Six Tips for Sleeping Better

Getting enough quality sleep is one of the best things you can do for health, wellness and weight loss. Yet Americans are chronically sleep-deprived and getting less sleep as the years go by. Better sleep can affect every aspect of your life so it's worth exploring how to get more and higher quality sleep. Below are our best tips for better sleep, updated for 2022.

I was interviewed about all I've done over the years to optimize my sleep by First for Women magazine. They chose to focus on certain things of course, but the number one thing that impacted my sleep was changing my diet to low carb/keto and taking a few key supplements mentioned below.

Both of those things got me about 80 percent of the way to great sleep. The rest of the things I've tried have optimized it even more so that now I sleep really well 90 percent of the time. Tips for sleeping better are invaluable! Better sleep helps with weight loss, mood and energy, so it's worth changing your habits to get high quality sleep.

How Much Do Americans Sleep?

In 2009 the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), a U.S. nonprofit group reported that 20 percent of the 1,000 people polled got 6 hours of sleep or less. This is compared to 13 percent in 2001. Only 28 percent reported getting 8 hours or more (the recommended minimum) which is down from 38 percent in 2011. About 16 percent reported sleep being disturbed by financial concerns.

Chronic sleep deprivation causes cognitive impairment, poor quality of life, injuries and illness. Lack of sleep is associated with increased risk for stroke, heart attack, obesity and other illnesses.

In another report published in March 2018, the National Sleep Foundation found that lack of good sleep health prevents us from getting things done each day and that only 10 percent of American adults prioritize sleep over other things.

There are many reasons for lack and quality of sleep. One of the most prevalent is stress. If worry and anxiety are getting in the way of your sleep, I have six tips specific to stress and anxiety-related sleep problems that may help.

Tips for Sleeping Better

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Using Neurofeedback Tools for Better Sleep

When I became aware of Bia Neuroscience, I knew I had to try their product and immediately set up a podcast interview with one of their founders to get the inside scoop on this innovative product.

It uses sound and light embedded within and EMF free blackout mask to give you the gift of better sleep. Purchase early to get a free lifetime subscription and a substantial discount for your pre-order.

Sleep Challenge

The mindfulness sleep challenge is a great way to learn more about creating good sleep habits. This free seven day challenge will encourage you to make science backed changes that positively impact sleep.

Tips for Sleeping Better: Brain Dump

Brain Dump:  If you find yourself overwhelmed with internal to-do lists, worry and a runaway thought train before bed, writing may help. Try the “brain dump” exercise. Use old-fashioned pen and paper; there have been studies about how your brain acts differently when writing longhand vs computer (longhand tends to activate the RAS of the brain which is a processing filter).

Simply write whatever comes to mind for 10-15 minutes. Write down worries, thoughts, to-do lists, even writing “I have no idea what to write about. This is stupid.” etc. will eventually trigger a spill out of thoughts on to paper.  Keep to-to items on a separate piece of paper.

When you're finished shred the worry/anxiety list, tear it up or otherwise destroy it. Burning is the preferred method of symbolically getting rid of these worries, but not the best idea if you're beginning to get sleepy from the cathartic nature of the exercise. Whatever you do, don't wad it up where it can be read later. That can produce more stress in itself which is exactly what you're trying to avoid.

Keeping the to-do list separate is key so that you have one piece of paper that will actually help you get things done the next day. Destroying the worry/anxiety list is also key so that it activates the release of anxiety symbolically.

This is one of the best tips for better sleep I've used consistently over the years.

Tips for Sleeping Better: Herbs and Supplements

Herbs and Supplements:  There are several herbs that are safe for use on a short-term basis if you're having trouble sleeping during a time of increased stress. Try magnesium, melatonin, valerian root or brahmi. The latter two can be taken in tea form which can be a relaxing ritual before bed.

Magnesium plays a key component in sleep as well as a healthy metabolism (and over 300 other body processes), and most people are seriously deficient due to our poor soil/food quality.

Magnesium has been linked to improved sleep quality in a lot of research. My new favorite is from BiOptimizers. It's the only one I've found that contains all seven types of magnesium to ensure you get all the benefits this important nutrient provides.

There are also combinations of herbs premixed into tea bags sold under names that typically have “sleep” in the title. My personal favorite is Bigelow Sweet Dreams. I've also used the Now Foods brand melatonin in the past. It seems to work better than others because it's time-released and I love that brand since it carries the Good Manufacturing Process certification.

There are some supplements that contain a mixture of some of these hers as well. What I've been using since 2019 is Signal//OS PM which also works to repair DNA, cellular debris and enhance immune function as you sleep. I also use pure therapeutic ketones in the evening to help activate my parasympathetic nervous system, which is very conducive to sleep. Watch this video to learn more about ketones and sleep.

