13 scientifically proven ways to sleep better



Americans currently average 6.8 hours of sleep per night, down an hour from 1942. Four in 10 Americans don't even get the minimum of seven hours of sleep doctors recommend. That's a public health emergency. Fatigue leads to short and long term problems with mental and physical health.



1. Dim the lights in your room

This might seem obvious, but it bears repeating: One of the worst things you can do for yourself at night is keep the lights on. Bright light — especially blue-ish light — tells your brain that it's still daytime and prevents the release of chemicals critical for sleep, like melatonin. Harvard Medical School recommends using dim red lights in the evenings and, conversely, exposing yourself to bright lights during the day to help regulate your sleep schedule.

Sources: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Harvard Medical School


2. Put your phone away you monster


We're getting to the surprises, we promise. But if we don't get through these none of the other tips will work. Study after study has shown that watching a screen before bedtime is terrible for your sleep — whether it's a TV screen, tablet, or phone. So if you want to fall asleep, step away from the pixels.

Sources: Pediatrics, Chronobiology International, Scientific American Mind, Sleep and Biological Rhythms


3. Kick your coffee habit

Coffee may help you deal with the symptoms of your sleep problems, but it also plays a role in causing them. Caffeine alters the melatonin levels in your brain, makes it take longer to fall asleep, and makes you sleep less — even if you aren't drinking right before bed time.

Sources: Sleep Medicine, Brain Research


4. Next, kick your alcohol habit

Rob Ludacer

It's time to get real: Alcohol is the worst, particularly for insomniacs. (Ignore all those awful articles you read about red wine.) A National Institutes of Health review of decades of research shows that study after study demonstrates the ill effects drinking has on your sleep. Even light drinkers take longer to fall asleep, sleep less well, and sleep for less time than their sober neighbors. And alcohol even increases the odds of sleep illnesses like apnea.

Sources: NIH, The American Journal of Medicine


5. Stop sleeping with awful people

Helix Sleep

Another way to say this would be: Make sure the person you go to bed with makes you happy. While researchers say there's still a lot to learn on how couples sleep in the same bed, the bulk of the evidence collected in a review suggests happy couples sleep better together — and that people who sleep well together turn out to be happier couples.

Source: Sleep Medicine Reviews


6. Develop a bedtime routine

We already know that habits play an outsize role in many different aspects of your life. So it makes sense that they would also play a role in helping you fall asleep — and many doctors do recommend developing a consistent routine. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a ton of research on the impact of bedtime habits in adults, but research in children shows they can be very helpful.

Source: Sleep


7. Warm your feet and hands


Research shows that a warm water bottle against your feet and/or hands as you lay in bed makes a measurable difference in the speed at which you fall asleep. Don't have one handy? Wear socks to bed. (And note that this doesn't apply to everyone: Some people prefer the opposite — cold feet.)

Source: Nature


8. Try to stay awake

Sergey Mironov/Shutterstock

The science on this one is a little thin — there's only been one study that's tested it. But when researchers tested the cognitive trick of paradoxical intention — basically, reverse psychology — on patients it improved their speediness in falling asleep. If you find yourself unable to fall asleep, it might be worth a try.

Source: Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy


9. Take a warm bath


This one also doesn't have a huge number of studies behind it, but it makes intuitive sense and the research behind it is good. Before you go to sleep, take a warm bath — it seems to make it easier to pass out and make you sleep deeper once you are asleep.

Source: Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology


10. Find the happy place in your head


Many people with insomnia complain that unwanted thoughts or images keep them awake. Research has shown that focusing on and envisioning pleasant images while you lay in bed can bring the calm necessary for sleep. There are apps that can help you with this.

Source: Behavioral Research and Therapy


11. Listen to music

Well, maybe not Psy's music.

A study showed that listening to classical music helped relax students and improve their sleep quality, while listening to an audiobook or nothing at all did not. The trick here likely isn't classical music in particular , but music that you find calming.

Source: Journal of Advanced Nursing


12. Fill your room with a lavender scent

A study of healthy sleepers showed that lavender scents helped young men and women sleep more deeply and wake up feeling more refreshed. Interestingly, men and women seemed to have somewhat different kinds of sleep in lavender-scented rooms. But both groups benefited.

Source: Chronobiology International


13. Figure out what works for you

You've likely noticed that many of the suggestions on this list center on finding and creating calming, sleep-promoting conditions. Every person is unique, and the specific tricks that work for you may vary. In addition to the big, important tips (stop drinking and looking at your phone late at night) try the others one or two at a time. Keep track of what makes a difference and stick with that.


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