According to the National Institutes of Health, 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders and one in three adults are getting insufficient sleep for their health and well-being.
Poor or disrupted sleep patterns is not a minor annoyance; it’s a serious health risk. Lacking quality sleep can disrupt your natural circadian rhythms (or sleep-wake cycle) which negatively impacts several hormones and increases risk for accidents, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, learning deficiencies and much more.
How Much Sleep Is Enough?
According to the National Institutes of Health, somewhere between 7 and 9 hours a night is a good rule of thumb for most adults. When healthy adults are given unlimited opportunity to sleep, they will sleep between 8 and 8.5 hours a night. However, sleep scientists advise that the optimal amount of sleep does vary from person to person, but when individuals consistently get less than 7 hours a night, health risks do rise.
[READ: Acupuncture for Insomnia: How Acupuncture Can Help You Sleep.]
11 Tips for Better Sleep
To help you get the essential rest that your body needs, here are 11 proven methods to get better sleep.
Maintain a regular wake and sleep pattern
One of the best things you can do is maintain a regular bedtime. Since most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep, give yourself enough time before you need to be up the next day to hit that target. Anything less is considered insufficient and has potential health consequences.
Establishing and maintaining a consistent schedule is the most important factor for improving your sleep health because the body’s internal clock relies on consistency. Establishing a regular sleep and wake pattern can help you fall asleep faster — and remain asleep — until it’s time to wake up and start your day.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine
To develop a non-stimulating evening ritual, you might recall what your parents did when you were young to get you in sleep mode: taking a warm bath or sipping a cup of chamomile tea; either will raise your core body temperature, which leads to a drowsy feeling as you cool down
It takes some time for the body to shift into sleep mode. To nudge things in the right direction, spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity, such as reading a book, listening to soothing music or soaking in a warm bath. Avoid exercise and meals too close to bedtime as they can make it harder to fall asleep.
Avoid using electronic devices like laptops, smart phones or tablets before bed as the brain-activating blue light radiating from the screens of these devices is linked with reduced sleep duration, quality of sleep and natural melatonin levels. Even small electronic devices can emit sufficient high-energy blue light to miscue the brain, lowering melatonin levels and promoting wakefulness, instead of much-needed shut-eye.
[READ: Signs You Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep.]
Create a sleep-friendly bedroom environment
Ensure the bedroom is a dark, cool, quiet place. Ideally computers and TVs — as well as restless pets — should stay out of the sleep environment.
Try blue-light filtering lenses before going to bed
Blue wavelengths, which are at the high end of the light spectrum, are beneficial during daylight hours because they boost attention and mood. The problem is getting all that high-energy blue light at night.
Blue-light blocking glasses worn in the evening can help reduce eye strain associated with excessive screen and LED lighting and helps restore your natural circadian rhythms. Preliminary research suggests that wearing blue-light blocking glasses for three hours before bedtime may help improve sleep quality, especially among those who suffer from insomnia.
Several brands of blue-light blocking glasses are available from companies like Pixel, Felix Gray, Gunnar and Spektrum.
Match your mattress with your sleep position
Mattresses have come a long way, so there’s no excuse not to have a good mattress that’s designed for your sleep position. If your mattress is too soft, too firm, or just not right, consider a new one. And there’s good news: U.S. News mattress reviews reveal that the most expensive mattresses aren’t necessarily your best bet. Mattresses like Saatva, Avocado, Leesa and Purple make it easier to purchase a new mattress with online tools to find your perfect match based on your weight, sleep position and personal preferences.
[READ: The Best High-Magnesium Foods and Supplements for Sleep.]
Limit caffeine, nicotine and alcohol
Although it may be tempting to unwind with a glass of wine, cocktail or “nightcap” after a stressful day, alcohol’s sedative effects may help you fall asleep faster, but it inhibits deep, restorative REM sleep. People who drink alcohol will often wake up in the middle of the night when the effect of the ethanol wears off, and it can impact nighttime breathing. That’s why many drinkers report feeling tired and groggy the next day.
