Tips on Improving Sleep: 13 Ways to Sleep Better at Night

It's always a great time to reevaluate and revitalize our sleep habits. Getting a great night's sleep and maintaining healthy sleep isn't just a luxury; it's a cornerstone of our overall well-being and vitality.

Below, we'll explore practical, transformative tips for better sleep. From refining your sleep environment to adopting routines that soothe mind and body, we're committed to guiding you with strategies that promise more peaceful sleep and energized mornings.

Embrace these changes and make this year your best sleep yet! Start with simple adjustments and see what works best for you.

Maintain a Regular Sleep Schedule

Allow yourself up to eight hours of sleep. As a healthy adult, you should get at least seven hours. Most people don't need more than eight hours in bed to feel refreshed and well-rested, but it's important to ensure you get enough sleep .

Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Sticking to this routine helps strengthen your body's natural sleep-wake rhythm.

If you're not asleep within 20 minutes after going to bed, it's a good idea to get up and leave your bedroom and do something calming. Whether that's reading a book or listening to some mellow music, find what relaxes you. Once you start to feel tired, head back to bed. You can do this as often as necessary.

Just remember to stick to a consistent sleep schedule and wake-up time. Irregular sleep patterns, particularly on weekends, can disrupt your natural sleep-wake cycle and cause confusion to your brain.

Related Blog: Is your sleep schedule out of control? Read our blog Tips on How to Fix Your Sleep Schedule

Do Your Exercise in the Morning

Exercise is one of the best ways for your body to naturally find its way into deep sleep. The Effects of Aerobic Exercise Timing on Sleep Architecture — Appalachian State University did an exercise and sleep study that tracked three groups exercising at 7 am 1 pm, or 7 pm, three days per week. It showed that the participants who got the most profound, longest sleep (aka, the best sleep) were those who exercised in the morning. [1]

Did You Know: People who exercise in the early morning spend 75% more time in a deep restorative stage of sleep than those who exercise later in the day, which may help mitigate common sleep disorders.

Morning exercise provides the energy you need to zoom through the day and ensure that you’re in good shape for another round of regenerative rest come evening.

In the case of sleep health, it’s more beneficial to exercise in the morning than at night because of the rise in your core body temperature, which stays elevated for roughly four to five hours following a workout.

Did You Know: The 2022 study “Atlas of Exercise Metabolism Reveals Time?Dependent Signatures of Metabolic Homeostasis” found that morning exercise has very different effects on metabolism than the same workout later in the day. [2]

Does Exercise Actually Help You Sleep?

A 2017 study published in Sleep Health found that building a consistent exercise routine can improve sleep quality — and that better sleep, in turn, supports healthier physical activity levels throughout the day. [3]

People who engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise can see a difference in sleep quality that same night. Additionally, a sleep diary can be used to track sleep habits and identify potential sleep disorders, helping you make informed adjustments to improve your rest.

Sleep Tip: What are the consequences of exercise before bedtime? Studies indicate that moderate exercise near bedtime will not harm your sleep. But completing your workout at least one hour before bedtime is suggested.

Read more about the connection between sleep and exercise.

Include Healthier Foods in Your Diet

When experiencing sleep difficulties, pay attention to what you have been eating and drinking. An inadequate diet is a double whammy when it comes to sleep. Not only does it make you feel sluggish and tired, but it also hampers your ability to get good sleep.

Talk about an unhealthy sleep cycle – that's why eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is crucial. This means starting your day out well with a healthy breakfast and being reasonable about those late-evening snacks.

Experts suggest eating dinner at least three hours before bedtime to support better sleep — a recommendation reinforced by a study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology (Association Between Dinner-to-Bed Time and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), which found that shorter gaps between dinner and sleep are linked to disrupted nighttime comfort and reflux. [4]

Related Blog: Sleep smarter, not harder—check out the best sleep podcasts featuring insights from top experts.

Consuming high-carbohydrate meals can harm your sleep. Recent research, including the 2016 study Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality — shows that high-carbohydrate meals can increase nighttime awakenings and ultimately chip away at your deep-sleep quality. [5]

Limiting or avoiding eating big meals late at night and smoking altogether is best. If cutting out cold turkey, it can be challenging. Consider drinking caffeine-free tea like Lavender, Chamomile, valerian, magnesium, or glycine, which can naturally promote sleep and relaxation.

Nutrients That Increase Sleep

Certain nutrients can give your sleep a nice boost, and two of the biggest players are tryptophan and vitamin C. Tryptophan-rich foods like turkey, eggs, cheese, salmon, nuts and seeds, seaweed, turnips, and even pineapple can help your body wind down more smoothly.

