Life Hacks for Better Sleep

We all know how important sleep is. Most people know that good sleep lays the foundation for our mental health, productivity, performance, and mood. But knowing doesn’t always equate to doing. There are many barriers to good sleep (which is comprised of both quality and quantity). Below I share a few of my favorite, research-backed methods for logging some better sleep.

Get outside for at least a few minutes each day, ideally in the morning

Sunlight helps your brain wake up and stay alert. Getting about 15 minutes of sunlight first thing in the morning will help you feel more awake in the moment. Over time this routine can help you ease into sleep a little earlier, making waking up earlier less difficult.

Be asleep or be awake, but not both

Your sleep is best when your brain and body have a firm distinction between waking hours and sleeping hours. The bigger distinction you have between your sleeping hours and your waking hours the easier it is to fall asleep, stay asleep, and have good quality sleep. If you spend a large portion of your day lying in bed or on the couch (similar to sleeping), your body and brain have a difficult time determining whether you want to be awake or asleep. This will lead to conflicting cues and sensations, such as feeling sleepy or tired during the day and very awake when you want to go to sleep. Being generally active during the day, leaving the bedroom, leaving the house, and walking around all help your brain and body make this distinction.

Avoid using your bed during the day

Got a comfortable bed? That’s great, but it’s important to save it for bed time. The more we use the bed for other activities (e.g., working on the computer, watching tv, reading, snacking) the less likely we are to associate the bed with sleep and rest. This is important because the stronger this association is, the faster and easier you will fall asleep when you get in bed.

What to do instead: Ideally these other activities do not take place in the bedroom at all. However, if you have a small home or apartment, at least make sure these activities occur at a desk, chair, or couch located within the bedroom rather than the bed itself. Try to only get in your bed when you are sleepy and ready for bed.

Cant fall asleep? That’s ok….

Just try not to toss and turn in your bed. If you constantly have trouble falling asleep in your bed, your brain starts to associate the bed with being awake and thinks of it as a stressful anxiety-ridden place. The general guideline is to get out of bed if you have been lying in bed awake for longer than approximately 20 minutes.

What to do instead: Try sitting on the couch, a chair, or moving to another room until you feel yourself getting sleepy again. Sitting and relaxing is fine, as is doing a very gentle, “boring” task. Getting up and doing something stimulating (Watching an interesting tv show, reading a good book, exercise, talking to a good friend) is likely to be counterproductive during this time.

Wake up on a schedule

This is everyone’s least favorite piece of advice, but a consistent sleep-wake schedule is the single best hack for good quality sleep. Variations in your sleep and wake cycles create grogginess in the same way that jet lag does. It also contributes to delayed sleep onset, insomnia, and lower quality sleep.

What to do instead: Of course there are special occasions, but for the most part, try to keep your sleep-wake schedule with 30-minutes any given day. The more you struggle with sleep, the more benefit you will get from this!

Resist the urge to snooze

The 10 minutes of sleep you get between your first and second alarm may feel indulgent, but it is not good quality sleep and does not actually contribute to reduced feelings of sleepiness/fatigue, memory consolidation, reduced inflammation, muscle recovery, emotional processing, or any of the other benefits associated with sleep. Furthermore, the stage of sleep you typically wake up from when your snooze alarm goes off is actually associated with increased grogginess compared to your initial alarm.

What to do instead: Just try setting your alarm later and avoid the snooze cycles altogether.

Nap…sparingly and wisely

What would happen if you ate a big snack shortly before sitting down for dinner? You’re not going to be hungry! This metaphor can be applied to taking a nap shortly before bed. If you take a nap in the second half of the day, you are going to be less tired/sleepy when bed time comes, and thus it’s going to be harder to fall asleep and you will be more apt to stay up later than you want or toss and turn in bed.

What to do instead: If possible, don’t nap! The best way to get back on track after a poor night’s sleep is to delay sleeping until the next night. This gives your body and brain the greatest chance to be tired, fall asleep at the time you desire, and get good quality sleep. If skipping a nap is not an option, keep naps to 30 minutes in duration and try to get them in prior to 1pm.  

Wrap up your day well

Shutting down your day with a two-step approach that focuses on (1) what you did well/accomplished that day and (2) any unfinished business to finish tomorrow aids in winding down before bed and makes it less likely you will carry worries or stress into the bedroom with you. Focusing on what you have done today cultivates feelings of accomplishment, pride, and satisfaction which contribute to a sense of purpose and general well-being that reduce anxiety and feelings of stress. Allowing yourself to make a short list of to-dos for tomorrow or later in the week allows you to think through these things before you are actually in bed. Ideally, doing this shortly after ending work for the day allows you to have these thoughts earlier in the day instead of when you are in bed trying to sleep.

Wind down before bed

Having a gentle pre-bed time routine can help relax your body and mind. Furthermore, no matter what your routine is, doing the same activities before bed each day actually helps your brain know that you are winding down and getting ready for sleep. This association will help you fall asleep quicker.  

If worries intrude, schedule time to think through them earlier

If you still can’t turn off your brain in bed there are two methods worth trying. One option is a worry notebook that can be kept by the bed. When a worry pops into your head at night, simply write it down. The idea here is to get the worries out of your head and onto paper. You can remind yourself “I’ll deal with this in the morning” and you won’t be worried that you’ll forget what was on your mind. Another option is to actually schedule this “worry time” earlier in the day, at least 90 minutes prior to your bed time. It’s also helpful to remind yourself that worrying about an issue in bed isn’t particularly effective. The quality of our critical thinking and problem solving skills is compromised. There are many things we worry about at night that we simply don’t worry about with our day-time facilities intact. Furthermore, odds are that you are not going to come up with solutions for problems while lying awake in bed. You’re just going to stress yourself out.

What to do instead: When in bed, try reminding yourself that your job isn’t to solve a particular problem, your job at that moment is to fall asleep. You can deal with the worry tomorrow.  

Try progressive muscle relaxation

This relaxation exercise involves tensing then relaxing the muscles throughout the body, directing your attention to each as you go. It helps release tension in our bodies that may be preventing us from falling asleep, while simultaneously giving our mind something gentle to focus on which can help reduce the likelihood of thinking about your to do list or other worries.

Try aroma and hydrotherapies

Research shows that certain scents can have a powerful impact on relaxing the body and mind. Try lighting a lavender candle. Lavender has been shown to help promote feelings of sleepiness and reduce insomnia. Even better…get some lavender Epsom salt. The combination of the salt and the warm water is a powerful method for helping you fall asleep quicker and can improve sleep quality.  

Keep anxieties about sleep in check

If you cannot sleep, it’s easy to get caught up in thoughts about how few hours you have left until you need to start your day or how awful the next day is going to bed. While it’s true the next day may be a little challenging, these pressure-filled thoughts are only going to heighten your arousal and anxiety in bed, making it even more likely that you won’t be able to fall asleep.

What to do instead: Try reminding yourself that having a poor night of sleep makes it more likely that the next night will be a good one. You can also take a little bit of solace knowing that even if you are not actually sleeping, laying in bed and gently resting does provide some restorative benefits for the brain and body. Finally, be kind to yourself and adjust your expectations the day after a difficult night.