Sleep Health

How to Build Good Sleep Hygiene with Better Timing, Comfort, and Light Habits

Updated November 11, 20263 min read
Written by Dr. Sujay Kansagra
good sleep hygiene

Our Sleep Expert Takeaways:

  • Good sleep hygiene starts with consistency. Following a regular sleep and wake schedule, creating a calming bedtime routine and giving your mind time to wind down each night can help make falling asleep and staying asleep easier.
  • Your sleep environment plays a major role in sleep quality. A comfortable mattress and pillow, a cool bedroom, limited disruptions and reduced screen time before bed can help support deeper, more restorative sleep.

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How To Sleep Better at Night Naturally Timing Is Key Strive for Comfort Avoid the Light

How To Sleep Better at Night Naturally

There is an ample amount of technology focused on how to get better sleep. There are apps that relax an active brain, trackers that tell you how much time you've slept, and even fancy devices that claim to alter your brain waves to help you fall asleep. With all the technology that surrounds sleep, one would think that sleep is a complicated process.

However, for those that wonder how to sleep better at night, I always recommend getting back to basics. The very core of a night of good sleep involves practicing good sleep hygiene. Let's discuss some sleep hygiene tips for a how to improve sleep quality.

Timing Is Key

There's no doubt that the human body thrives off of routine. The body clock (known as the circadian rhythm) helps us decide when to feel sleepy and awake, and by keeping this body clock operating in normal fashion, the process of sleeping becomes easier. To keep the clock tuned up, it is vital to wake and sleep at approximately the same time every day. In addition, it helps to give your brain a chance to wind down by performing a sleep routine each night. This should typically incorporate three or four relaxing activities that take a total of 20 minutes and are performed in the same way each night leading up to bedtime.

What does your circadian rhythm do, and why does it matter for sleep?

Circadian rhythms are fluctuations in bodily functions over a 24-hour cycle. Circadian rhythms drive every biological activity. From individual cells to organs to the whole organism, each has individual circadian rhythms. At the top of the hierarchy is the master clock: a collection of nerve cells at the intersection of the optic nerves. This is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Special nerve pathways run from the back of the eye to the SCN, signaling that there is light in the environment. Light then causes the SCN to block melatonin production from the nearby pineal gland. Melatonin signals to the brain that it is nighttime, and sleep onset happens about 3 hours after melatonin levels start rising in the body.

Sleep rhythm is an essential biological function and one of the major functions the SCN regulates. It follows a circadian pattern of wakefulness during the day and sleep at night. Light further regulates this circadian rhythm by blocking melatonin release, and the absence of light allows it to resume. Because sleep is a major biological function under circadian control, not following one's own sleep-wake schedule can disrupt this rhythm. Since all circadian rhythms are eventually interconnected, this can lead to disturbed metabolism, impaired healing, disrupted immunity, and therefore disease. One such example is shift work. When people whose natural bedtime and wake time are 11 PM to 7 AM are forced to work those hours, they receive light and suppress melatonin when it should be released; without proper measures to mitigate this, it can lead to negative health outcomes. In addition, difficulty sleeping during the day, when their internal clock signals wake time, can further disrupt the healthy circadian rhythms of the entire system. Healthcare providers must tailor treatment for shift work-related sleep issues to each person's natural sleep-wake timing.

Dr. Hrayr Attarian, member of Mattress Firm's Sleep Health Panel

Strive for Comfort

Having a cozy sleep environment is critical to good sleep. This means ensuring your mattress and pillows keep you comfortable the entire night and that you do not wake up with any aches or pains. In addition, the temperature in the room should be cool, with most sleep experts recommending between 68 and 72 °F. Finally, avoid disruptions. While it may seem simple, it's important to avoid having pets in the room and leaving devices on. To avoid noise, consider earplugs or turning your devices on do-not-disturb. And, during your regular day-to-day activities, limit caffeine, alcohol and nicotine whenever possible, so you are able to fall asleep at bedtime.

How can your sleep environment support better sleep?

Your sleep environment plays an important role in your ability to fall and stay asleep, as well as your sleep quality. Several environmental factors can either support healthy sleep or contribute to frequent wakings and disrupted sleep.

One of the most important environmental factors affecting sleep is temperature. Your body temperature drops by 1 to 2 degrees in order to prepare for sleep and get to and maintain deep sleep. If your sleep space is too warm, it can lead to broken, poor-quality sleep. Keeping your bedroom cool, generally between 62 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, can help support the drop in body temperature and promote more restful sleep.

Light exposure also significantly impacts sleep. Light is the strongest environmental factor influencing your circadian rhythm, and signals to your body that it's time to be awake and alert while suppressing melatonin release. Keeping your bedroom as dark as possible, using blackout curtains or a sleep mask, can help create an environment more conducive to sleep.

Noise is another factor that can interfere with sleep quality. Even sounds that don't fully wake you can cause brief disruptions to your sleep cycles. Reducing outside noise or using a fan or white noise machine to mask unpredictable sounds can help create a more consistent sleeping environment.

Comfort also matters. A supportive mattress and pillow that accommodate your preferred sleep position and breathable bedding to prevent overheating can also lead to better sleep.

Lastly, it's important to consider how you use your bedroom. Regularly working, scrolling on your phone, or watching television in bed can weaken the association between your bed and sleep.

Creating a cool, dark, quiet, and comfortable sleep environment, while reserving your bed primarily for sleep, can help you fall asleep more easily and improve your overall sleep quality.

Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell, member of Mattress Firm's Sleep Health Panel

Citations:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079224000194?via%3Dihub

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/body-clock?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5877064/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7853203/

Avoid the Light

Artificial light can wreak havoc on your sleep because the brain can't distinguish artificial light from sunlight. So, any light consumed from screens such as laptops or smartphones is a signal to your brain that it's still daytime. The blue light from screens is particularly good at telling the brain  not to secrete melatonin, your natural sleep hormone. To reduce the risk of throwing off your sleep cycle, be sure to get rid of the light at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime.

While technology certainly has its place for helping with a good night of sleep, don't forget to unplug for your best rest. Remember that the simple stuff is often the most critical. Ensure you have established a solid foundation for a great night's rest by perfecting your sleep hygiene!