Vitamin C-packed picks—think oranges, red peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, strawberries, grapefruit, and guava—support overall sleep health by keeping your system in good shape. Adding more of these into your routine is a simple way to improve your nighttime rest.

Avoid Eating Late at Night

Eating late at night can adversely affect your sleep. When you eat late at night, your body doesn't have enough time to digest the food properly, leading to indigestion, heartburn, and disrupted sleep. You should avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime to promote healthy digestion and a good night's sleep, as this can contribute to poor sleep quality.

But, depending on the meals or snacks can play a role. A study titled High-glycemic-index carbohydrate meals shorten sleep onset found that participants who consumed a high-GI “carb-bomb” about four hours before bedtime fell asleep faster than those who didn’t. [6]

Reduce Caffeine Consumption

We hate to be a buzzkill, but caffeine and alcohol affect sleep performance and quality.

**Helpful Tip: **Pay attention to your consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and big meals close to bedtime, as these can significantly disrupt your ability to fall and stay asleep.

Effects of Caffeine on Sleep

Let's start with coffee and caffeine —stimulants we love for their ability to get us moving. A study titled "Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review" discusses coffee, which is consumed by more than 90% of the US population and has plenty of benefits. [7] However, avoid nicotine use in the evening as it can disrupt sleep and make it harder to fall and stay asleep.

That is, until we don't want to keep it going, which tends to be later in the day or evening. We can't turn off its stimulating effects, so we've got to lean on our ability to restrain intake at specific times.

Most sources recommend that caffeine intake be limited to sometime between 2-4 pm and not exceed 400mg daily. Caffeine can make it difficult for some people to fall asleep if taken close to bedtime. A review by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that it can delay your internal body clock, reducing your total sleep time. [8] If you're craving coffee, give decaffeinated coffee a try.

Caffeine Sleep Study: A study titled “Caffeine Effects on Sleep Taken 0, 3, or 6 Hours before Bedtime” found that consuming 400 mg of caffeine up to six hours before sleep significantly reduces sleep quality and duration. [9]

Did You Know: Nicotine can disrupt your sleep much like other stimulants, making it harder to fall and stay asleep

Effects of Alcohol on Sleep

Then there's alcohol, a depressant. Many experience alcohol's relaxing qualities without comprehending the disturbance it causes to our sleep. How does alcohol affect sleep? While alcohol may help us fall asleep more quickly, it can prevent you from getting deep sleep and REM sleep. It can negatively affect your hormones, resulting in poorer sleep.

REM sleep is a more mentally restorative time for sleep. It often occurs because the alcohol in your body keeps you in a lighter sleep. A 2021 study published in Chest — Alcohol Consumption and Sleep-Disordered Breathing in the General Population — found that drinking before bed increases snoring, worsens sleep apnea events, and leads to more fragmented, low-quality sleep. [10]

Increase Light Exposure During the Day

Interestingly enough, getting some time outside while the sun's up can help you sleep when the sun goes down. Scientists from a 2010 study say that getting as little as 10 minutes a day of continuous sun exposure can lower your evening cortisol levels and allow you to wind down and get quality sleep. [11]

A very good idea (if possible) is to combine morning exercise with this tip to double down on sleep efficiency. Natural sunlight regulates your circadian rhythm and keeps it healthy by telling your body when to increase and decrease your melatonin levels. Increasing natural light can boost energy and improve sleep duration and quality.

It is believed that exposure to bright daylight can increase sleep duration. This can be a helpful solution for individuals who suffer from serious sleeping issues and insomnia. By improving the quality of your sleep, you can perform daily tasks more efficiently, which can positively impact your cognitive health.

Did You Know: Individuals with insomnia experience enhanced sleep quality and longer duration after exposure to bright light during the daytime. Additionally, a study by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that the time taken to fall asleep decreased by 83%. [12]

Bedroom Temperature

You may have noticed the challenge of sleeping well when living in hot locations. The key to better sleep is to keep your sleep environment cool. The ideal bedroom temperature for sleep is generally around 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, so set the thermostat somewhere in that range until you find the best temperature. Keep in mind that everyone has a slightly different optimal sleep temperature.

Sleep Temperature Tip: Along with the room temperature, you can cool your body by sleeping with light, breathable clothing such as bamboo or cotton. Avoid synthetic materials (such as foam) that often trap heat and keep your body hot.

