Sleep Hygiene
6 Tips for a Better Nights Sleep
It’s 3 a.m. and you’re staring at the ceiling, watching the minutes tick by on your alarm clock, and wondering how in the world you’re going to get up for work. We’ve all been there! While a night of fitful sleep is bound to happen every once in awhile, you shouldn’t be struggling with sleep night after night. If you are, it may be time to consider your sleep hygiene—a term used to describe good sleep habits that set you up for a restful night’s sleep. Today, I’m going to share six tips that will encourage the restorative sleep you need and deserve. Before we jump into how to improve your sleep, let’s quickly go over why sleep is so important.
Why is sleep important?
Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to rest, repair and recharge. While it may seem like nothing is happening when your body is laying quietly at rest, your brain and body are actually hard at work overseeing a wide variety of biological upkeep. Restful sleep helps you stay alert during the day, boosts your memory, supports a strong immune system, and allows your body to repair damage.
Here are 6 habits for good sleep:
Although sleep is one of our basic human needs, more than 60 percent of adults don’t get adequate sleep. If you’re a part of this percentage, don’t worry—you’re not doomed! By improving your sleep hygiene, your sleep is likely to improve.
1. Stick to a sleep schedule & support your circadian rhythm
It’s important to try your best to wake up and go to bed around the same time every day. On the weekends, aim to keep the difference in your sleep schedule to no more than one hour. This consistency helps regulate your circadian rhythm—your body’s internal 24-hour clock that controls sleep, energy, hormone release, and overall repair processes. When your circadian rhythm is aligned, your body knows when to wind down and when to wake up, making it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep, and feel refreshed in the morning. Plan your sleep schedule so that you’re getting the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night to fully support these natural biological rhythms.
Getting outside shortly after waking can significantly support your circadian rhythm. Morning light exposure signals the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (the master clock that regulates your sleep-wake cycle), helping set the timing for energy, hormone production, and melatonin release later that night. Even 5–15 minutes of natural light—without sunglasses if possible—can make a meaningful difference. In the evening, watching the sunset or being outside as the light dims provides another important signal to the body that it’s time to wind down. This natural transition helps support healthy melatonin production, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
2. Create a relaxing bedtime routine
Avoid stressful or stimulating activities before bed. That means no working, discussing stressful topics, playing video games, or exercising within an hour or so of going to sleep. These types of activities can increase cortisol—the body’s primary stress hormone—which keeps you alert when your body should be winding down.
Instead, ease into bedtime with calming, low-stimulation activities. This might look like taking a warm bath, reading a book, dimming the lights, practicing gentle breathing exercises, or enjoying a cup of tea. Creating a consistent wind-down routine signals to your body that it’s safe to relax and prepare for sleep.
If an overactive mind makes it hard to fall asleep, try journaling your thoughts before bed. Getting things out of your head and onto paper can help create a sense of closure for the day and make it easier to settle into rest.
3. Cultivate healthy daily habits
Sleep hygiene isn’t just about what you do right before bed— it’s also about what you do in the day and early evening. Your daily habits—what you eat and drink, how you schedule your days, and how you choose to spend your evenings—can significantly impact your quality of sleep. Here are some healthy daily habits that will support your circadian rhythm:
- Get at least 20 minutes of sunlight daily on 80% of your skin.
- Engage in around 30 minutes of mild or moderate physical activity per day.
- Don’t smoke.
- Reduce alcohol consumption and avoid drinking in the late evening.
- Don’t drink caffeine, take B vitamins or any energizing supplements after 3 p.m.
- Limit daytime naps to around 20 minutes.
- Stop eating at least two hours before bedtime if you find that digestion interferes with your sleep.
4. Optimize your bedroom
To encourage sleep, it’s important to make your bedroom a soothing, tranquil place. This entails having a comfortable mattress and pillow, setting your thermostat to a comfortable, cool temperature (about 65 degrees Fahrenheit), blocking out light, and drowning out noise with a white noise machine, earplugs, or a fan.
5. Remove electronic devices
About an hour before bed, remove all distracting electronic devices from your room. Devices such as cell phones, tablets, and laptops cause mental stimulation and also generate blue light which suppresses the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin. I also recommend turning off your wifi router at night to reduce your EMF exposure while you sleep.
6. Mineral balancing and sleep remedies
A shortage of available calcium and magnesium in the body can contribute to sleep difficulties. Also, copper and other metals stored in the tissues can irritate your nervous system, making it difficult for you to relax enough to sleep soundly. Lastly, irritants in foods such as histamines, oxalates and salicylates can cause sleeping challenges as well. Getting a better night’s sleep is often related to removing the interference in your own body. Some remedies can be helpful while balancing the body overall.
Good sleep hygiene starts in the morning. Be mindful of what you do throughout the day and incorporate as many of these helpful sleep habits as you can. With mindfulness and consistency, you’ll be on your way to restorative sleep in no time.