8 tips for improving your sleep quantity and quality

Although we can’t always avoid stressful situations, maintaining good sleep hygiene is one way to effectively deal with stress. Sleep hygiene refers to the routines, behaviors, and surroundings you create to encourage better rest (Sleep Foundation). Let’s discuss how quality sleep impacts your mental wellbeing, then visit several ways you can maintain good sleep hygiene.

How are sleep and mental fitness related?

If you’ve ever “woken up on the wrong side of the bed,” you know how poor quality or lack of sleep can take both a physical and mental toll. 

poor sleep can lead to declining mental health outcomes

Columbia Psychiatry found there may be a correlation between poor or insufficient sleep and negative emotional response to stressors. Makes sense, right? The quality of your sleep impacts your attention span, memory, and learning ability. Poor sleep can lead to fatigue, difficulty focusing, stress, and eventually declining mental health.

Following a night of tossing and turning, people may experience higher anxiety levels even if they are otherwise healthy. Individuals with mental health disorders are more likely to experience chronic sleep issues – which could worsen psychiatric symptoms or even increase the risk of suicidal ideation.

With this context in mind, thankfully, there are numerous ways you can improve the quantity and quality of your sleep and mental fitness.

white alarm clock in dark bedroom

While maintaining good sleep hygiene partially relies on discipline, it can be fun, too! This is by no means an exhaustive list, but try adding a new technique into your routine and seeing if it works for you.

  1. Setting a regular bedtime gives you the best opportunity to reach a full 7 to 9 hours of sleep. This includes weekends so you don’t unintentionally throw your circadian rhythm off schedule. If you must nap during the day, limit the time to 30 minutes and aim for about halfway between the time you wake up and go to bed. Doing this allows you to be ready to fall asleep at night.

    Another suggestion – one you might find in Atomic Habits – is going to bed five minutes earlier each night until you reach your intended bedtime.from left to right: teddy bear tucked under covers, a bed with navy blue bedding, and a silver eye mask
  2. Having a supportive mattress and comfortable bedding will also help your body know when it is time to go to sleep. Set a comfortable temperature that is cooler but not cold. Some people also find that blackout shades help mimic the natural setting and rising of the sun.

  3. Speaking of vitamin D, getting more sunshine encourages quality sleep! If you spend the majority of the week working indoors, open windows and blinds to maximize the amount of light you get. You might consider a light therapy box to supplement natural sunlight if you live in a place that sees lots of rain or clouds.an Asian woman reading a book in a dark bedroom with accent lighting
  4. The Cleveland Clinic suggests relaxing activities such as meditation, light stretching, and reading to ease your mind before bed. A warm bath can also help you physically unwind, especially when paired with epsom salts for muscle tension. Give yourself anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to allow your brain and body to decompress.
  5. While many of us love to put on a show at night, the blue light from your TV, tablet, or phone is keeping your brain awake! Turn your device settings to bedtime mode and/or use yellow- or red-colored glasses to lessen the impact.

    I (Evelyn, Growth/Marketing) have noticed a significant difference with red lenses! They simply go on when I’m in front of the TV and after a couple of weeks, I’ve noticed I not only fall asleep faster but also sleep deeper.

  6. Alcohol makes you sleepy, right? That wine may act like a sedative, but it requires your body to expend more energy to break it down – and that can make it harder to fall asleep. Similar to your afternoon pick-me-up, be conscious of the time you’re consuming alcohol and try not to overdo it.left to right: dried lavender in linen sprays, ayurvedic "moon milk," and chamomile tea are reliable aromatherapeutic remedies
  7. Aromatherapy such as lavender and chamomile cues your body that it’s time to sleep. A few effective ways to use these herbs are steeping tea, placing dried sachets under your pillows, using a linen spray, or diluting high quality essential oil with lotion.
  8. Anecdotally, preparing ayurvedic remedies like moon milk or washing your feet before going to bed can also ease you into rest. I personally prefer using one or both of these methods as opposed to taking melatonin supplements, which while natural, leave me feeling groggy the next morning.

Have you tried any of these tips and found them helpful for falling asleep? If you learned something new today, what would you incorporate into your routine?