20 Sleep Hacks for Insomniacs

These days, the most important sleep tip is to turn off your electronics before bed. The blue light your TV, computer, and phone are emitting mess with the hormones your body should be producing before bed. Try shutting everything down an hour before you go to sleep.

We all know we should be reading, but we never seem to have the time. Well, turns out reading is perfect as a pre-bedtime activity. It helps your brain wind down. So, instead of watching a sitcom right before you hit the sack, try reading a chapter or two.

We all know that we need to exercise so we can lose 20 lbs, but stretching is just as important. Stretching before bed is a great way to wind down after a long day, relax before bed, and help strengthen your muscles.

When you’re doing new things, your brain is active and running at 100%. Instead of doing whatever before bed each night, try establishing a routine. This way, your body knows exactly what’s happening. It knows it’s time to shut down, helping you to get more and better sleep.

Eating right before bed is not a great idea. Your body is simply not adapted to eating and then going straight to sleep. It’s best to have a hefty meal a few hours before bed, then go to sleep full. If your hungry, try to eat something light and healthy.

You’re probably sick of people telling you to get up earlier. After all, you’re already not getting enough sleep, right? Well, if you get up earlier and listen to your body, you’ll be tired when you go to bed. Don’t force yourself to stay up to your regular time. Listen to your body and adapt your routine to fit it.

Humans are supposed to be sleeping in very dark nights. The modern bedroom is rarely dark, though. Even when you flip off your bedroom lights, it’s not unusual to have the constant glare of streetlights with the occasional car flashing by. Investing in some blackout curtains will help you sleep deeper than you would if there were lights present. 

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White noise is a great way to fall asleep and stay asleep. It keeps random sounds from waking you up, helping you stay in a deeper sleep for a longer period of time. Try turning on your fan, the AC, or using a phone app. If none of those work, consider investing in  white noise machine.

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Don’t work, watch TV, or anything else in bed. Doing mentally taxing things in bed trains your brain that the bed is a place to work, just like a desk is. Instead, you should seek to train your brain that the bed is a place for sleep.

Exercising has a million health benefits, and one is to help you fall asleep. All that energy that would otherwise be keeping you awake at night has already been exhausted by the time you crawl under your blankets. One major caveat: don’t exercise right before bed. This will just give you an energy boost that will keep you awake for hours.

One of the best ways to establish a healthy sleep routine is to create a morning and evening schedule and to stick to it. If you do that, your body will do the rest.

There are countless studies touting the benefits of naps — but only if they are short, power naps. These give you a good energy burst. Longer naps just interrupt your sleep schedule and show that you need to establish better sleeping habits.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends you keep your bedroom between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re sleeping. This helps your body as it cools off in preparation for sleep.

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Staying locked up all day isn’t helping your rest. Your body needs to know when it’s daytime and nighttime. During the day, get out and about. Exposing yourself to a little sunlight won’t kill you, but it’ll sure help your hormone regulation.

We’re not saying you should skip your morning coffee (or even your afternoon coffee). But if you drink coffee, opt for an early afternoon drink, and then stay away from caffeine for the rest of the day. Experts recommend avoiding caffeine for six or seven hours before bed.

The hormone that is primarily responsible for getting you to go to sleep is melatonin. If you’re having trouble adjusting to a new sleep schedule, introducing a melatonin supplement may help you out.

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Alcohol is popular precisely because of the way it disrupts our body’s natural functions and creating a buzz. While it may help you fall asleep occasionally, it actually messes up your ability to sleep well in the long-term because your body’s internal clock gets thrown off. Instead of alcohol, opt for a consistent evening routine.

There’s an ongoing debate about whether you should shower in the evening or the morning, but the evening points are pretty compelling: Not only do you wash off all of the junk from the day, but you also separate the day from the night. This helps your body establish a habit. It knows that after you shower, you sleep.

If you aren’t sleeping well, it might be what you’re sleeping on. Maybe your mattress isn’t comfortable, or your pillows are old. You might even need some new sheets or blankets. It’s expensive, but it may be worth a good investment if it enables you to sleep well.

Many people are addicted to their phones. This means they often end up lying in bed on their phone when they are trying to fall asleep or wake up. Instead of this, turn your phone off and leave it in another room. This makes it twice as hard for you to use it when you should be doing other things.