Tips for Getting Better Sleep

How to Sleep Well Every Night

Do you have trouble falling asleep, or toss and turn in the middle of the night? Awaken too early, or find yourself not feeling refreshed in the morning? You are not alone: millions of people struggle with falling and staying asleep. Luckily, for many people, you can learn common pitfalls and learn sleeping techniques that bring you consistently better sleep. Developing a bedtime routine, creating a better sleep environment, managing stress and anxiety, and taking better care of your body can set the stage for how to sleep better at night.

How much sleep do I need?

Do you have a realistic idea of how much sleep you need? A general guideline for adults is 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Older adults need a similar amount, but the sleep may be lighter and may include a brief nap during the day. If you are consistently waking up groggy and exhausted, that’s a signal that you may need to up your sleep intake. If you’ve been sleep deprived, it may take a few days of heavier sleeping before you can get a sense of your average sleep needs. Read Understanding Sleep for more information on sleep needs and cycles.

What happens when you don’t get enough sleep

With a packed schedule, trying to squeeze as many hours of possible into the day is sorely tempting. However, when you continuously don’t get the amount of sleep you need, you begin to pay for it in many ways:

• Mood, memory and concentration. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’ll be less productive, not more. Lack of sleep affects your ability to concentrate and remember things. What’s more, it makes you irritable and cranky, making social interaction and decision making skills off.
• Immune system. Without adequate sleep, the immune system becomes weak, and the body becomes more vulnerable to infection and disease. You’ll be more susceptible to colds and flu, and if you get sick, it will take you longer to recover.
• Increased risk of accidents and falls. Did you know that driving while seriously sleep deprived is similar to driving while drunk?The lack of motor coordination associated with sleep deprivation can also make you more susceptible to falls and bumping into things.

Better Sleep Tip 1: Create a better sleep environment

if your sleep is continually being disrupted through the night, your body is not getting enough of the restorative deep sleep it needs. You will feel the effects of sleep deprivation, even if you are on the surface getting enough hours of sleep. The key to better sleep might be as simple as making minor changes to your sleep environment to minimize sleep disruption.

Your Bed

• Is your bed large enough? You should have enough room to stretch and turn comfortably, including with a bedmate present.
• Your mattress, pillows and bedding. Waking up with a cramp in your back or a sore neck? Experiment with different levels of mattress firmness, foam toppers or egg crate toppers, and pillows that provide more support.

Your Room

• Keep the noise level down. Too much noise- loud outside conversations, televisions blaring, traffic noise - can make it difficult to sleep well. To help mask outside noise if it can’t be blocked, try a fan, white noise, or recordings of soothing sounds. Earplugs may also help.
• Keep your room dark during sleep hours. When it’s time to sleep, make sure that your environment is dark- bright lights, especially those from TV, can confuse the body clock. Heavy shades can help block light from windows, or you can try an eye mask to cover your eyes.
• Room temperature and ventilation. If you can, experiment with the room temperature. Most people sleep best in a slightly cooler room with adequate ventilation. Check your windows and doors to make sure that drafts are not interfering with sleep.
• Reserve your bed for sleeping. If you associate your bed with events like work or errands, it will only make it harder to wind down at night. Use your bed only for sleep and sex.

Better Sleep Tip 2: Discover Techniques for Falling Asleep

With busy schedules and family lives, it’s hard to leave the worries of daily life behind when it is time to sleep. Worrying and anxiety trigger the “fight or flight” mechanism in the body, releasing chemicals that prepare us to be alert and ready for action. That not only makes it difficult to fall asleep, but can wake you up frequently in the night as well. Even with the stresses of daily life, if you make an effort to relax and wind down before bed, you will sleep easier and more deeply.

Cue your body for sleep by making a relaxing bedtime routine

A consistent, relaxing routine before bed sends a signal to your brain that it is time to wind down, making it easier to fall asleep. Make the time before sleep a time of peace and quiet, and find your unique routine that relaxes you.

Ideas to help prepare for sleep

Relaxation techniques

Relaxation is beneficial for everyone, but especially if you are struggling with sleep. Practicing relaxation techniques before bed is a great way to wind down, calm the mind, and prepare for sleep. Some simple relaxation techniques include:

• Deep breathing. Close your eyes, and try taking deep, slow breaths, making each breath even deeper than the last.
• Progressive muscle relaxation. Starting at your toes, tense all the muscles as tightly as you can, then completely relax. Work your way up from your feet to the top of your head.
• Visualizing a peaceful, restful place. Close your eyes and imagine a place or activity that is calming and peaceful for you. Concentrate on how relaxed this place or activity makes you feel.

