Spending too many nights trying to fall asleep – or worrying that there aren’t enough ZZZs in your day? You are not alone.
Nearly a third of American adults say they don’t get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Some of the main causes: Stress, anxiety and a culture that experts say is about productivity, not rest.
“You need to understand what your body needs and try your best to prioritize that and not just see sleep as the leftovers of the day,” said Molly Atwood, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. .
Don’t fall for online fads or unproven methods for falling asleep and staying asleep. Instead, try these simple tricks recommended by sleep experts.
Work-related stress is inevitable and it can be difficult to disconnect. Try to create a “buffer zone” between the end of the workday and bedtime.
Experts suggest putting professional work and daily responsibilities aside about an hour before bed. Don’t check emails, pay bills, do household chores or endlessly scroll through social media. Instead, create a routine where you relax with a book, pursue a hobby, or spend time with your loved ones.
“This goes back to the core value of mindfulness,” said Dr. Annise Wilson, assistant professor of neurology and medicine at Baylor University. “Anything that helps center you and just helps you focus and release a lot of the tension from the day will help promote sleep.”
Eating a large meal right before bed can disrupt your sleep, so try to eat early in the evening.
“I would say eating a big meal is impactful simply because it’s like giving your body a lot of work to do before bed, at a time when things should be shutting down,” Atwood said.
But don’t go to bed too hungry either. Try snacks with protein or healthy fats, such as cheese, almonds or peanut butter on whole grain bread.
Having a drink before bed or an espresso after dinner can be relaxing, but it can lead to a long night.
While alcohol may help you fall asleep initially, it can disrupt your sleep cycle, reducing your sleep quality and increasing the chances of you waking up more frequently in the middle of the night.
Caffeine is a stimulant that blocks adenosine, a chemical that contributes to feelings of drowsiness – and it can take your body up to 10 hours to eliminate caffeine.
For these reasons, experts suggest finishing your caffeinated or alcoholic beverages several hours before bed.
Light from phones and computer screens can disrupt the circadian rhythm – or the internal clock that naturally wakes us up – by suppressing melatonin, which helps with sleep.
But you’ll need self-discipline to stop the transmission or scrolling, said Dr. Dianne Augelli, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
“TikTok doesn’t want you to stop,” Augelli said. “Only you can stop it, so you have to learn to guard these things.”
If nothing is working and you’ve been struggling to get a good night’s sleep for more than a month, experts say it’s time to see your doctor. This is especially true if your sleepless nights are interfering with your work performance or your mood.
“It doesn’t matter how much relaxation you do. At a certain point, it won’t be effective if there is a significant amount of stress,” Atwood said. “…It might involve some troubleshooting to figure this out.”
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