Tips to help you improve your quality of sleep
Written by Shriya
It’s 3 a.m. and you’re lying in your bed wide awake. You need to be up early and have a long day of school, meetings, and work. As you watch the minutes on the clock tick by, you will yourself to drift off. Your mind, however, refuses to shut down. The more you can’t sleep, the more you worry about it and the worse it gets. So you toss and turn, fixated on the impending doom of your alarm clock going off in a few hours.
We have all gone through these sleepless nights, and therefore know far too well the impacts on our lives. So how can we achieve a better night of sleep?
1. Maintain a sleep schedule
Going to sleep and getting up at the same time everyday helps set the body’s internal clock and optimize the quality of sleep. If you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock, you may need an earlier bedtime. (1) Although it may be tempting to sleep in during the weekend, waking up at a different time can interfere with your circadian rhythm, thus affecting the time you go to sleep. So pick a wake-up time and stick with it, even on weekends or other days when you would otherwise be tempted to sleep in. (2)
2. Be smart about napping
Humans are hardwired to feel unfocused and drowsy during the afternoon. In fact, most people’s natural circadian rhythm dips between 1 P.M. and 3 P.M. resulting in that sleepy feeling. (3) Taking a power nap around this time can be beneficial, by enhancing brain activity and serving as a pick-me-up during the day. However, the nap should be limited to about 20 minutes, which will put you in non-REM sleep. If you sleep for longer, you will enter a deeper sleep and may wake up feeling less alert than when you started. For this reason, it is important to limit your naps to shorter times.
3. Increase your exposure to light
Our circadian rhythms are regulated by light exposure. Sunlight has the strongest effect so it is important to take in daylight by getting outside or opening up windows or blinds to natural light. Getting a dose of daylight early in the day can help normalize your circadian rhythm. (2) Whether it be by taking a walk or just moving your desk closer to a window while you work, being exposed to light during the day can improve the duration and the quality of your sleep at night. For those who live in areas that prevent them from gaining this exposure, a doctor can be consulted to learn whether light therapy can be beneficial. During light therapy, you sit or work near a device called a light therapy box. The box gives off bright light that mimics natural outdoor light. (4) Spending time outdoors, preferably in a natural manner, can help improve both your days and nights.
4. Reduce blue light exposure
Blue wavelengths—which are beneficial during daylight hours because they boost attention, reaction times, and mood—seem to be the most disruptive at night. And the proliferation of electronics with screens, as well as energy-efficient lighting, is increasing our exposure to blue wavelengths, especially after sundown. (5) Blue light can trick your brain into thinking it is daytime, which then suppresses the secretion of melatonin, a hormone important for sleep. For this reason, you should avoid bright screens for 1 to 2 hours before you plan to sleep. If interacting with your electronics in unavoidable, glasses that protect your eyes from blue light or apps that block blue light can be helpful.
5. Save your bed for sleep
Working from your bed may seem like a smart idea. You may think that being comfortable in your bed will allow you to be more productive. However, working from your bed can actually have negative impacts on both your work efficiency and your ability to sleep at night. Maintaining a separate, dedicated sleep space can make it easier to fall asleep, because the brain will learn to associate your bed with sleep. If you are in ‘work mode’ in your bed, it will be more difficult for your brain to relax and your body to wind down when it is time to sleep at night. Therefore, keeping computers, TVs, and work materials out of the room will strengthen the mental association between the bedroom and sleep. (6)
6. Limit caffeine consumption
We all know not to consume caffeine, mostly from coffee, tea, and soda, before bed. However, many may not know that once in the body, caffeine will persist for several hours: it takes about 6 hours for one half of the caffeine to be eliminated. (7) Therefore, drinking large amounts of coffee after 3–4 p.m. is not recommended, especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine or have trouble sleeping. (1) If you do crave something later in the day, make sure it is caffeine-free.
7. Improve your sleep environment
There is a wide variety of things you can do to make your bedroom more suitable for good sleep. Keeping noise to a minimum is an important part of building a sleep-positive bedroom. If you can’t eliminate nearby sources of noise, consider drowning them out with a fan or white noise machine. Earplugs or headphones are another option to stop abrasive sounds from bothering you when you want to sleep. (2) Additionally, it is important to maintain an ideal temperature in your room. Although this can depend on your personal preferences and habits, 65 degrees Fahrenheit is thought to be a comfortable temperature for most people. Finally, essential oils with natural aromas, such as lavender, can provide a soothing and fresh smell for your bedroom. (2) Lavender also works to increase relaxation and calm, and helps bring about sleep by quieting the brain and nervous system activity. In the end, creating a good sleep environment is all up to personal preference, so experiment to find out what works for you!
8. Consider melatonin supplements
If you are unable to improve your sleep after making natural lifestyle changes, taking melatonin supplements may help. Research shows that a supplement may help people with insomnia fall asleep slightly faster and may have bigger benefits for those with delayed sleep phase syndrome. (8) Melatonin supplements are a common sleep aid especially with short term insomnia and jet lag. Before using supplements, however, you should consult your doctor if you have any preexisting health conditions.
Sleep Apps
There are hundreds of apps that work to improve your quality of sleep, by analyzing your sleep cycle every night as well as actually helping you fall asleep.
‘Sleep Cycle’ tracks and analyzes your sleep patterns. Your phone’s built-in microphone picks up your movements as you sleep using sound and vibration analysis, that detects snoring, sleep talking, coughing, and other sounds. The app analyzes the data to determine if you are in light sleep, deep sleep, or a dream state and provides a detailed analysis of your bedtime patterns.
‘Calm’ features meditation, sleep aid, gentle movement and stretching and music designed to help you focus, relax and sleep. Its guided meditation practices can help you wind down before sleeping, as well as help cope with anxiety. Furthermore, the app helps you actually fall asleep by providing a wide selection of stories, white noises, and music, that will allow you to relax.
This is the final article in this series about sleep, but there is always so much more to learn. Sleep is something that affects all people in more ways than imaginable, so it is incredibly important to understand its value.
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