The Secret to a Good Night’s Rest: The Sleep Habits that Can Change Your Life

Imagine getting a good night’s sleep every night. Instead of tossing and turning with your mind racing, you slip into slumber and feel refreshed and ready for the new day. That sounds like nirvana, doesn’t it? Getting a good night’s sleep can sometimes feel impossible – especially if you have a busy workweek, stressful personal life or looming school assignments. Fortunately, establishing healthy sleep habits isn’t as challenging as it sounds. You don’t need to overhaul your entire lifestyle to achieve better shut-eye; just a few easy tweaks can have you sleeping like a baby in no time at all. Here are some helpful tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

Establish a sleep schedule

You may have heard your parents telling you as a child that you should go to bed at a specific time. As it turns out, they were on to something. Establishing a sleep schedule is one of the best ways to help regulate your sleeping habits, and in addition, it will ensure you’re getting enough sleep. Sleep experts recommend that adults get around seven to nine hours each night. If you’re getting too little or too much sleep, it can have a significant impact on your health and wellbeing.

A consistent sleep schedule will help you to fall asleep and stay asleep more easily. In addition to adhering to bedtime, a sleep schedule also means getting up around the same time each morning. On non-work days, try and get out of bed at around the same time as you would on a work day. A small sleep-in is okay, but push this too far and you may notice a negative impact on your sleep the following evening. Getting up earlier on your days off will likely also make you more productive that day. 

Naps

To assist with maintaining your sleep schedule, avoid naps that are too long or too late in the afternoon. Around 15 to 30 minutes is the perfect duration for a short rest, and if you limit these to the early afternoon (say, before 3 pm), it shouldn’t impact your night’s sleep. If you can, entirely phasing out naps is a good idea for improved sleep at night. 

Monitoring patterns

One way to assist with developing and sticking to your sleep schedule is to keep a sleep journal or use a smartwatch device to track your sleep patterns. Noting which times and rituals (see below) result in increased quality and duration of sleep can help you decide what works for you. 

Develop a sleep ritual

Another way to help improve the quality of your sleep is to establish a sleep ritual. A sleep ritual is a particular set of activities you do before bed to help prepare your body and mind for rest. A sleep ritual could include anything that makes you more likely to rest soundly, but some habits are particularly effective. 

Adhering to a 30 to 60-minute wind down before bed is particularly effective in getting to sleep more quickly and improving sleep quality. During this period, engage only in relaxing activities such as reading or taking a bath. Dimming the lights during this time lets your body know that it is almost time to rest. Remember to limit screen time during this period as well!

If you can, try to make your sleep ritual consistent. Consistency trains your body to expect sleep after these activities, making falling asleep easier. 

Consider your sleep environment

Your sleep environment is the location and conditions where you sleep and will impact the quality of your sleep. Our bodies have developed many ways to read queues from our environment about when it is time for rest, and we can use this to our advantage! Ideally, follow these guidelines for making an environment conducive to good quality sleep:

Limit noise – The quieter you can make your surroundings, the less likely you will be interrupted while you sleep. If total silence isn’t for you, try an app for white noise or a sleep podcast. 

Limit light – Light signals to the brain that it’s time to be awake. Making your room dark through the use of block-out curtains or else a sleep mask can send the opposite signals that we want; it’s time for sleep now.

Consider temperature – Around 15 to 20 degrees Celsius (59 – 68 Fahrenheit) is considered the optimal sleeping temperature for most people for uninterrupted sleep.

Keep the area tidy – A cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind. Cleaning your room can lead to lower stress, more peaceful mornings, better air quality (if vacuuming and dusting) and an all-around better sleep. Remember to clean your bedding regularly too!

Make your bed as comfy as possible – Making sure you have a mattress that suits your soft or firm preference can make a big difference in sleep quality. If your pillow is old or mishappen, investing in a new one may also be effective in increasing comfort in bed. Choose soft and welcoming bedding.

Just use your bed for sleep! – Working, eating or playing games in bed can cause your mind to associate wakeful activities with this location. Moving these activities to another room makes you more likely to feel tired and sleep more easily in bed.

