To put it bluntly: We’re exhausted. There aren’t enough hours in the day and we’re constantly thinking about how to sleep better. And whether social media has taken a hypnotizing hold on your attention before bed, or you’re just having trouble dozing off amid the enormous stress of a never-ending to-do list and the troubles of the world right now, it’s sleep that inevitably takes a hit.
Poor sleep, whether self-imposed or spurred by a chronic condition, can have drastic short- and long-term side effects on your emotional well-being and body health. In fact, an irregular sleep pattern has been linked to everything from poor work performance and relationship problems (it’s a real libido killer), to serious health conditions such as heart disease and weight gain.
So how does one actually ensure they are getting a good night’s sleep? That’s where the experts come in. Below, they weigh in on how to sleep better, from striking the right balance between quantity and quality to tips for relaxing and de-stressing before getting a good night’s rest.
Make Sleep a Priority
The first tip for how to sleep better? Get enough of it. To ensure your brain can cycle through all the necessary sleep stages, seven or eight hours is ideal for most people. “The brain needs active REM sleep for memory consolidation and mood regulation,” explains Dr. Shelby Harris, a behavioral sleep-medicine specialist. “It also needs non-REM sleep, with the deepest stages helping to repair muscle damage and regrow cells. If you don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis, you are depriving yourself of the variety and quantity of sleep stages that your brain craves.”
Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Consistency is also key to good sleep habits—it will help your body fall and stay asleep better. Angela Holliday-Bell, MD, board-certified pediatrician and certified sleep specialist, explains that keeping a consistent sleep schedule trains your circadian rhythm which results in you being able to fall asleep and wake easier. “Keeping your routine consistent effectively trains your brain to start releasing and alerting factors at the same time each morning. [It also alerts] sleep cues such as melatonin at the same time each night. This makes the process of falling asleep easier and more efficient for you, leading to better sleep overall,” says Holliday-Bell.
Thus, a good bedtime routine requires that you stick to a strict schedule seven days a week (in that you can’t repay your weekday sleep debt by sleeping in on the weekend). “In many cases, Sunday-night insomnia is due to shifting your sleep schedule on Friday and Saturday,” adds Harris. “You simply haven’t been awake enough hours that day to be sleepy enough to go to bed at night.”
Wind Down the Right Way
In other words, not by bingeing on Netflix. A recent study found that watching a streaming service before bed often results in a lack of sleep and a greater struggle falling asleep due to their addictive nature. But it’s not just Bridgerton that’s to blame. One to two hours before bed, you should go analog by avoiding any screen (smartphones, laptops, iPads, etc.) that emits a blue light, which our brains “read” as sun. As for alternative relaxation techniques, Harris recommends taking half an hour to an hour to relax or encourage mindfulness with activities such as reading (away from your bed, which is only for “sleep and sex,” she says), meditating, listening to music, or light stretching. Holliday-Bell even recommends following a “4-7-8 breathing technique” that consists of deep breathing in for four seconds, holding it for seven, and releasing it for eight. Doing this, she says, helps trigger a relaxation response that will reduce anxiety, decrease stress, and lower blood pressure.
And to further stimulate the senses, you can use lavender, which has been shown to decrease blood pressure and heart rate, to aromatically induce sleep. Try taking a warm bath with Lovewild’s muscle-soothing Lavender Bath Salts or misting This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray on your pillowcase.
Stay Comfortable and Cool
Anyone who’s sunken into an all-white, cloud-like hotel bed knows there’s no greater treat than cozy, luxurious bedding. Other than just feeling luxe, having a cozy sleep environment greatly helps improve your sleep routine. “Buy the best quality mattress and highest thread count sheets you can afford and make sure your pillows are comfortable,” says Harris.
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