How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Guide Note

According to the National Sleep Foundation, 40% of adults get less than seven hours of sleep a night on weekdays, and 71% get under eight hours of sleep. If you're one of those people, read this page to learn how to get a good night's sleep.

Disclaimer

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your doctor before using the advice presented here.

Introduction

A good night's sleep is key to good health. (Photo by Evert-Jan van Scherpenzeel)
A good night's sleep is key to good health. (Photo by Evert-Jan van Scherpenzeel)
  • For some lucky people, sleep comes as soon as their head hits the pillow. For most of us, it's much harder. According to National Sleep Foundation polls, more and more Americans are getting less than eight hours of sleep per night every year. Chronic sleep deprivation has effects from mild to disastrous.
  1. Several studies, including one published in the journal Sleep in 2005, indicate that sleeping less than 8 hours a night leads to obesity.[1]
  2. A Harvard study found that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to suffer from a major illness.[2]
  3. People who sleep less than 5 hours a night are 60 percent more likely to get high blood pressure, a Columbia study found.[3] According to a British study, they are also twice as likely to get heart disease.[4]
  4. People who sleep less than 6 hours a night increase by 50% their chance of getting a virus.[5]
  5. A Princeton study found lack of sleep leads the body to slow down production of brain cells.[6]

Step 1: Prepare your bedroom for sleep

  • To get a good night's sleep, you need the proper environment. Noises, light, and even temperature can ruin your shot at a full forty winks.
Make sure your bed is comfortable. (Photo by Lotus Head)
Make sure your bed is comfortable. (Photo by Lotus Head)
  1. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex, says the Better Sleep Council.[7] Otherwise, WebMD says, your brain will associate bed with too many wakeful activities, preventing you from sleeping.[8]
  2. Turn your clock so you can't see the time, says Dr. Robert Fayle.[9] If you keep checking the time, it will make sleep more difficult.
  3. Dr. William Dement recommends you keep light dim.[10] Bright light will suppress melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep.
  4. Intrusive sound will keep you awake, says Dr. Mark Rosekind.[14]
  5. Your room should be cool, not warm, says Dr. Daniel McNally.[15]
    • Your body temperature reaches its lowest point right about the time you go to sleep; an environment that prevents your body temperature from dropping will keep you awake.
  2. Your bed must be comfortable, says the National Sleep Foundation. An uncomfortable bed or pillow is a recipe for a night with little sleep.

Step 2: Prepare your body for sleep

Get at least 15 minutes of sunlight when you wake up. (Photo by Hervé Claudet)
Get at least 15 minutes of sunlight when you wake up. (Photo by Hervé Claudet)
  • Things you do throughout the day can affect your body's ability to sleep at night. Follow the schedule below to optimize your ability to sleep.

In the morning

  1. Get up at the same time every morning, says the BBC. If you don't, you'll throw off your circadian rhythms and have trouble sleeping at night.[17]
  2. Get fifteen minutes of sunlight as soon as you wake up, says Dr. Dement.[18] This will help set your internal body clock.

Eight hours before bedtime

  1. Don't consume any more caffeine until morning, advises the Mayo Clinic.[19]
  2. No more naps until the following day. Any nap you take before this should be no longer than 25 minutes, says WebMD.[23]
  3. Get exercise. Dr. David G. Danskin notes that exercising in the late afternoon is especially sleep-promoting.[25]

Four hours before bedtime

Alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle. (Photo by Peter Rol)
Alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle. (Photo by Peter Rol)
  1. Avoid alcohol. Though you may fall asleep more quickly after drinking, Dr. Karl Doghramji says it will disrupt sleep later in the sleep cycle, making users wake up frequently during the night.[26]
  2. If you're eating a heavy meal, finish it now, says Dr. Danskin; any later and your body will keep you awake while it digests the meal.[27]

Three hours before bedtime

  1. Don't exercise for the rest of the day, says Dr. Dement - it will keep you awake![28]
  2. Avoid drinking any beverages, says the Bridgeport Hospital Heart Institute.[29] You'll be less likely to wake during the night in order to urinate.

Two hours before bedtime

  1. Don't have that late-night cigarette! Avoid nicotine before bed, says The National Sleep Foundation.[30] It's also a stimulant.
  2. Stop watching TV and using the Internet for the evening. A Japanese study found people who use electronic media for the hours preceding sleep are less well-rested in the morning.[32]

Ninety minutes before bedtime

  1. Take a hot bath. Dr. Patricia Murphy and Dr. Scott Campbell have found that the body temperature drop after the bath will make you sleepy.[33]
  2. Dr. Dement recommends a light snack before bed with tryptophan-containing foods such as milk or turkey.[34]

Ten to thirty minutes before bedtime

  1. Begin a relaxing bedtime ritual, like reading or gentle stretching, the American Association of Family Physicians recommends.[35] If you do the same thing before bed every night, it will cue your brain and body that it is time to sleep.
  2. Make sure to go to bed at the same time every night, says the BBC, or you will throw your internal body clock off kilter.[36]

Step 3: If you have problems during the night

  • If you've done all the above and still can't sleep, try the steps below.
  1. If you can't fall asleep in the first 20 minutes, get up and read a boring book, says Dr. Dement.[37] 
The BBC recommends jigsaw puzzles.
    • Use a small reading light so as not to lower your melatonin levels!
    • Read a boring book if you can't sleep. (Photo by JHorna Smidt)
      Read a boring book if you can't sleep. (Photo by JHorna Smidt)
  2. Don't hit the snooze alarm! Dr. McNally says it will just lead to bad sleep the following night and continue the insomnia cycle.[38]

Step 4: When all else fails, try sleep medications

  • If you still can't sleep, talk to your doctor about taking sleep medications. Do not take them before speaking to your doctor, as you may have other issues that would make sleep medications a bad idea!
  1. Ambien and Sonata are better if you have trouble falling asleep, says WebMD.[39]
  2. The best pill to take if you wake up frequently during the night is Lunesta, says WebMD.[40]
  3. Ambien users are warned by the manufacturer not to take it if they plan to sleep less than 8 hours.[41]
  4. None of these drugs should be combined with alcohol.[42] There are several documented cases of bizarre behavior after users combined Ambien and alcohol.
  5. The National Sleep Foundation recommends against taking over-the-counter sleep medications, as they can have a severe "hangover" effect.[43]
  6. According to the CDC, prescription sleeping pills can cause nausea, dizziness, vomiting, confusion, headache, and dry mouth.[44]

Resources for How to Sleep