Aromatherapy products specifically for sleep can be useful for stress-related sleep problems as well. I really like this essential oil blend.

Tips for Sleeping Better: Pampering

Pampering:  Give yourself a warm oil hand and foot massage after a nice hot bath about 90 minutes before bed.  The drop in body temperature that occurs after a hot bath promotes sleep while massage promotes relaxation.

For a deeper and more relaxing bedtime massage, try abhyanga. Abhyanga is an Ayurvedic form of self-massage that can promote deep relaxation and wellbeing. You can learn all about the benefits of abhyanga and how to do it in our abhyanga massage article. It's easy, practically free (except the oil) and very effective.

In Ayurveda, it's recommended to use massage oil that is compatible with your dosha.  Sesame and coconut oils are fairly dosha neutral,  but if you want a dosha-specific oil read the article linked above for more information.

Tips for Sleeping Better: Keep Distractions Out of the Bedroom

Your Bed is Only for Sleep (and sex):  One of the most well-known sleep tips is keeping all distractions out of the bedroom. When the bed is used only for sleep, going to the bedroom promotes an automatic relaxation response that facilitates better sleep.  Get out of the habit of watching tv and working in bed.  This is doubly important since the blue light waves produced by computers, tv and cell phones simulate daylight.  Blue light suppresses the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

A great way to suppress extra light in the room is a high quality sleep mask. It took me several rounds of purchases and returns before I found one that truly works. Manta blocks all light from your eyes without expensive blackout curtains. You just put this mask on and you're ready for an amazing nights sleep with a 30 day return guarantee. The best part is there are several eye cups to choose from including the MAX which is great for protecting long eyelashes or extensions and the hot and cold eye cups which are great for puffy or allergy eyes.

Tips for Sleeping Better: Yoga

Yoga:  People who do yoga on a regular basis report sleeping better.  There are also some specific relaxation poses you can do before bed to promote sleep.  One of the easiest is legs up the wall pose (viparita karani).  This pose can even be done in bed!  Simply bring the buttocks close to the wall or the headboard and stretch the feet up towards the sky.  Support the low back with a pillow or bolster.  A small pillow can also be placed between the shoulder blades if desired.  Breathe into the belly to promote even more relaxation.

Tips for Sleeping Better: Combat Blue Light

Ditch the Electronics: The blue light emitted from all of our devices is a well-known sleep disruptor. Exposure to light at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm, suppress melatonin, and is linked to obesity and even cancer. If you must use your television, phone or computer at night, consider blue blocking glasses.

Not all blue blockers are created equal. After lots of research, I've discovered many of them are ineffective since they don't block the correct light spectrum.

That's one of the things I appreciate about Blublox. They've done an incredible amount of research to ensure their product actually does what it says. What's the point of wearing a silly pair of glasses half the day if they don't do what you you need them to? They also offer a prescription option which you can't find with many other blue blockers.

Use my link and enter HNG15 at checkout for 15 percent off your purchase.

You can also change the settings on your phone to shift from blue light to red light automatically prior to bedtime.

Here are the instructions for red light shift on iPhone , and here are instructions for Android. For computers, use the free software F.lux for Apple and Windows. As of 2021, most electronics now have blue light shift built into settings with no need for additional software or apps!

Bonus Sleep Tip

This tip is not related to stress and anxiety-specific sleep problems, but it's very helpful nonetheless. Keeping your room at the ideal temperature is a huge factor in promoting good sleep. Your body temperature decreases to initiate the sleep cycle. External room temperature of between 60 and 67 degrees can help facilitate this process.

Keeping the room temperature in this range also helps prevent waking due to getting warmer or night sweats.

Temperature Tools to Help With Better Sleep

Sometimes though even a cooler room won't prevent heat from disrupting sleep. Night sweats from aging, menopause, foam mattresses, eating late or a variety of other reasons can seriously disrupt sleep. I've had enough trouble with this problem myself that I finally sought out some cooling sheets. Slumber Cloud also sells mattress pads and comforters all designed with state of the art materials used by NASA to keep you cooler at night. Follow the link to read more about their technology and to get free shipping plus a 90-day money back guarantee trial.

For me personally, the sheets did help but not completely eliminate peri-menopausal night sweats. I finally invested in an Ooler Chilipad system (previously Ooler), which you can add to any mattress. It's a water-cooled pad that sits on top of the mattress and I haven't had night sweats a single time since starting to use it in December 2020. I have a video here that shows how quick and easy it is to set up, my full review and follow-up video is coming soon! Be sure to contact me if you want that information and I'll email you as soon as both of those are ready.

I love the Chilipad so much that I have partnered with them to offer HealNourishGrow.com readers some great discounts! Use this link to get a great discount.