10+ Sleep Tips to Improve Your Rest

Sleep is essential to our well-being. However, a good night's rest eludes millions, if not more, every night. The predicament leaves far too many of us searching for improved sleep quality, but where do we turn to find it?

 

The search for a consistent sleep quality and schedule is a high priority due to the health effects of sleep and meaningful rest. Getting adequate sleep is linked to various health benefits, including [1]: 

• Improved mental health  
• Improved physical health 
• Enhanced cognitive performance 
• Healthy immune functions
• Cell and muscle repair
• Improved focus
• Improved memory

 

Without a proper night's rest, individuals run the risk of developing short- and long-term adverse effects, including [2]: 

• Decreased mental health
• Weight gain
• Higher risk of injuries, particularly young athletes. 
• Decreased immune function 
• Impaired decision-making 
• Impaired memory

 

Even if a person is aware of the effects of sleep deprivation and subpar sleep quality, they may still struggle with getting their ideal sleep. The factors range from environmental to personal choices. No matter the factors, it's clear that people are struggling. 

 

A 2020 US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study found that 14.5% of adults struggled to fall asleep that year. Researchers noted that factors including education levels, income, and environment (particularly in rural settings) can disrupt our sleep and the body's internal clock, also known as the circadian rhythm [3]. 

 

If you find yourself struggling with nightly rest, or know someone who is, read on to learn about some common sleep tips and the most utilized methods that may lead to better sleep.

 

Sleep Tip #1: Consistent Sleep Schedules and Routines

Maintaining daily routines has been linked to improved sleep in humans ranging from children to senior citizens. Positive effects of a consistent sleep schedule include improved overall sleep quality, enhanced wakefulness, and improved maternal moods of new parents, among various other effects. [4] [5].

 

Depending on your needs and situation, routines can vary and will likely include one or more of the following suggestions.

 

Sleep Tip #2: Exercise

Exercise helps keep our bodies in tip-top shape, aiding in improved sleep quality. Various studies have shown that 30 minutes of exercise can add 15 minutes to your rest and possibly reduce the occurrence of sleep disorders, including insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and sleep apnea.

 

Be aware that not all exercise is helpful to sleep. Some studies have revealed that rigorous workouts close to bed can increase core body temperatures and lead to individuals staying up longer than usual [6] [7]. 

 

Sleep Tip #3: Eating, Drinking, and Other Consumption Habits

Our digestive system can play several roles in our sleep, both positive and negative. 

 

Eating is particularly interesting and precarious. Going to bed either overly full or hungry can lead to discomfort. The foods we eat can also cause an uncomfortable night in bed, especially if consuming foods or drinks that may trigger acid reflux���spicy items are a particular concern. Other items to avoid a few hours before bed include acidic and fatty foods [8]. 

 

Stimulating substances like caffeine and nicotine can throw our circadian rhythms off, as it can take hours for their effects to wear off, even if we're tired. And while it may seem like a sedative like alcohol can induce sleep, studies have shown that boozing before bed can do the opposite. Those who regularly drink and get drunk are particularly at risk of adverse sleep [9].  

 

You may also want to try a late-night sleep aid. Snoozy Gummies help the body shift into slumber while promoting deeper sleep. Our gummies contain 2.5mg of melatonin, 10mg of CBD, 2.5mg of CBN, and 50mg of l-theanine to encourage a peaceful night's rest. 

 

Sleep Tip #4: Minimize Screen Time

Light and its varying intensities play a significant role in our sleep. Daylight enhances circadian rhythms, while blue light has been linked to stunted sleep quality and disrupted rest. 

 

While red light may improve sleep quality, many experts suggest reducing screen times for at least 30 minutes before bed can drastically enhance our sleep quality potential. You can decrease your blue light intake by turning off the TV and avoiding any electronic devices, as their screens are often a significant source of blue light. 

 

Sleep Tip #5: Stress Management

Stress is all too common in society today. So much so that 43% of adults report that stress disrupts their sleep, creating a cycle where the more stressed a person becomes, the more sleep struggles they tend to encounter. 

 

Individuals, adults, and adolescents with high stress tend to struggle to fall and stay asleep as they must contend with racing thoughts each night. The result often leaves the person under-rested and prone to fatigue, sluggishness, and declined mental cognition, including difficulty concentrating [10]. 

