can help to keep our clock running
Make sure you get natural light exposure daily. Most of what controls our readiness for bed is our circadian rhythm, and this is controlled by light exposure. Getting a strong dose of natural daylight early in the day can help to keep our clock running on time. Go outside if you can, or just open the blinds. In winter months when this gets harder to do, a light box can be very beneficial.
Add in some exercise. Any amount of physical movement is good for you, and the benefits of exercise go far beyond your waistline and your muscles. Even just 20 min a day of brisk walking can stimulate improvements in your sleep. But remember, other than gentle stretching, exercise done in the evening can hinder your body’s ability to wind down.
Be mindful of caffeine use. This is undeniably the most addictive substance in the world. And while in general it is not harmful, it does impact sleep. For the average person, the half life of caffeine is about 6 hours, which means the caffeine in your Starbucks latte at 3 pm will only be half metabolized by 9pm. Best to limit caffeine to the morning hours.
sedation and sleep are NOT the same thing
Limit Alcohol use too. Alcohol has amazing sedative properties, but sedation and sleep are NOT the same thing. While drinking can induce feelings of relaxation and sleepiness, studies repeatedly show that alcohol consumed in the leadup to bedtime can reduce your sleep quality and contribute to insomnia. Less than 1 drink can reduce sleep quality by 9.3%; a single drink by as much as 24%, and 2 drinks by 39.2%! While I am not one to judge a nice glass of wine with dinner, I have personally noticed a big impact here.
Cut out the late night snacking. In fact, it is beneficial to avoid having any food, dinner included, within 2-3 hours of your desired bedtime. Our digestion is tightly connected to our circadian rhythm.
we are all individuals, so preferences can vary
Keep your room dark and quiet. While this may seem obvious, it is amazing how the light from the thermostat on the other side of my bedroom bothered me on nights when I came home wired from a birth at 2 in the morning. We are triggered to wake up by light, and while there is much swirling around social media about blue light in particular, any amount of extra light in the room can stimulate your brain and make it harder to go back to sleep. Consider using masking tape or some other creative solution to cover it up.
Keep the room cool. Yes, we are all individuals, so preferences can vary, but multiple studies have confirmed that the ideal ambient sleeping temperature is between 65-68 deg F. Specifically you want to cool down your core body temperature before going to bed. For most this can be accomplished with open windows or a fan, or decreasing the thermostat in winter. Other ways to achieve a similar effect would be to take a cool-ish shower before bed. (If you’re in menopause like me, there is much more to say on temperature – stay tuned for a post dedicated just to this!)
Reserve your bed for sleep and sex. Period. Doing anything else in your bed, like reading, watching TV, scrolling your phone can send mixed messages to your brain.
DON’T check the time, or look at electronics
Don’t look at the clock. If you are waking up early or repeatedly throughout the night, of course the temptation is to immediately check the clock. DON’T. If it is dark out and your alarm has not gone off, and you are keeping to a schedule of bedtime and waking, then you know you shouldn’t be awake yet. Checking the time will only stress you out as you start to worry about not wanting to be awake this early. Practice relaxed breathing techniques to slow your heart rate and keep your cortisol levels low
Get up after 20 min. Laying in bed stressing about not sleeping can become a never-ending anxiety spiral. If you are unable to fall asleep, or fall back to sleep after what feels like about 20 min, then it is actually better to get up. DON’T check the time, or look at electronics. Do something relaxing in low light – stretching, breathing, meditating. But staying in bed fretting and worrying can set up a connection in your mind between your bed and frustration from sleeplessness.
Keep track. Whether you are struggling, or just interested in trying new things, it can be very helpful to keep a diary. Of course you can also wear a sleep tracker like a fit-bit or apple watch to bed. However, a sleep tracker can become something else to obsess over. Sometimes simpler is better.
Consider a sleep study. Many of these suggestions will help those of us who are just overly stressed, busy, and not prioritizing our sleep well. But there are several well documented diagnosable sleep disorders, most of which are more common in women. So if none of these things are helping, the best way to evaluate your sleep is with a sleep study.
Over the last year I have worked hard to prioritize my sleep. I am not perfect at it, but I have realized that this is my life, now, and I need to take charge of protecting it. Aside from the occasional situation that is out of my control, and the struggle with night sweats (I promise, I am getting to this in a future post) I am typically the obstruction to my own good night’s sleep.
I have found many of these tips to make a difference. I hope you do as well and that you can work to get a better night’s sleep!
