13 Tips to Sleep Better at Night

Don't set aside more than eight hours to sleep? Pay attention to what you eat & drink? Exercise regularly? Learn 13 tips for better & restful sleep at night.

13 Tips to Sleep Better at Night

Don't set aside more than eight hours to sleep. Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Don't go to bed hungry or stuffed. Include physical activity in your daily routine.

Strategies include listening to relaxing music, reading a book, taking a hot bath, meditating, taking a deep breath, and visualizing. We all have trouble sleeping from time to time, but when insomnia persists day after day, it can become a real problem. Beyond making us feel tired and moody, lack of sleep can have serious effects on our health, increasing our propensity for obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Taking a daily brisk walk will not only trim you, but will also keep you awake less often at night.

Exercise increases the effect of natural sleep hormones, such as melatonin. A study published in the journal Sleep found that postmenopausal women who exercised for about three and a half hours a week had an easier time falling asleep than women who exercised less frequently. Just watch the time of your workouts. Exercising too close to bedtime can be stimulating.

Morning workouts that expose you to daylight will help you with the natural circadian rhythm. Bills add up and your to-do list is a mile long. Daytime worries can surface at night. Activates fight or flight hormones that work against sleep.

Give yourself time to relax before going to sleep. Learning some form of the relaxation response can promote good sleep and can also reduce anxiety during the day. To relax, try deep breathing exercises. Inhale slowly and deeply, and then exhale.

Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss, from exercises to strengthen your abdomen to advice on treating cataracts. PLUS, the latest news on medical breakthroughs and breakthroughs from Harvard Medical School experts. If sleeping through the night seems like an impossible task, you're not alone, according to the CDC, says Verified Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U. S. health protection agency that defends itself against health and safety hazards.

More than 30 percent of adults struggle with insomnia. And the causes of lack of sleep vary, with many attributing their poor sleep habits to stress, while some blame disturbing sounds outside the bedroom and others having to adapt to irregular sleep schedules due to shift work. In our article, we share 13 tips for better sleep at night, including creating a sleep routine, exercising regularly, and using breathable bedding. To prevent your devices from harming your sleep, we suggest that you switch them to night mode at night. Or better yet, don't use them 2-3 hours before bedtime.

If you watch TV before going to bed, lower the brightness and turn off the bright lights on your living room ceiling. Creating a relaxing environment helps you relax and better prepare for sleep. Sleeping well isn't completely unattainable, even if it seems like falling asleep is the last thing you can do at night. Most importantly, you'll learn what you can do to sleep, what you need to achieve optimal health, safety, and well-being. If you've had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you may have turned to sleep medications for a more restful sleep.

The brain interprets ambient light as a signal to stay active and, as a result, suppresses melatonin, the sleep hormone. Exercise reduced sleep time by 55%, total nighttime wakefulness by 30%, and anxiety by 15%, while increasing total sleep time by 18% (12). It affects the brain, body and hormones, which helps you stay awake and tells your body when it's time to sleep (14). If you prefer to take a bath and keep a diary before going to sleep or do gentle stretches and take a shower following the same bedtime routine night after night train your brain to prepare for sleep at the same time every day. Certain scents such as lavender and jasmine are thought to be better for sleeping than others but you can try a variety of essential oils for sleep and mix scents as you go. Alcohol is known to cause or increase symptoms of sleep apnea snoring and altered sleep patterns (70 7).

If you're looking for some sounds that are specially designed to soothe check out Headspace's sleep music and sleeping capsules. A study published in the British Medical Journal associated several hypnotic sleep aids such as zolpidem (Ambien) and temazepam (Restoril) with a possible increased risk of death (although it could not confirm how much of the risk was related to these drugs). A similar study in older adults found that 2 hours of exposure to bright light during the day increased the amount of sleep in 2 hours and sleep efficiency by 80% (20).However in reality the period leading up to bedtime plays a crucial role in preparing you to fall asleep quickly and effortlessly. One study found that participants who had irregular sleep patterns and went to bed late on weekends reported that they had slept poorly (4).

Rogelio Guffey
Rogelio Guffey

Hardcore music expert. Incurable bacon fan. Avid musicaholic. Certified pizza specialist. Typical internet fan.