These small tweaks can help you fall asleep faster and slumber soundly.
Scientists like their zzz's just as much as you do -- and have put
their (hopefully well-rested) brains to studying what really helps you
get a good night's sleep.
1. Pump it up
Regular aerobic exercise -- bicycling, walking at a moderate pace, swimming laps -- for 30 to 40 minutes, four times a week, improves sleep quality. You can break it up into two 20-minute sessions if that fits better into your life. But don't schedule it in the evening; while exercise helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle, the stimulation that comes from a workout in the three hours before bedtime may cancel the benefit.
2. Combine carbs and proteins
Carbohydrates help your brain use tryptophan, an amino acid that causes sleepiness. And proteins help your body build tryptophan. Get the duo in a light bedtime snack of peanut butter on toast or low-fat cheese and crackers.
3. Choose cherry
The fruit is rich in melatonin, which helps the body regulate its sleep/wake cycle. When study participants drank eight ounces of a tart cherry-juice beverage twice a day for two weeks, they reported significant improvements in insomnia. Find the juice at Whole Foods Market and natural foods stores.
4. Try tai chi
This meditative martial art helps you sleep more deeply and for longer, studies have shown. Taichiproductions.com offers a selection of good, though somewhat pricey ($25), DVDs for beginners. The site also includes lists of certified instructors.
5. Be consistent
Try to turn in and wake up at the same time every day. But don't worry if you occasionally miss your bedtime during the week -- new research shows you can use weekend sleep-ins to help restore your body.
6. Chill out
A cool bedroom lowers your core body temperature, which initiates sleepiness. Ideal thermostat setting? It varies from person to person, but try 65 degrees to start and then adjust, if necessary.
Related: Eating These Foods Could Help You Sleep Better
7. Log off to nod off
Computer and video game players who spend more than seven hours a week on games sleep less and are generally more tired, researchers from the University of Arkansas have found.
8. Stress soother
Frazzled people sleep less and have worse sleep quality, and compromised slumber contributes to stress. A research-proven way to relax: a warm bath before bed. Not only does a soak help you forget the day's troubles, but raising your skin temperature may enable you to fall asleep faster and then shift you into deeper sleep.
9. Check your meds
Common drugs, including beta blockers, steroids, and opioid pain pills, can interfere with sleep either by keeping you awake or by contributing to sleep apnea. Some supplements can cause sleep loss, too -- ginseng, for example, is a stimulant.
10. Sprinkle some lavender
In numerous experiments, subjects have reported sounder sleep when exposed to the scent. Sprinkle a few drops of essential oil on a cloth and slip under your pillow; use a diffuser; or iron pillowcases with lavender-scented water.
11. More important than thread count
Choose sheets by their finish. If you like your bed to be crisp and cool, go with percale. Sateen and flannel are better for those who prefer a softer, cozier feel. For long-lasting linens, look for Egyptian cotton.
12. Turn lights off -- and away
Switch off the TV and computer, and face your alarm clock away from you. You'll banish the glow and also those late-night inner monologues -- It's 3 A.M.! How will I ever be able to function tomorrow? -- that can keep you awake even longer.
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