3 Simple Steps to Better Sleep, According to Health Experts
Score deeper, more restorative rest with these tips from health pros.
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If you feel like you’re dragging more often than not throughout the day, you’re not alone. It might sound obvious, but many of us are sleepy because we’re not getting enough sleep.
One in three American adults is sleep-deprived, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (ICYMI, 7 to 9 hours per night is the sweet spot.) And even if we’re getting “enough,” we might be starving for better sleep. A November 2023 global study from MyFitnessPal revealed that 23 percent of Americans rate their quality of sleep as poor, with about one-third saying their sleep quality has actually gotten worse in the past year, explains Chris W Winter, M.D., neurologist, sleep specialist, and MyFitnessPal spokesperson.
In a world full of constant tech pings, to-dos, societal uncertainties, and stress, sleep is simply not a priority for most people, says Michael Breus, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, sleep medicine expert, and founder of The Sleep Doctor. “Many [people] don't even think about sleep until much later in the evening. By then, they have not really given themselves enough ‘runway to land the plane,’” or enough time to taxi in for a smooth landing after a full day.
As much as we’d love for falling asleep — and staying asleep — to be as easy as flipping a light switch, our bodies don't work like that. Sleep disorders, medical conditions, emotional stress, lifestyle choices, certain drugs, and less-than-stellar sleep routines can stack the deck against us, Dr. Winter says. But we need not be stuck in a vicious sleep-shy cycle. The experts we spoke with said following just three simple steps can help with logging more hours of restorative shut-eye.
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The 3 Steps to Better Sleep, According to Pros
If you ask 100 people what “better sleep” means to them, you will likely receive 100 different answers, Dr. Winter believes. “Perhaps it’s similar to the concept of ‘eating better’ or being a ‘better person.’ Ambiguous goals often create ambiguous pathways to success,” he says. “I think it’s best to precisely define your objectives when it comes to sleep, and that’s probably best done by defining what it is that the individual wants to accomplish or how they want to feel.”
Perhaps you want more energy during the workday so you don’t feel like dozing off during meetings. Or maybe you’d like to sleep more soundly so you don’t have to struggle with the choice of “sleep in or work out?” Or if you wake up frequently during the night to use the bathroom, reducing those visits might be priority number one.
With these more concrete objectives, it will be easier for you and your medical team to formulate a personalized plan about how to get better sleep. That being said, there are a few sleep-better steps that can help move the needle for most of us — no appointment required.
Step 1: Stay Consistent
Consistency in your lifestyle across the board will help your body know what to expect — including when to wind down and turn in, Dr. Breus says. A regular schedule is especially important in terms of wake-up time. “When you wake up, your body resets its ‘melatonin timer,’ so if your wake-up time is variable, so is your melatonin production,” Dr. Breus says, referring to the hormone our bodies naturally produce to help control our sleep-wake cycle. “Melatonin is really the key that starts the engine for sleep, and inconsistent production makes sleep harder to attain. The more consistent you are, the more efficient your sleep,” Dr. Breus adds.
Deep sleep is heavily influenced by circadian rhythms and timing of things like sleep, wake, exercise, and meal times, Dr. Winter says, so creating a consistent routine is essential to improving sleep. To help you stay consistent day-to-day, consider adding an alarm 1 hour before bedtime to remind you to begin to wind down for bed — yup, even on the weekends. To wake you up in a soothing, energy-boosting way, try a gentle alarm with features that mimic the natural sunrise (we love Hatch Restore 2).
“Morning light at the same time every day helps to set a metronome for our body, what we sleep experts call the circadian rhythm,” says Meredith Broderick, M.D., a sleep neurologist and Ozlo Sleep medical advisory board member. “When we have this regulated, we’ll have the best quality of sleep.”
Step 2: Schedule Time For Stress-Relieving Activities
Dr. Breus estimates that about 75 percent of his patients who have been diagnosed with insomnia have anxiety, which he says really fuels their lack of sleep. “On a biological level, anxiety increases heart rate, blood pressure, and cognition; three things you certainly don’t want to increase either before bed or while you are trying to fall asleep,” says Dr. Breus,
Ideally, our heart rates should be at 60 or below to enter a state of sleep, Dr. Breus explains, and if you’re feeling frazzled and your nervous system is on guard in fight-or-flight mode, this can be tough. Overscheduling, trying to "have it all," as well as amplified stress for whatever reason, can affect our arousal threshold, Dr. Broderick adds, making it more likely that we wake up in the middle of the night or have a lower sleep quality. A few simple daily actions can help you set the stage for better sleep:
Exercise: “When it comes to achieving deeper sleep, I’m not sure there is any method more backed by research than simply exercising. [It's] been shown to improve sleep quality and create a deeper, more restorative sleep,” Dr. Winter says. As we mentioned, the body loves a consistent schedule. So, it's best to fit in some movement around the same time each day — ideally timed to conclude at least 2 ½ hours before bed so you have time to wind down.
Zone Out: Anything that you can do to help your heart rate and reduce your stress levels as bedtime nears will be helpful for sleep. Things like meditation, breathwork, foam rolling, reading for enjoyment, and spending time with a pet or loved one can all be impactful — try a few things and see what relaxes you the most.
Related: The Best Foam Rollers of 2024, Tested by Shape
Step 3: Fuel Wisely
An excess of fatty and spicy foods — and calories in general — can keep you up at night, the National Sleep Foundation says. On the flip side, foods and drinks that deliver a dose of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, melatonin, and tryptophan tend to promote better sleep, per an April 2020 review in the journal Nutrients. A diet that features more carbs than fat also appears to be part of the Rx for how to get better sleep. (Pasta, anyone?)
At least for a few weeks, Dr. Winter recommends using a sleep app or tracker, such as WHOOP, and a food journal so you can compare your sleep data alongside what you ate and drank leading up to bed. This way, you can start to notice general trends regarding what tends to help you sleep better.
Food Rich In Melatonin
Pistachios
Almonds,
Cow's milk
Tart cherries
Mushrooms
Eggs
Beyond bypassing fiery and fat-rich foods in the hours leading up to sleep, remember that caffeine and alcohol are both highly disruptive to sleep quantity and sleep quality, Dr. Breus says. “Too much caffeine reduces our deep sleep and makes us more arousable, which results in lower quality sleep. Too much alcohol also reduces deep sleep and lowers sleep quality,” Dr. Broderick continues. Dr. Breus advises his patients to aim to reduce caffeine to once per day, about 90 minutes after waking up, and to cap any alcohol consumption, if they choose to imbibe, to a max of 2 drinks that conclude at least 3 hours before bed.
When to See a Doctor
Don't brush off your sleep struggles as NBD. If you have disrupted sleep more than two nights per week for more than three to four weeks, contact your doctor. "Sleep problems become more ingrained over time the longer they occur, so it is best to seek help early,” Dr. Broderick says, adding that sleep challenges are easier to treat before they become chronic.
Dr. Winter notes that not all doctors or medical professionals are created equal when it comes to sleep disorder treatment competency. If your primary care doctor believes you might have a sleep disorder, he suggests asking for a referral to a qualified sleep specialist.
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