3 Tips for Improving Your Sleep Naturally
When Anna and I consider what it means to build a stable healthy lifestyle, we break it down into three main categories: diet, exercise, and sleep. Think of it like a three-legged stool. If any one of the three legs gets short-changed, then the stool is off balance and unstable; short-change any one of the legs too much and the stool will fall over. You can think of a healthy lifestyle in a similar way.
For most of my life, I have been almost fanatical about getting a lot of exercise and an adequate amount of sleep. Even in college when many of my engineering classmates were doing all night study sessions, I prioritized a good night’s rest over cramming for those last few hours before a big exam. And to be honest I credit my healthy sleep habits with preserving my health (and my sanity) during those very stressful college years when my diet pretty much consisted of pizza and ramen.
I know that it can seem impossible to get enough sleep with the constant stress, hectic pace, and unrelenting demands that this world and technology place on our time. But, if you have read Anna’s last two blogs, you know how important sleep is; and it’s worth considering some practical tips for improving the quality, quantity, and efficiency of our sleep.
Building Healthy Sleep Habits
Establishing healthy habits can be challenging in a world that seems bent on trapping us in destructive cycles. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the enormity of the changes we want and need to make in our lives. That’s why I think it’s important to approach big changes to established habits with a touch of grace. You don’t have to do it all overnight.
| “Big change with a touch of grace” |
When working to improve your sleep habits, I recommend that you pick one thing and commit to working on it for a month. Once that habit becomes second nature, pick something else. That’s how lifestyle change happens. One habit at a time.
We can organize the following sleep improvement tips into three main areas: sleep habits, sleep environment, and sleep cycle resets.
Setting a Bedtime – The Bedrock of a Sleep Routine
Many of us grew up with parents that enforced strict bedtimes and made sure that we did not sleep the whole day away. Why is it that when we are adults we think we have somehow outgrown the need for a regular cadence to our sleep cycle?
We have all seen what happens to toddlers who miss their naps, but if we are honest with ourselves, are our attitudes and impulses much different when we are jet lagged and have to be on our game for a morning meeting?
Our bodies are hard-wired to work on a 24-hour cycle (circadian rhythm). If changing time zones can throw it off, it’s only logical that going to bed three hours later on a Friday night will have a similar effect. If you still aren’t convinced, don’t worry I have some studies to back up my conjecture.
Study #1 – The Importance of Sleep Schedules for the Elderly
The first study evaluated elderly men with insomnia and was published in the Journal Gerontology [1]. The authors looked at Sleep Restriction Therapy, which is when a person goes to bed and gets up at the same time every day, regardless of how much they actually sleep. Unsurprisingly, they found that even three months after the conclusion of the treatment, these old guys were getting more sleep, better sleep, and spending less time in bed.
Study #2 – The Importance of Sleep Schedules for Young Adults
Maybe you are still like, “Yeah, but that’s a study on grandpas. I’m in my prime, that doesn’t apply to me.” Well, I have a study for you too [2]. This study looked at college students and found the same pattern to be true. When the students had an irregular bedtime, they had lower quality sleep even after adjusting for the number of hours of sleep. Oh and the kicker,
“We also found negative trends between an irregular bedtime schedule and daytime functioning …”
So not only were they sleeping less, but they were performing at a lower level while awake.
Different Ways to Establish Good Sleeping Habits
It turns out that a consistent bedtime is good for kids of all ages. If you really want to improve the quality of your sleep, setting a realistic bedtime and sticking to it, both during the week and on the weekends, is key. If you aren’t doing this already, this is the first habit I suggest you try to establish.
Some other things that you might consider adding to your daily bedtime routine include:
- Drink a cup of herbal tea
- Take a hot bath [6, 7]
- Get a workout in during the day [8, 9]
- Cut out the caffeine at least 6 hours before bed [10]
- Limit Alcohol consumption [11, 12, 13]
Special Shout Out – Prayer and Meditation
Prayer is a huge part of Anna’s and my bedtime routine, so I felt like it merited its own section. Honestly, I can’t imagine going to sleep without spending time praying with Anna. It sets me at ease, and it reconnects me to my foundation. Prayer and meditation are not exactly the same thing, but both have the effect of allowing you to process the day, find closure, and quiet your mind. It’s not surprising to me that numerous studies have found that meditation has a positive impact on sleep [14, 15, 16].
Establish Sleep Sanctuary
I’ve heard it said that the bedroom is for two things only, and one of those things is sleep. I think that there really is something to protecting the bedroom environment for sleeping. It can act as a cue to your body that it’s time to get ready to sleep when you walk into your bedroom. That’s why I’m a stickler about not watching TV or working in our bedroom. Anna and I recently kicked our cellphones out of our bedroom as well. We are really serious about protecting that space for sleep. There are a lot of things that you can do to make your bedroom an inviting place for the Sandman.
- Get rid of the bright little screens [17], and dim the lights while you get ready for bed because exposure to bright lights reduces sleep-related hormone (melatonin) production [18]
- Set the thermostat on the cooler side [19, 20, 21]
- Quiet the noise [22, 23]
Another Special Shout Out – Diffusing Lavender
One of the things that Anna and I do to make our bedroom inviting and peaceful is we diffuse lavender and roman chamomile. Seeing as Anna has written whole blogs on lavender and the uses for essential oils, I will just refer you to her blogs for more of the sleep benefits associated with diffusing oils. At a minimum, it smells really great, and since it’s now part of our routine it immediately signals my mind and body that it’s time to sleep.
I know that it’s really hard to protect your bedroom as a sanctuary for sleep, but if we want to sleep better, there is a lot to be gained by making the effort. Obviously, no bedroom is going to be perfectly quiet, dark, and free from distractions, but by controlling the things that we can, we can see substantial improvements in the quality of our sleep.
Reset Your Clock
Anna and I love camping, there is just something about being in nature that feels like hitting the reset button. I don’t know if it’s the lack of artificial light, the significant amounts of exercise, the serenity of the woods, or the smell of nature, but I seem to sleep better after I get back from spending an extended time in nature.
It turns out there is science to back up my anecdotes [24]. It seems logical that we are naturally synced to a 24-hour daylight cycle. The modern world makes it difficult, sometimes nearly impossible to escape the things that disrupt that natural rhythm. It’s logical, that stealing a few moments to reconnect with the natural world where that rhythm is alive and well would be rejuvenating.
It’s not always feasible or desirable to sleep on the ground in a tent, but something as simple as an evening walk by the lake could be just what your body needs to find it’s rhythm and reset your internal clock.
So What Now?
When we get enough quality sleep, the benefits speak for themselves, but sometimes it’s hard to see any possible way to get there with the frenetic pace and demands of the modern world.
With a few simple changes to our habits and our environment, we can reap the very tangible health benefits of better quality sleep. It might even make it possible to cut through the noise and work smarter rather than spinning our wheels for limited results.
You can take control of your sleep by establishing a routine, protecting a sleep sanctuary, and resetting back to a natural rhythm. Pick a few things and give them a try. I think you’ll be surprised how big of a difference a few small changes can make. Let us know how it goes. We are always interested in hearing from you about what works and what doesn’t.
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*Generic Disclaimer: Anna and I are not medical professionals – if you have any pressing medical concerns, please consult your doctor.
