12 Habits for Your Best Night Of Sleep
I am a notoriously bad sleeper as this seems to run in the family but the below habits make for a more restful sleep each and every night.
Ultra Dark Room
Ideally, you shouldn’t see your hand in front of your face when the lights are off. Studies show any form of light can be sensed by the body during sleep. Start by considering an investment in blackout shades or perhaps a windowless room (only kidding as I’m a sure your local fire marshall would not approve). This should be a top priority for anyone looking for a consistent night’s sleep.
Warm Shower or Bath Before Bed
Why take a warm shower or bath just prior to bedtime? Because Science. Our body fluctuates in temperature throughout the day meaning we experience higher temperatures in the morning and afternoon and notably lower temperatures during sleep at night. In order for us to comfortably enter restful sleep, our core temperature must drop. Concurrent with a drop in core body temperature, we release melatonin, the hormone which regulates our sleep-wake cycle.
Now for the warm bath: When we take a warm bath or shower, our body reacts. Blood vessels connected to skin capillaries enlarge (dilate) which allows the body to move blood toward the surface of the skin and disseminate heat. This is called vasodilation. The blood flows away from the core toward the skin and extremities (hands and feet) causing a drop in core temperature. Counterintuitive right? Through this process, you are catalyzing the circadian rhythm to work its magic and ideally stimulate melatonin release.
What to do: For symptoms of insomnia, consider a 10-15 minute warm bath 1-1.5 hours pre-slumber. According to studies, not only did subjects fall asleep 36% faster but they maintained restful sleep noticeably longer throughout the night with less tossing and turning compared to their control counterparts. I enjoy adding epsom salts to create greater relaxation and ease any aching muscles; the lavender scent is icing on the cake for a calm and relaxing experience.
Cold Room
This step is nonnegotiable for a good sleep especially for those who struggle with insomnia. Similar to what we spoke about in the previous point, the body’s core temperature fluctuates throughout the day and reaches its lowest point in the evening when we are going to bed. To assist in this transition, it is best to maintain a room as cold as possible when sleeping. This will signal the body to start slowing down metabolic processes and expedite the melatonin release process as well. This is not one size fits all; be sure to find your perfect match between cold room and warm covers. I like to use a fluffy warm comforter and maintain the room temperature at around 68 degrees. Not only will you fall asleep quicker, you will maintain a more restful sleep throughout the night; not to mention the gambit of physiological benefits.
Proper Mattress and Pillow
This is a mixed bag as, per my research, experts seem to have conflicting opinions on the perfect style mattress for optimal recovery and restful sleep. Clearly this is not a one size fits all scenario. What can be said is that your mattress and pillow choices should be top of the list when triaging potential sleep issues. I found conventional spring mattresses are the death of me as I tend to move around at night and standard springs tend to exacerbate this issue. I also am a large person and therefore require a bit more support, leading me to seek out firmer more supportive mattresses. I, as a fitness lover, am die hard about proper sleep and have found the bed-in-a-box style mattresses (mine is a Nectar) are ideal for those looking for something a bit firmer that they can just sink into. This list from the Sleep Foundation does an excellent job outlining the top contenders. For pillow selection, consider not only your conventional pillow varieties but also ergonomic options as well which do a better job in supporting the neck.
Pre Sleep Cocktails or Supplements
Sleepy Time Tea: (or another Camomile tea): Celestial Sleepy Time Tea found here on Amazon immediately offers that cozy warm feeling that eases you into sleep. Chamomile tea contains apigenin which is is an antioxidant that binds to receptors consequently reducing insomnia. Note: Do not drink directly before if you have a weak bladder (instead drink around 1-2 hours before bed time).
Melatonin: a good option for those looking to supplement natural melatonin release to fall asleep faster. Still, I sometimes feel groggy upon waking the next day and am careful to not take this constantly as I have experienced mild dependence when taking melatonin too often for sleep.
Sleep Cocktail: (recently made famous by Tim Ferris): 2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tbs honey, one cup hot water. Be sure to heavily dilute the vinegar with adequate water and preferably drink through a straw to avoid any degradation of tooth enamel.
CBD (Cannabidiol): CBD (check to see if it’s legal in your location) is my favorite sleep aid. Studies have not yet connected CBD directly with reduction of insomnia but instead causes of insomnia related issues such as anxiety. CBD does not cause any psychoactive effects found with THC and instead provides a general relaxed experience. When exploring CBD options, be sure to do thorough research to filter out low quality products. One of my favorite companies is “Lazareth Naturals”, as they source and produce CBD in the US and 3rd party test all products. Additionally, the customer service is fantastic and the prices are competitive. They also offer some excellent programs for military and low income households to make CBD available to anyone. I do not receive any commissions or kickbacks from this company. I am just a huge fan of their products!
