A good night’s sleep is so important for our physical and emotional well-being, but it’s not always easy to come by. If you’re not getting enough sleep because it’s hard to fall asleep or it’s hard to stay asleep, there are a number of small changes and supports you can try that may help you sleep better, from environmental changes to music for sleep to special guided sleep meditations. Science is learning a lot about how to sleep better.
Here are 7 tips.

7 tips for better sleep

1. Support your circadian rhythm.

The circadian rhythm is our body’s internal clock, controlling changes in hormones, body temperature, blood pressure, and other aspects of the sleep-wake cycle. There are things we can do to regulate our circadian rhythms so our bodies are ready for sleep on schedule and wake refreshed.

• As often as possible, keep bedtimes and wake times consistent — even on days off

• Choose a bedtime when you’re naturally tired

• If you nap, do it early in the afternoon and keep it brief so as not to interfere with bedtime sleepiness

• Seek out the sun — exposure to natural daylight throughout the day, but especially in the morning, supports the sleep-wake cycle 

2. Limit light before bed.

Our brains secrete more melatonin, the hormone that makes us sleepy, when it’s dark, and less when it’s light which keeps us alert. To prepare our bodies for better sleep, it’s best to limit our exposure to unnatural light before bedtime.

• Avoid bright screens — phones, computers, tablets, and televisions — at least one hour (and two hours is even better) before bed; consider an audio book or sleep meditation instead

• Have a dark bedroom — cover (or remove) any electronics with lights, use light-blocking curtains or blinds, or wear a comfy sleep mask

• If you need to get up in the night, keep lights low or off, as possible

3. Eat for better sleep.

How to eat for better sleep? Our bodies are all different but there may be some adjustments in diet that can improve your body’s sleep readiness, even many hours later. Here are some things to try.

• Limit caffeine — coffees, caffeinated teas, sodas, chocolate, etc. — during the day and especially before bed

• Have dinner a little earlier; digesting a heavy meal within two hours of bedtime will keep our bodies up 

• Keep well-hydrated during the day (but don’t have too much water before bed)

• Experiment with having a small, grounding, easy-to-digest snack before bed — a spoonful of coconut oil; a banana; warmed nut milk with honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg

4. Exercise for better sleep.

A habit of exercising regularly can result in deeper, more restorative sleep. 

• Choose exercise that you enjoy and that’s easy for you to fit into your schedule and do at the same time most days — a 15-minute walk each morning, an exercise class at noon, a run after work …

• More intense workouts release cortisol, which is stimulating, so keep them to morning or afternoon

• Gentle stretches and mindful movement can help the body unwind at the end of the day

5. Create a relaxing sleep environment.

Limiting unnatural light in our sleep spaces is one environmental change to help us sleep better, but there are others that may also help.

• If you’re stimulated or stressed by clutter, aim to have a tidy bedroom 

• Use earplugs if you’re sensitive to sound, or use a sleep and mindfulness app like Calm to play white or pink noise or soothing nature sounds

• Use an aromatherapy sleep mist to lightly spritz your pillow and linens

• Ensure your bedroom is a comfortable temperature; we usually sleep better with a slightly cooler temperature than during the day

6. Meditate.

A regular meditation practice — even if it’s brief — can improve our sleep quality and duration. Quieting our minds for a few minutes during the day makes unwinding at night much easier. And Sleep Meditation before bed prepares the body for better sleep.

Here are three different types of simple meditation that can improve sleep:

• Counting the Breath - Count “one” for an in-breath and “two” for an out-breath and continue.

• Focus on the Breath - Give all your attention to your breath from inhalation to exhalation to inhalation again, and so on. When your mind wanders, gently return your attention to your breath.

• Body Scan - Beginning with the top of your head and moving down the body, check in with each part and be present with whatever sensations arise.

Guided Sleep Meditation is another popular way to meditate to sleep. In a guided sleep meditation, the meditator is gently talked through the meditation in a relaxing way, learning how to sleep better mindfully.

Preview a guided Sleep Meditation right now.

7. Have a wind-down ritual.

We can signal to our bodies that it is time to sleep by creating a sleep ritual. A sleep ritual doesn’t have to be complicated; it’s a matter of doing the same things in a similar order before sleep, marking the time as special. A wind-down ritual should be calming, an invitation to slow down and settle thoughts. It might be a bath, then doing some gentle stretches (like the Evening Wind Down Calm Body session), using a Sleep Mist on your pillow, and then listening to Sleep Music in bed. If you find it’s difficult to quiet your mind at the end of the day, a few minutes of journaling as part of your sleep ritual may help to get things out of your head and onto a page.

Elements you might include in your wind-down ritual:

• Having a bath or shower

• Massaging your scalp or feet

• Listening to a Sleep Story

• Doing Deep Sleep Meditation

• Doing the Evening Wind Down Calm Body Session

• Listening to relaxing music

• Drinking decaffeinated tea before bed

• A scoop of coconut oil or other small, nourishing, grounding snack before bed

• Reading before bed

• Journaling or making a written to-do list for the next day so the thoughts don’t have to stay in your head

• Breathing exercises

• Aromatherapy - using a Sleep Mist or dabbing diluted lavender essential oil on your temples

• Running through a mental gratitude list to close the day

What is a guided sleep meditation?

Guided meditation is when the person meditating is led through the meditation by a meditation teacher or other practitioner. In the case of guided sleep meditation, this most often happens by listening to an audio meditation online or in a meditation app. Instead of meditating in silence, the meditator is listening to the guidance of another voice. A guided sleep meditation is designed to relax the listener deeply, leading to sleep. Guided sleep meditation can be a very comforting way to begin a new sleep meditation practice.

Meditations for falling back to sleep

For some, falling asleep isn’t so difficult, it’s falling back to sleep that is hard. Meditation can help here too. If you wake in the night, a body scan meditation — where you successively notice and relax each part of your body from head to toe — is calming and encourages a gentle return to sleep. You might also practice breathing meditation, counting your breaths instead of sheep (“one breath in, one breath out … one breath in, one breath out …”). If you’d like a little more support than a self-directed meditation, there are also guided sleep meditations designed to help the listener fall back into sleep. 

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