Getting the quantity and quality of sleep your body craves doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some simple tips you can use tonight to improve your sleep and feel better.
1. REGULARITY IS KING
This is the most impactful change you can make. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Including weekdays, weekends, and even after a poor night’s sleep. Inside your brain is a 24-hour master clock, and it thrives on routine.
Regularity helps your sleep-wake cycle. It boosts both the amount and quality of your sleep. Think of regularity as the foundation that keeps your sleep rock solid.
2. TREAT SLEEP LIKE DOCKING A BOAT
Falling asleep is like bringing a boat to dock. It happens slowly and carefully. That’s where a wind-down routine comes in. Here are a few ideas:
- TAKE A WARM SHOWER OR BATH to help cool your core temperature
- STRETCH LIGHTLY
- MEDITATE scientifically proven to ease you into sleep, even for those with insomnia.
- READ A BOOK can be a powerful way to help unwind and ease into sleep.
- KEEP A JOURNAL OR TO-DO LIST spend five minutes before bed offloading your to-dos and worries onto paper. It sounds a bit fluffy, but it’s a scientifically proven way to calm a busy mind.
- CHANGE INTO DEDICATED SLEEPWEAR which is designed for managing body heat. A small but powerful routine signals to your brain that it’s time to power down and go to sleep.
And once you’re in bed, if you’re struggling to sleep after 10 or 15 mins, try:
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BREATHING LIKE A NAVY SEAL. In tough situations, Navy SEALs use a technique called ‘tactical breathing.’ This helps them calm down and lower their heart rate. If you have trouble sleeping, try to focus your breath with this method:
- INHALE: Breathe in slowly through the nose for 4 seconds.
- HOLD: Keep the air in your lungs for 4 seconds.
- EXHALE: Slowly breathe out through the mouth for 4 seconds.
- HOLD: With your lungs empty, pause for 4 seconds.
Others swear by the 4-7-8 technique for sleep. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds, and repeat as needed. If you prefer to pretend you're an elite special ops soldier, though, we won't judge. Much.
3. KEEP IT COOL
Here’s a fact that may surprise you: the ideal bedroom temperature for sleep is a crisp 18°C (or 67°F). Your body needs to cool down by about 1°C to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Try a warm bath or shower before bed. It might seem odd since you feel warm after a bath, but the process brings heat to your skin's surface. This helps lower your core body temperature when you step out.
4. DIM THE LIGHTS
In our modern, light-filled world, darkness is often lacking, but it’s a necessity. About an hour before bed, dim the lights in your home. It’s a gentle nudge to your brain to start releasing melatonin, the hormone that helps you fall asleep.
If you can’t resist that evening scroll on your phone, dim the brightness. Apps like f.lux will help filter out blue light. Even better if you swap the screen for a good book.
Some studies* show that blue light might not affect our sleep as much as we think. It may only add about 10 minutes to the time it takes to fall asleep, according to a 2014 Harvard screen-use study.
What’s likely to have a greater impact is the activity that you were doing on the screen. Getting upset on Twitter will fire up your brain more than reading the sports news.
Consider taking out all light sources from your bedroom. Including LED alarms. The goal is to wake up naturally at the end of a sleep cycle. This way, we avoid the grogginess that comes from waking up mid-cycle to an alarm. This is where regularity in your sleep routine scores another important win.
You can also flip the script in the morning. This is the time to maximise your exposure to light, especially natural light. Step outside, even if it's cloudy. Outdoor light is much stronger than indoor light. Morning brightness is vital for resetting your circadian rhythm. I'm a fan of using a SAD light over breakfast during the dark winter months.
5. WATCH WHAT YOU CONSUME
Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine can wreak havoc on your sleep.
Avoid caffeine after midday. It can block adenosine, which helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle. You do not need us to tell you that going to bed drunk is ruining your sleep. It clearly does. Nicotine will also stimulate the brain and make it more challenging to fall asleep.
6. PROTECT YOUR SPACE
Your bed is for two things: sleep and sex. That’s it. Don't work, eat, or binge-watch Netflix in bed. These activities mix up your brain and weaken the link between your bed and good sleep.
If you can't sleep or get back to sleep in about 25–30 minutes, don't lie there. Get up, go to a different room, and read a book under a dim light. Hold off going back to bed until you feel sleepy.
7. MATCH YOUR CHRONOTYPE
Your chronotype is your natural tendency to sleep at specific times over a 24-hour period. It's genetically hardwired into everyone, and significant differences can exist between people. Aligning your sleep and wake times with your inner clock helps you sleep better. It also boosts your mood and even lowers health risks over time.
If you sleep at times that don’t match your chronotype, you will likely feel more tired and stressed. You can find yours here.
TRACK THE DATA
From Oura smart rings to Whoop wristbands, many tools can help you spot patterns and improve your sleep. They can help us see how lifestyle changes affect sleep quality.
Changing your exercise timing might have made your sleep worse. But drinking coffee at a new time could have helped. By tracking these patterns, wearables can offer valuable insights to improve your sleep. The key is to use trackers to learn, not to obsess. If they become more stressful than helpful, ditch them.
Sometimes, wearable data is not enough. If you feel like you’re struggling with a sleep disorder, it’s time to see a professional. Tools like the Insomnia Severity Index can help you assess whether you have insomnia or not. To start the conversation, take your test results to your doctor. This might help guide the discussion.
SLEEP BETTER, LIVE BETTER
You do not need to change your whole life to improve your sleep. Instead, focus on small, mindful changes that can build up over time.
So tonight, take a small step towards better sleep. Every small action compounds. And if you’re still struggling, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Your sleep is worth it.
*“Effects of calibrated blue–yellow changes in light on the human circadian clock” by Christine Blume et al, published in Nature Human Behaviour in 2023.