Avoid watching television or using a laptop 2-3 hours before you plan to sleep.
Use computer apps such as f.lux that remove blue light.
Download smartphone apps that remove blue light from the screen
Wear glasses that block out blue light in the evening
5. Avoid caffeine late in the day
Despite what the slogan on your coffee mug might say, the body doesn't need caffeine to function. Even so, moderate caffeine intake is not associated with any recognized health risks, which is good news for lovers of coffee and chocolate.
However, caffeine can stimulate your nervous system and make it difficult to fall asleep. Caffeine can stay elevated in your blood for up to 8 hours. Research has also shown consuming coffee up to 6 hours before sleeping can worsen sleep quality.
It's best to avoid consuming coffee, chocolate, or other sources of caffeine after 2 or 3 pm in the afternoon. If you regularly drink coffee in the evening, try switching to decaffeinated versions of your favorite brew.
6. Try hypnosis for sleep
If you struggle to fall asleep, try listening to a relaxing hypnotherapy recording. Hypnotherapy involves listening to verbal cues to guide you into a deep, concentrated state of relaxation. This relaxed state has been shown to make it easier to fall asleep than focusing on sleep.
Hypnotherapists may use different approaches to produce a relaxed state, such as:
Progressive muscle relaxation
Guided imagery
Hypnotic language, using phrases such as 'relax,' 'deep' and 'easy.'
There is some evidence that hypnosis can help to improve sleep. One large meta-study of over 500 participants showed hypnotherapy shortened the time taken to fall asleep compared to the control group, but not to a sham intervention.
Want to try hypnosis for sleep? There's no need to invite a licensed hypnotist to sit at your bedside; high-quality sleep hypnosis apps are available to download on your smartphone.
7. Avoid long naps during the day
Taking a nap can help you make up your sleep debt; however, sleeping too long during the day has also been shown to negatively affect your sleep at night.
Napping interferes with your circadian rhythm (your body clock that regulates your sleep/wake cycles) and may cause you to struggle to sleep at night. Try to limit nap time to a maximum of 30 minutes during the day and avoid napping later in the day.
That being said, some research suggests people who regularly nap may not experience disrupted sleep at night, so experiment and see how napping affects the quality of your sleep.
8. Don't eat or drink late in the evening
As anyone who's gone too hard on Christmas dinner knows, what you eat and drink in the evening can impact your sleep.
Consuming a large meal close to bedtime can reduce sleep quality. This is because a late-night meal may impact the release of hormones such as HGH and melatonin.
However, it is important not to go to bed hungry. Rather than overly restricting your meals, it's wise to eat a reasonable portion and choose ingredients that won't negatively affect your sleep. Although some foods can make it harder to drift off, one study showed that eating a high-carbohydrate meal 4 hours before bed helped people fall asleep faster.
While a 'nightcap' is normal for many people, alcohol can actually disrupt your sleep later in the night. Try to avoid drinking alcohol before bed, and if you're using a tipple to settle you for sleep, try and find a new wind-down routine that doesn't involve a drink.
9. Rule out sleep disorders
If you regularly experience poor sleep, an underlying health condition may be to blame. You should consult your doctor if you think you have a sleep disorder.
Insomnia, or the inability to sleep, or sleep well at night, is the most common sleep disorder. It can be caused by stress, jet lag, certain medications, or mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Another common sleep disorder is sleep apnoea, in which you temporarily stop breathing during your sleep, which may wake you up. Up to 25% of individuals experience sleep apnoea in their lives. Another possible cause of sleep problems are circadian rhythm disorders. This is a condition common in shift workers, whereby sleep times are out of alignment.
Your doctor can help identify a sleep disorder, refer you to a sleep specialist, or recommend over-the-counter or prescription medications such as:
10. Exercise – but not before bed
Exercise can help you sleep better at night. Physical activity can improve both sleep quality and reduce symptoms of insomnia.
One study in older adults showed exercise reduced the time taken to fall asleep by half and improved sleep duration by an average of 42 minutes.
Research has also shown that exercise was more effective than sleeping pills for treating people with insomnia. The total sleep time increased, and time taken to fall asleep was reduced in the group that exercised.
However, exercising too late in the day may cause sleep problems. This is because exercise may increase alertness and produces stimulatory hormones such as epinephrine. That being said, a few studies have shown the opposite, that late-night exercise did not cause sleep problems.
The Wrap Up
Sleep is important for health and longevity. Poor sleep has been associated with a range of health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. There are several things you can do to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, such as getting exposure light in the daytime, keeping your room dark at night, and trying hypnotherapy programs designed to aid sleep. If you’re struggling with sleep, talk to your doctor to rule out a possible sleep disorder. It’s a good idea for everyone to make sleep hygiene a top priority to ensure good health.
References
Altevogt, B.M. and Colten, H.R. eds., 2006. Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. National Academies Press. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20669438/
Van Cauter, E., Holmbäck, U., Knutson, K., Leproult, R., Miller, A., Nedeltcheva, A., Pannain, S., Penev, P., Tasali, E. and Spiegel, K., 2007. Impact of sleep and sleep loss on neuroendocrine and metabolic function. Hormone Research in Paediatrics, 67(Suppl. 1), pp.2-9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17308390/
St-Onge, M.P., 2013. The role of sleep duration in the regulation of energy balance: effects on energy intakes and expenditure. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 9(1), pp.73-80. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23319909/
Telzer, E.H., Fuligni, A.J., Lieberman, M.D. and Galván, A., 2013. The effects of poor quality sleep on brain function and risk taking in adolescence. Neuroimage, 71, pp.275-283. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23376698/
Halal, C.S., Matijasevich, A., Howe, L.D., Santos, I.S., Barros, F.C. and Nunes, M.L., 2016. Short sleep duration in the first years of life and obesity/overweight at age 4 years: a birth cohort study. The Journal of pediatrics, 168, pp.99-103. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26541426/
Covassin, N. and Singh, P., 2016. Sleep duration and cardiovascular disease risk: epidemiologic and experimental evidence. Sleep medicine clinics,
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