 

Those looking to manage their stress can utilize several techniques, including breathing exercises, meditation, and body scans [11].

 

Sleep Tip #6: Create an Ideal Setting

Numerous studies have revealed what we've known for ages: Dark, quiet settings are best for sleep. 

 

Creating those ideal settings can include using blackout curtains to reduce natural and unnatural light entering the room. White noise machines, apps, and other sleep sounds have often been linked to effectiveness in reducing or eliminating noise. However, additional research into certain sound waves and options is still required.

 

Sleep Tip #7: Hot Bath or Shower Before Bed

Studies have found that hot showers or baths taken one to two hours before bed can help a person relax and fall asleep faster. Research has shown that exposure to water temperatures between 100 and 108.5 F has improved sleep. Results found that late-night interactions with such temperatures decreased core body temperatures, which increases the presence of the sleep hormone melatonin. 

 

Research is ongoing, with additional analysis required to verify the early conclusions [12]. However, other experts feel enough clinical findings exist to support the claim [13].  

 

Sleep Tip #8: Room Temperature

Room temperature plays a crucial role in our sleep quality. Various studies have shown that exposure to rooms too hot or cold can produce adverse results, including increased time spent awake and declined deep sleep. 

 

When the room's too hot, we wake up more often during rest. Heat and humidity can play a particularly significant role in our deep sleep stages but haven't been linked to dream disruption. 

 

On the other hand, cold rooms have been connected to changes in heart activity without changing our self-reported sleep quality. These findings have led select researchers to conclude that cold rooms may not impact sleep quality as much as a warm room. Still, an increased focus on how cold's affect on our hearts and overall health may be beneficial [14]. 

 

Thankfully, we have several timeless tools to regulate temperatures, including bedtime clothes, space heaters, air conditioning, and other methods to create ideal rest and improve our comfort as we attempt to fall asleep.

 

Sleep Tip #9: Daytime Naps

As alluring as they may seem, naps can negatively affect your sleep schedule and circadian rhythm. 

 

Studies using sleep-tracking devices have found that daytime napping can decrease sleep efficiency at night. Select studies have found that certain ethnicities, such as Black Americans, may also see their sleep onset time increase if they take daytime naps. The cycle can get vicious once you're in it, with researchers noting that subjects who napped during the day often slept less at night, with the cycle repeating daily [15]. 

 

So, while you may want to get some daytime shut-eye, be wary of its impact on sleep efficiency and onset. 

 

Sleep Tip #10: Reserve Your Bed For Sleep And Sex

Beds are meant to stimulate sleep and serve as a go-to destination for sexual activity. Unfortunately, many of us have either programmed ourselves or have been programmed to use the bed for all sorts of other activities, ones that often lead to decreased sleep quality. 

People suffering from decreased sleep quality may want to evaluate their nightly habits. 

 

Consider cutting out all blue light devices in bed, including doing away with cell phones, laptops, tablets, and TV watching. These items can increase blue light production and raise your heart rate depending on the content you're consuming, from heart-racing shows and movies to work-related emails that can wait until morning. 

 

Sex is particularly interesting and more complex than some may assume. A 2023 analysis of sex and sleep found that partnered sex with an orgasm led to drastically reduced sleep latency and increased overall rest quality. However, partnered sex without an orgasm, and masturbation regardless of the outcome, were not linked to any effects in sleep [16]. 

 

Sleep Tip #11: Consult a Medical Professional

The above tips may improve your sleep quality, onset time, and duration of rest. However, not everyone will improve their rest by adopting one or more of these suggestions. 

 

Anyone struggling with sleep should think about consulting with a trusted medical professional. Speaking with a physician is the best approach to identifying any problematic practices or other factors that could negatively impact your sleep quality. 

 

While we no doubt can make modest alterations on our own, more extreme cases of sleep disorders and their various symptoms shouldn't be taken lightly. Failing to address the problem early on may exacerbate conditions, symptoms, and an all-around decline in one's health.

 

Don't wait until you reach this point. Contact a medical professional before you find yourself without a solution.

 

Did you find this list of ways to improve your sleep helpful? Then, you'll love learning more on the Snoozy blog, where we have many articles on sleep with lab-supported sleep-related sources to back up the findings.