And while caffeine may help you stay awake longer, when your body is telling you it is craving sleep, but it will only make it harder for you to fall asleep. Caffeine blocks the receptors for the hormone adenosine that tells your body it’s time to sleep. A good rule of thumb is to include caffeine in your day only in the morning and then skip it in the afternoon and evening.
Like caffeine, nicotine is also a stimulate that keeps you awake, and its use results in poor quality sleep.
Get the temperature right
For most adults, a cooler temperature, between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Sleep Foundation. A cooler room can promote better sleep because it works in tangent with the body’s natural circadian rhythms which cause the core body temperature to drop lower during sleep. If you’re a hot sleeper, use high-quality, breathable bedding made of cotton or other moisture-wicking fabrics to keep you more comfortable.
Avoid large meals within four hours of bedtime
Certain foods take longer to digest so you don’t want to eat them within 3 to 4 hours before hitting the sack. Foods that are rich in fat and protein leave the stomach more slowly so you may feel full when trying to go to bed if you eat a meal that is rich in fat or protein prior to bedtime. The size of your last meal should also be smaller to help facilitate sleep as well. Eating too much food and lying down shortly thereafter can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) which makes it harder to get comfortable enough to even fall asleep.
Avoid too much water before bed
Staying well hydrated is important during the day, but it’s not ideal at night. If you drink a lot of fluids in the evening leading up to your bedtime, you’ll wake up at least once during the night to go to the bathroom. Generally, if you feel like you need something to drink before bed, take a few small sips of water but don’t drink too much.
Consider natural sleep aids
Explore natural sleep aids like herbal teas (chamomile, valerian), lavender essential oil, tart cherry juice or melatonin supplements. Consult a healthcare professional before using supplements.
Seek medical attention from a sleep specialist
Lack of sleep is serious. If you’ve tried these tips and are still not getting good sleep, seek medical attention from a general practitioner or if you have access to one, a sleep specialist. You may have a sleep disorder or there may be an underlying health condition that is disturbing your sleep. There are sleep centers accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
[READ: Sleep Tips for Seniors]
What to Do When You Can’t Sleep
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-I)
According to the Mayo Clinic
, if your thoughts or behaviors at night are keeping you awake, it may be helpful to practice better sleep habits, sometimes with the help of a therapist.
CBT-I is a structured program with a sleep therapist that can help you identify racing thoughts and negative behaviors that make it hard to fall asleep.
“Get out of bed for 10 to 15 minutes if you can’t sleep,” says Dr. Alcibiades J. Rodriguez, medical director of New York University Langone Health Comprehensive Epilepsy Center — Sleep Center in New York City. “Go to a chair and read something boring.”
When you start to feel drowsy, then you can go back to bed.
Meditation
Some studies suggest mindfulness meditation can help reduce worrying and anxiety. The easiest way to practice mindfulness is to pay attention to your thoughts without labeling them as “good” or “bad,” while also remaining as much as you can within the present moment. This also means letting go of thoughts about what happened or what could happen.
4-7-8 Breathing
If practicing mindfulness meditation doesn’t work for you, you can try deep breathing techniques, such as 4-7-8 breathing, which have been shown to reduce stress. To begin 4-7-8 breathing, take a deep breath for four seconds. Hold your breath for seven seconds, then slowly release your breath and exhale while counting from one to eight. Repeat these steps several times and then pause and notice if you feel more relaxed.
Journaling
If you tend to plan a lot in bed, it may help to journal or record your thoughts before going to sleep. It may help to make a to-do list or write down your thoughts in a different room before going to your bedroom to sleep, says Dr. Alon Y. Avidan, a professor of neurology at the University of California Los Angeles and director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. If you don’t get out of bed to record your thoughts, “the bed then becomes a place for planning and thinking. It’s a place for hypervigilance.”
Bottom Line
Even though you can try a number of strategies to get to sleep at night, it’s still important that you review your daily routine and assess whether you need to make improvements. “Whatever you do during the day, it’s going to affect your sleep,” says Rodriguez. “Living a healthy life will give you the best sleep.”
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How to Sleep Better: 11 Proven Methods originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 11/01/23: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
