Tips to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Why is sleep important?

Getting enough sleep can have big benefits for your health. It can:

• Lower risk of chronic (ongoing) conditions, like diabetes, hypertension, and stroke
• Improve heart health
• Improve learning and memory
• Remove toxins from the brain
• Make it easier to manage emotions
• Boost mood
• Even out appetite
• Strengthen the immune system
• Decrease facial puffiness, wrinkles, and eye redness

What can I do to get better sleep?

Create a sleep-friendly environment

• ‍Cool it down. Body temperature naturally dips at night. Help the cooling along by keeping your bedroom around 65 °F.
• ‍Make it dark. Darkness helps signal to your body that it’s time to rest. Use blackout curtains or wear an eye mask to keep out light.
• Keep it comfy. It’s easier to sleep in a room that feels safe and relaxing. Warm-colored lamps, and even less clutter, can help.
• Use white noise. A fan, air purifier, or white noise machine or app can cover up unwanted sounds throughout the night. Keep in mind: a TV is not white noise and can actually disrupt sleep.

Set a bedtime routine‍

• Wind down before bed. This might look like dimming the lights, reading a book, journaling, or meditating. Think of these activities as a bridge between being awake and asleep.
• Create a routine. The body does better when it can predict what’s coming. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (yes, even on weekends!) Think about setting two alarms: one for waking up and another for going to bed.
• Limit screen time for an hour before bed. You can also itch your phone to “night mode” or use blue light glasses. Screens give off the same blue light as the sun, which tells our bodies they should be awake. Without blue light, your body senses it's time to relax.
• Move to another room if you’re not tired or can't fall back asleep. Once you're out of your bedroom, do a “bridge” activity, like reading a book. Go back to bed only when you’re sleepy again. This helps your brain link the bed with sleep.

Avoid things that keep you awake

• Avoid large meals before bed. Before bed, your body shouldn’t be using energy to digest a large meal. It should be powering down and preparing for rest.
• Avoid naps and caffeine beyond early afternoon. These can confuse your body’s circadian rhythm (internal clock) and keep you up.
• Avoid using your bed for anything except sleep and sex. If you watch TV or read in bed, your brain will link your bed to being awake instead of being asleep.
• Avoid a lot of alcohol. It might make you fall asleep faster, but alcohol lowers the quality of your sleep.
• Avoid tobacco. Nicotine is a stimulant, meaning it makes your brain more active. That’s the opposite of what your body needs to wind down.
• Avoid looking at the clock. When we watch the clock at night, we tend to get carried away with tomorrow’s worries. Allow your mind to relax and trust that your alarm will wake you up when it’s time.

Any other tips?

• Get direct sunlight (outside, not just through a window) in the morning. This helps set your circadian rhythm.
• Avoid snoozing your alarm, which can make you feel groggier.
• Keep your alarm across the room to help you get out of bed.
• Take a warm shower or bath at night (the drop in body temperature when you get out starts your body’s natural cooling process).
• If your partner (or pet!) steals the covers, consider using separate blankets.
• Try aromatherapy (using scented essential oils, like lavender, chamomile, or peppermint).
• Exercise regularly, which can help you sleep longer and more deeply.

I'm still struggling with sleep. What should I do?

Connect with your care team to talk through what's going on and if you'd benefit from a sleep study.