12 tips for better sleep

There remains a massive gap between what science knows and what people do regarding their sleeping habits.

In Why We Sleep, author Matthew Walker quite literally wakes us up to the harm we’re doing to our health and wellbeing when we neglect sleep.

He writes, “Sadly, human beings are in fact the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep without legitimate gain.”

I think that part of the reason for our sleep-deprived culture is simply a lack of awareness and education. In this regard, the book did an excellent job of summarizing much of the recent research and making it clear why sleep is so important to our health.

But knowing why we need sleep doesn’t always help us get to sleep.

So to help with that, here are 12 tips for building a better bedtime routine [1].

1. Stick to a sleep schedule. Wake up and go to bed at the same time each day.
2. Avoid exercising two to three hours before bedtime.
3. Refrain from late afternoon coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant that can stay in your system for eight hours before it wears off.
4. Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed. It might help you relax, but alcohol robs you of important REM cycle sleep.
5. Avoid large meals late at night.
6. If possible, avoid medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep.
7. Don’t take naps after 3 PM.
8. Schedule time to relax before bed. Reading or listening to music should be part of your bedtime routine.
9. Take a hot bath before bed.
10. Keep your bedroom dark, cool, and gadget-free.
11. Try to get outside and expose yourself to at least 30 minutes of natural sunlight each day.
12. Don’t lie in bed awake. If you lay in bed anxious because you can’t fall asleep, get up and do some relaxing activity until you feel sleepy again.

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FOOTNOTES

1. Paraphrased from NIH Medline Plus magazine.