Reduce Blue Light Exposure

Most individuals have an evening routine involving catching up on social media or watching TV to unwind before bed. Devices such as your smartphone and TV emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin release in the evening after 1.5 hours of use, making it harder to fall asleep. Exposure to blue light suppresses melatonin production, which regulates sleep.

Most devices we use to emit blue light are defined as “a type of high-energy visible light, defined as having a wavelength between 380 and 500 nm.” The most common sources of blue light are commonly found in:

• Televisions
• Computers
• Tablets
• Smartphones

Sleeping Tip: Power down at least 2 hours before going to sleep. Think about how you can replace that time you would have spent watching TV or being on your phone unwinding by meditating, relaxing, reading a (paper) book, or just going to bed.

How can you reduce blue light exposure leading to bedtime? Below are some helpful tips.

• Wear blue light-blocking sunglasses
• Stop watching TV 1-2 hours before bedtime
• Download apps that can help block blue light on your computer
• Install apps that block blue light on your smartphone. Available for both iPhone and Android

If you want to learn more, read our blog about how blue light can affect your sleep.

Limit the Number of Daytime Naps

Taking a long nap during the day can diminish the quality of your sleep. It's best to take a short nap if you need one, as it can provide some benefits. Sleeping during the day can ultimately confuse your internal clock, making it harder to fall asleep at night.

A 2018 study titled “Daytime Naps and Their Impact on Subsequent Daytime Fatigue” published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that participants who took daytime naps reported increased tiredness during the day. [13]

But, if you take naps regularly, you shouldn't be too concerned as the effects of napping depend on the person. For some, it may disrupt sleep, while others don't notice a change in its duration or quality. If you must nap, keep it short (20-30 minutes) and avoid napping late in the afternoon.

Irregular naps can lead to issues such as insomnia. To avoid sleeping conditions, limit naps to short daytime ones. If you find yourself having a difficult time sleeping at night, try limiting your naps or stopping them to see if that is the culprit.

Create a Restful Sleep Environment

Creating a restful environment is crucial for sleep because it signals to your body that it's time to wind down and prepares your mind for sleep. Make sure your bedroom stays cool, dim, and silent.

Even the slightest light exposure can hinder your ability to fall asleep. So try to minimize time spent in front of screens that emit light or electronic devices before bed. Consider using blackout curtains, earplugs, bed cooling systems, or other tools to tailor the space to your comfort.

Engaging in soothing activities before bed, such as a warm bath or relaxation practices like box breathing or yoga Nidra, can also help encourage uninterrupted and refreshing sleep.

Sleep Tip: Creating a calming atmosphere reduces stress and anxiety, making relaxing and falling asleep easier.

Creating a soothing sleep environment is critical to achieving the quality sleep necessary for good mental, emotional, and physical health. [14]

Relax Your Mind & Body Before Bedtime

Relaxing your mind and body can help improve your sleep. When you're stressed or anxious, your body produces more cortisol, a hormone that can interfere with your sleep.

By engaging in relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or Yoga Nidra before bed, you can reduce cortisol levels and promote calm and relaxation. Also, relaxing your muscles can help you feel more comfortable and fall asleep faster.

So it's important to take the time to unwind and relax before bed. You'll likely notice a significant improvement.

Focus on Creating Good Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene can play a pivotal role in helping improve your sleep. Why? It involves creating habits and an environment promoting consistent, uninterrupted sleep. Good sleep hygiene helps regulate your body's internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally.

It also minimizes the factors that can disrupt or diminish the quality of your sleep, such as stress, caffeine, and electronic devices. Establishing a calming pre-sleep routine and a comfortable sleep environment sets the stage for deeper, more restorative sleep, which is crucial for physical health, emotional well-being, and cognitive function.

Related Blog: Woke up and can’t drift off again? We've included tips on how to fall back asleep without the tossing and turning.

When to Contact Your Doctor

While it's common to experience a sleepless night now and then, if you frequently struggle to sleep, it's important to consult your healthcare provider. Addressing and managing root issues can significantly improve your sleep quality and ensure you get the better sleep you deserve.

Did You Know: Long-term insomnia, which lasts for three months or longer, may require professional intervention to address underlying causes.

Final Thought

A good night's sleep is crucial to your overall health and well-being. From creating a relaxing sleep environment to establishing a consistent sleep routine and focusing on your diet, there are numerous strategies you can use to improve your sleep.

Remember, it's important to prioritize sleep and make it part of your daily routine. By doing so, you'll reap the many benefits of a good night's sleep, from increased productivity to a better mood and overall quality of life.