Large Meal 3 Hours Before Bed
Ideally, the meal includes healthy fats and moderate amounts of protein. Avoid sugars, alcohol, and caffeine. Slow digesting carbs such as sweet potatoes are acceptable. Foods rich in magnesium (such as bananas and almonds) are known to relax the muscles and prepare the body for sleep as well. Additionally, nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and cashews provide melatonin, magnesium, and zinc which are all correlated with quality rest. Per the “Sleep Cocktail” in the previous point, honey is an excellent pre-bed time food as well as it stimulates release of melatonin; add it in with some oats which are also a great food source rich in nutrients to fuel up for a good night’s rest. Due to a healthy combination of Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D, fatty fish are an excellent sleep aid no matter when you consume them during the day. No shock the Mediterranean Diet has been correlated with better sleep and overall health as well.
Complete Quiet + Noise Machine
Dead quiet sleeping area supplemented with white noise machine. This is relatively straight forward; a quiet environment allows for a quiet mind. I prefer a real fan, one that allows for some air movement in the room and creates that low level hum. So I use the Vornado which has stellar Amazon reviews and effortlessly moves air around my bedroom at night with a low hum. While I have tried white noise machines in the past, I prefer the utility of air movement paired with that natural sounds created by spinning blades.
~30 minutes of Reading Before Bed
I prefer fiction as it allows the mind to unwind and experience a bit of escapism. Read whatever makes you happy. In 2014, Pew Research found that a quarter of American adults had not read a single book in the past year. Without diving into the overwhelming benefits of reading(including but not limited to improved creativity, critical problem solving, concentration, and empathy), let’s focus on the pre-sleep aspect. According to a study conducted by the University of Sussex, only 6 minutes of pre slumber reading reduced anxiety by a whopping 68%. Anxiety being one of the largest contributing factors to insomnia, there is truly no downside to getting a few pages in before bed.
Monitor Caffeine and Alcohol Intake
Alcohol: No alcohol at least 2 hours before bed. Preferably no alcohol period. A night cap is essentially us sabotaging our bodies out of REM and consequently more restful and restorative sleep. Alcohol has also been shown to induce sleep apnea (irregular breathing) and snoring among other sleep disorders. Sure alcohol is a depressant which may help you initially fall asleep faster but the subsequent sleep quality is going to be terrible. Insult to injury, alcohol affects your circadian rhythm causing many to wake up, with an inability to fall back asleep, in the middle of the night.
Caffeine: No caffeine at least 9 hours before bed. (I have a hard stop for caffeine at noon). Per pharmacological studies, caffeine generally has a half life of 5 hours (varies between individuals anywhere between 1.5 to 9 hours) which means your liver (primarily) is only able to metabolize half the caffeine within that time period. So, even if you drink that Starbucks at noon, if it has 300mg of caffeine, you will still have 150mg left in your system by 5pm and 75mg left when you are heading to bed around 10pm. Even though you may have fallen off the caffeine high and no longer feel energized, trace amounts of caffeine can still be in your system disrupting REM along with other components of your sleep cycle well into the night. With this in mind, I’ve chosen to stick with low caffeine beverages such as green tea during the week to protect the quality of rest at night.
Box Breathing
Give yourself 10 minutes just before bed to do box breathing and meditation exercises. Review my Box Breathing article in the lifestyle section of this site for full details on benefits and proper form. These may be the most important 10 minutes of your day as you focus on mindfulness and regeneration prior to ending the day.
Stay Properly Hydrated During the Day
The rule of thumb is as follows: Drink .5 to 1 oz of water per pound a day dependent upon your body weight and exertion. For example. If you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 -200 oz of water a day erring toward more in the case of physical exertion, alcohol consumption, or caffeine consumption. If you have a weak bladder, stop drinking fluids an hour before bed time. As a general recommendation, the Mayo Clinic recommends men consume at least 15.5 cups/day and women 11.5 cups/day.
Absolutely No Screens Including TV or Phone After 8pm.
Let’s talk about blue light. It can very easily ruin your circadian rhythm which essentially cycles biological functions such as body temperature and sleeping or wakefulness on a daily basis. Blue light tricks the brain into thinking the sun is still out and therefore surpassing melatonin release, and along with it, restful sleep. This process leaves you exhausted in the morning due to improper sleep patterns and potential lack of REM. Read more about why screen time can impact sleep here.