Get your worry, stress and anger under control

• Do you find yourself unable to sleep or waking up night after night? Stress, worry and anger from your day can make it very difficult to sleep well. When you wake up or can’t get to sleep, take note of what seems to be the recurring theme. That will help you figure out what you need to do to get your stress and anger under control during the day:
• If you can’t stop yourself from worrying, especially things outside your control, you can take steps to learn how to manage your thoughts. For example, you can reframe why worrying is harmful rather than helpful and practice replacing worrying with more productive thoughts. Read How to Stop Worrying: Self-Help for Anxiety Relief
• If the stress of managing work, family or school is keeping you awake, you need help with stress management. Managing your time effectively, handling anger and stress in a positive way, spending time with other people, exercising, and maintaining a positive outlook, can stop stress and anger from disturbing your sleep. Read Stress Relief
• If you wake up frustrated and angry with loved ones or colleagues, rehashing arguments over and over, you may need help managing your anger. Even if during the day you scoff at yourself for these thoughts, don’t be too quick to dismiss them. That may mean you have a lot of buried anger under the surface that needs to be addressed. Read Anger Management: Tips and Techniques for Getting Anger Under Control

Better Sleep Tip 3: Learn how to get back to sleep

It’s normal to wake briefly during the night- a good sleeper won’t even remember it. However, there are times when you may wake during the night and not be able to fall back asleep. You may get more and more frustrated about not being able to sleep, which raises your anxiety level, ironically making it even harder to achieve the sleep you crave.

Getting back to sleep

• Stay relaxed: The key to getting back to bed is continuing to cue your body for sleep. Some relaxation techniques, such as visualization and meditation, can be done without even getting out of bed. The time honored technique of “counting sheep” works by engaging the brain in a repetitive, non-stimulating activity, helping you wind down.
• Do a quiet, non-stimulating activity if you can’t sleep: If you’ve been awake for more than 15 minutes, try getting out of bed and doing a quiet activity. Keep the lights dim so as not to cue your body clock that it’s time to wake up. A light snack or herbal tea might help relax you, but be careful not to eat so much that your body begins to expect a meal at that time of the day.
• Don’t stress if you can’t get back to sleep: Hard as it may be, try not to stress over an inability to fall asleep again, because that very stress encourages your body to stay awake.  Remind yourself that although it’s not a replacement for sleep, rest and relaxation still can help rejuvenate your body. Concentrate on relaxation, not sleep.

Better Sleep Tip 4: Optimize your sleep schedule

Make sure you are not going to bed too early

After a long day at work you may find yourself barely able to stay awake during dinner, crawling into bed as soon as you can or even falling asleep on the couch. However, you may then wake up in later and have trouble getting back to sleep. Your body goes through cycles of alertness and drowsiness later in the day as your bedtime nears. So even if you are sleepy early in the evening, do something mildly stimulating to prevent yourself from falling asleep at that time, like doing dishes or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you push though that window, you’ll catch your second wind soon and be able to stay awake for your normal bedtime.

Set a regular bedtime

Time of day serves as a powerful cue to your body clock that it is time to sleep and awaken. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, and it will be easier and easier to fall asleep. Make your bedtime when you are normally feeling tired, so that you don’t toss and turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends where it may be tempting to stay up late or sleep in. To help your body adjust, if you want to change your bedtime, try doing it in small daily increments, such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day.

Napping can interfere with sleep

Perhaps the English had the right idea in having teatime in the late afternoon when you naturally get sleepy. Some people, especially older adults, can take a short afternoon nap and still sleep well at night. However, if you are having trouble sleeping at night, try to eliminate napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and sleep no longer than about thirty minutes.

Better Sleep Tip 5: Improve your Diet & Exercise

Taking care of your body can have a big impact on better sleep. You’ll sleep more deeply if you take care what you eat before bed, learn what substances to avoid, and exercise regularly.

Eating right for sleep

Maybe a rich, hearty dinner, topped off with a big slice of chocolate cake might seem like the perfect way to end the day, but it’s wise not to eat a large meal within two hours of bed. Try to make dinnertime earlier in the evening, and avoid heavy, rich foods as bedtime snacks.

Light snacks for bedtime

A light snack before bed can help promote sleep. When you pair tryptophan-containing foods with carbohydrates, it helps calm the brain and allows you to sleep better. For even better sleep, try extra calcium to your dinner or nighttime snack. Experiment with your food habits to determine your optimum evening meals and snacks.

Sample bedtime snacks to help you sleep:

• Glass of warm milk and half a turkey or peanut butter sandwich
• Whole-grain, low-sugar cereal or granola with low-fat milk or yogurt
• A banana and a cup of hot chamomile tea

Regular day exercise can help sleep

Regular exercise, aside from many other wonderful health benefits, usually makes it easier to fall asleep and sleep better. You don’t have to be a star athlete to reap the benefits-- as little as twenty to thirty minutes of activity helps. And you don’t need to do all 30 minutes in one session: break it up into five minutes here, ten minutes there. A brisk walk, a bicycle ride or a run is time well spent. However, be sure to schedule your exercise in the morning or early afternoon. Exercising too late in the day actually stimulates the body, raising its temperature. That’s the opposite of what you want near bedtime, because a cooler body temperature is associated with sleep. Don’t feel glued to the couch in the evening, though. Exercise such as relaxation yoga or simple stretching shouldn’t hurt.

Hate to exercise? Check out Making Exercise Fun

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