10 tips for improving your quality of sleep
There are many reasons why people have difficulties sleeping, but the good news is that the most common ones are often easily addressed without the need for pharmaceuticals.
While there are no guaranteed natural cures for insomnia, there are certainly some effective steps you can take to help you work towards some better quality snooze time. Try out some of these super simple recommendations from our head alchemist and former insomniac, Lauralynn, if you find yourself having a hard time getting to sleep or staying there.
1. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same times each day
Shooting for consistency when it comes to the time that your head hits and leaves the pillow will help your body develop and maintain a natural sleep rhythm. Think of it as training—in the same way you would train to improve your sports performance, you may just need a little practice to get your body primed and ready to adopt a steady sleep pattern.
2. Limit caffeine and alcohol
There’s nothing wrong with a cheeky treat now and then, but moderation is the name of the game. While I’m not likely to ever give up caffeine entirely, I have noticed a significant difference in the quality of my sleep by reducing how much coffee I’m drinking and controlling what time of the day I drink it at. For me, that meant dropping from four cups a day (yikes!) to two, with absolutely no coffee after 2pm. What initially felt like a bit of a sacrifice ended up making a world of difference for my insomnia.
No matter what you’re eating and drinking, doing it right before bed can keep your digestion working late into the night. Both caffeine and booze can also increase the need for nighttime urination, which will further interrupt your sleep pattern.
3. Limit naps (or at least nap smarter)
While there is nothing wrong with short “power naps” for a quick refresh, naps that are longer than 30-45 minutes or that occur close to your intended bedtime can compromise your ability to fall or stay asleep at night. This resulting insomnia is due to a diminished sleep drive, and it can take up to 10 hours to build up the proper desire for sleep again. Without it, your nighttime sleep will become more fragmented with more frequent awakenings and prolonged periods awake in the night.
By abstaining from napping all together, your desire for sleep will build as your adenosine levels increase. While your sleepiness may feel like a struggle in the short term, it’ll help you build better nighttime sleep habits. And if you do need a nap, try to keep it quick and take it early enough in the day for you to build up enough sleep drive before your regular bedtime rolls around.
4. Exercise regularly
Ever since I started hitting the gym 4 times per week, I’ve noticed a huge difference in how well I’ve been sleeping. But you don’t need to become a total gym junkie to see an improvement. Even just taking a gentle walk after dinner can help your mind and body relax enough to improve the quality of your sleep. 30 minutes a day is all you need to maintain both your sleep (and body) fitness.
If you’re already exercising regularly (high five!) but are still having trouble sleeping, try switching up the time of day that you work out. Exercising too close to bedtime can get some people’s bodies all riled up, whereas others can benefit from some physical activity later in the evening to help tire themselves out.
5. Make yourself more comfortable
Take a closer look at your mattress. Are there visible signs of wear or sagging? Do you find it too soft or too firm? What about your pillows? An uncomfortable pillow or an older, worn-out bed can seriously impede a good night’s sleep.
My partner and I recently invested in a new mattress from Ecosa, which was a massive improvement over the futon situation we were previously in! I definitely recommend it if you prefer a mattress with firmer support. We picked Ecosa because of their mattress-in-a-box business model (which is basically the same as what Casper does in North America). They delivered it right into our apartment and we got to test it out for 100 nights risk-free (though we were convinced we wanted to keep it after the very first). This is not a sponsored post, by the way. We are just genuinely really happy with it.
What you wear to bed can make a big difference too. Natural fabrics like linen, silk, and cotton are breathable, whereas synthetic fibres are not, which can reduce nighttime sweating. That’s the main reason why our Luna lounge pants and kimonos are made with 100% linen (not just because it’s totally gorgeous).
6. Reduce stress and worrying
Stress and worrying can cause some major sleeping problems or make existing issues worse. If you have an anxiety disorder like I do, it can exacerbate the problem even further.
While there still seems to be a prevalent ‘suck-it-up’ attitude in New Zealand when it comes to mental health issues, the good news is that there are more options available to get help than ever before. If worries and anxieties are keeping you from getting enough shut eye, it can really help to talk things out with a good friend or a professional counsellor. Need help finding one? The NZ Mental Health Foundation has a great directory and heaps of free resources.
7. Try yoga or meditation
According to a recent study completed by JAMA and shared by Harvard, people who practiced purposeful activities such as meditation were more likely to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep. Participants in the study who were experiencing sleep problems completed a mindfulness awareness program that taught them meditation and other exercises designed to help them focus on “moment-by-moment experiences, thoughts, and emotions.” Compared with the people who simply received “sleep education”, those in the mindfulness group had less insomnia, fatigue, and depression at the end of the six sessions. Researchers also suspect that yoga may address both the physical and psychological aspects of sleep problems.
The best part is, technology has made it simpler than ever for us to do these activities in the comforts of our own home. Using the Headspace app for my daily meditations has made a monumental difference in my ability to drift off at night, and their brand new sleep packs incorporate some new strategies, including more stories and visualisation. There is even a 30-day free trial so you can try it out before you register. I also love Simply Yoga, which is free to use and has 20, 30, and 60 minute workouts in an easy to use interface.
If you prefer in-person classes, Bikes & Bends offers free group yoga and meditation a few lunch hours during the week in Auckland CBD right near the waterfront. You won’t be sorry you went!
8. Add some white noise
If you live right in the heart of downtown like I do, you are no stranger to nighttime noises. Whether it be late-night revellers on Queen Street or seemingly unending construction works, these disturbances can really derail your ability to get to sleep (or back to sleep).
I’ve compiled some of my favourite apps and playlists with soothing sounds to help mask those jangling ones. If you’re more ‘low-fi’ or just not into apps, you can pick up a white noise generator for relatively cheap, which is just as effective.
9. Reduce (or eliminate) bedroom screen time
Blue light wavelengths—those produced by our phones, laptops, and other electronics—can boost our attention, reaction times, and mood. This can be great during the daytime when our bodies needs to be alert, but at night, it can become a real problem.
To complicate things further, research has found that exposure to blue light suppresses the production of melatonin (one of the most important chemicals our brain produces to help us sleep) more than any other type of light. It is believed that the shorter wavelengths in blue light is what causes the body to produce less melatonin because the body is more sensitive to this type of light.
The best solution? Avoid exposure to blue light-emitting screens 30-60 minutes before bedtime to help encourage your body's natural sleep/wake cycle. If that isn’t possible, dimming your devices and wearing blue light filtering glasses can help reduce its impact.
10. Get up and do something
It may seem completely counterintuitive to get out of bed when you’re trying to fall asleep, but recent studies have shown that, when all else fails, getting up and putting your racing mind to work on something else can actually help.
Getting your brain to switch gears and focus on something aside from all the sleep you’re missing can take the pressure off so that, when you climb back into bed, your mind will be ready to rest. The next time you’re lying awake in bed for what seems like forever, try this strategy from the National Sleep Foundation.