Stop consuming in the evenings

Caffeine

You’ve probably heard that caffeine is excellent for helping you get a jump start in the morning. While caffeine is a valuable and effective tool for powering through your morning meetings, it has the opposite effect when trying to get some shut-eye. Consuming caffeine in the evening can make it more difficult to fall asleep and negatively impact your sleep quality. Caffeine lasts in your system a lot longer than many people think, so allow at least 6 hours of caffeine-free time before bed.

Alcohol

While alcohol may make you feel tired and relaxed, consuming it in the evening can negatively impact the quality of your sleep. You may find that you fall asleep more quickly, but as alcohol affects the brain’s natural rhythms, the rest you get will be poorer, and you are more likely to wake through the night. This trade-off will leave you worse off the next day, so avoid alcohol in the hours before sleep whenever possible.

Smoking

By now, we know the dangers of smoking; however, the effects of smoking on sleep quality are less well known. Smoking, particularly before sleep, lowers sleep quality and duration and can be a factor in developing sleep conditions such as sleep apnea and insomnia. To improve your sleep and general health, reduce the amount you are smoking overall and significantly limit smoking in the evenings.

Food

Avoid eating a large meal late in the evening. Ideally, aim to have your evening meal 2 to 3 hours before sleep. This is enough time for your body to digest and avoid a heavy stomach when you go to bed. If you often feel hungry before bed, try and steer clear of high-sugar and high-fat foods at this time. John Hopkin’s Medicine suggests we opt for a piece of whole wheat toast or oatmeal to fill this craving. 

Take care of your body

Healthy eating and exercise are two crucial aspects of taking care of your body. In addition to promoting overall good health and wellness, healthy eating and exercise can also help improve the quality of your sleep. 

Our body requires certain essential nutrients to perform all of its vital functions and keep us in working condition. In contrast, it has to work to process and excrete substances that we consume in excessive amounts and those that have limited nutritional value. Lowering intake of processed sugars and fats, as well as ensuring enough high nutrient density foods such as vegetables and whole grains, allows our body to repair and function appropriately. Diet quality has been shown to affect energy levels and sleep. 

Exercise

Increasing the amount of exercise you get during the day has also been shown to correlate with falling asleep faster in the evenings. Incorporating more exercise doesn’t have to be a massive change from your current life, and you don’t need to begin a strict training program to benefit. Try incorporating a couple of walks or light jogs during your week, or recommit to using that gym membership occasionally, and better sleep is likely to follow.

Environment

As mentioned above, your brain has developed to understand specific inputs and signals from your environment and act accordingly. It has been shown that getting good light exposure during the day helps to regulate your body’s circadian rhythms (the cycle of sleepiness and wakefulness) and helps to regulate hormones relating to sleep patterns. When you can, try and get a bit of sun during the day, which will help you sleep better at night.

Manage stress

Stress is a common problem for people who don’t get enough sleep. This can be a vicious cycle, as when you are stressed, it can be harder to sleep, and lack of sleep contributes to increased stress.

The first thing to combat this is to remember that worrying about it won’t help. Try and tackle the issues together simultaneously for a higher chance of success. 

One standard method is to list all the things plaguing your mind before you get into bed. Then, you can be sure that nothing will be forgotten. Getting these things down on paper can often move them from your mind and help you rest easier. Remember, there is nothing you can do right now to help except rest easy and tackle the list tomorrow. 

You can use many relaxation techniques to relieve stress and tension before bed. Some examples include yoga, meditation, and taking a brief gentle walk. 

Conclusion

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for your health and wellbeing. Getting enough sleep can help improve your mood, help you be more productive, and decrease your risk of various health issues. Establishing healthy sleep habits like creating a sleep ritual, considering your sleep environment, stopping consumption in the evenings, and managing stress can help improve the quality of your sleep and help you achieve better shut-eye.

Interested in reading about more life skills that can help you succeed? Check out 9 Essential Life Skills You Need to Know to Thrive

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