20+ Practical Tips for Improving Sleep Quality

Sleep: One of the most essential functions for the human body, yet so elusive for many. The CDC reports that more than a third (1 in 3) American adults don’t get enough sleep, sleeping only an average of 6.8 hours per night.

It is well-documented that sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night is correlated with a higher risk of chronic disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, autoimmune conditions, and chronic stress. In fact, sleeping less than 6 hours per night has been shown to increase all-cause mortality by 12%. Ideally, adults would get between 7-8 hours of sleep per night, as over-sleeping (9+ hours) is also linked to higher mortality rates. (source)

Lack of sleep also inhibits our ability to focus, concentrate, and stay alert. So if you are someone who is working on building up a meditation and spiritual / Sadhana practice, it’s important to get enough sleep so that you don’t nod off during meditation or study.

I have been working on optimizing my sleep for the past few years because I was always someone who had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. After many trials an errors, self-experimentation and research, I am now happy to report that I have no problem falling and staying asleep for 7-9 hours per night without medication. So if you’re struggling to sleep well and want some tips on how to sleep better naturally, you’re in luck — below I’m sharing my top tips!

Create the right sleep environment

Creating a supportive sleep environment is an important step in getting a good night’s sleep. These tips will help you “set the mood” and promote rest and relaxation in the bedroom.

Set the temperature in your home to around 68F — this is an optimal temperature for sleep; not too cold or too warm
Ensure you have clean bedding and a clean bedroom to promote peace and clarity while you sleep
Buy room darkening curtains to minimize light pollution and keep it nice and dark in the bedroom
If air is dry (like it often is in the winter or more arid climates), use a cool mist humidifier to soothe sinuses and nasal passages (this can also help reduce snoring!)
Diffuse lavender essential oil, or purchase a lavender roll-on for your skin (I like this one but there are many different kinds of these) to promote relaxation and calm the nervous system
Remove “big tech” from the bedroom, such as TVs, laptops and computers
Don’t sleep with digital devices near your head — honestly this is a big one. Please consider plugging your phone in across the room or in a different room entirely, if possible
If this is an option for you, I highly recommend experimenting with pillows and mattresses to find the ones that work best for your posture and preference. It may take a few tries, but you can always purchase a pillow or even a mattress and return it if it doesn’t work out (many mattress companies now offer 100-day or even 1-year trials) — this is super important so that you are comfortable and pain-free!

Calm the mind

Quieting the mind and clearing it from the day’s activities if often the biggest obstacle between you and a peaceful sleep. I used to lay awake for hours just thinking about every single little thing before falling into some sort of rocky, stress-induced sleep. Here are some tips to clear the mental clutter before falling asleep.

Meditate for even just 5-10 minutes before going to sleep to calm your mind and nervous system
Journal about the day’s happenings and anything that it still on your mind. This gets it out of your system, so to speak, and clears up a lot of space in the head
Make your to-do list for the next day so that you can go to sleep knowing that you have a solid game plan for accomplishing your goals and tasks (vs. laying there thinking “oh my gosh I forgot to ____!” or “I have to remember to ____!”)
Keep a notepad by the bed in case you do have any lingering thoughts, ideas, or to-do’s pop up. You can quickly jot them down and then get right back to sleep
Ideally you would not watch TV at night, however, I’ll admit that I do not even adhere to that advice. 🙂 So if you want to enjoy some evening television, I’d recommend not watching anything too stimulating (such as scary movies or overly dramatic shows) before bed, and limit TV time to 60-90 minutes. This also has other numerous benefits just in general, but I definitely find that keeping things light and happy before bed helps the mind settle down. Stick to friendly baking shows, a lighthearted TV series or animated show/movie instead of overly intense entertainment
Stop using devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime to give your body and mind a chance to calm down, and signal that it’s nearly time to sleep

Upgrade your lifestyle

Aside from creating a sleep-friendly environment and clearing the mental clutter, there are a few lifestyle adjustments that can be made to help reset your circadian rhythm (that internal clock that says when it’s time to go to bed and wake up) and prep your body and mind for sleep even before it’s bedtime. Below are a few things that you can try.

Reduce caffeine and sugar consumption throughout the day if possible, but especially after 3 or 4pm
Reduce or eliminate alcohol, as this interferes with the body’s blood sugar, hormones and organ health, all of which can lower sleep quality
Stick to a routine — go to bed and wake up around the same time each day (and yes, this includes weekends!)
Cut off water intake 15-20 minutes before you go to bed, and use the restroom before laying down for the night. This will reduce the likelihood of waking in the middle of the night to use the bathroom
If you always wake up between 2-3am, try eating some protein about 30-60 minutes before bed. This will help stabilize blood sugar (low blood sugar is a common cause of waking up between 2-3am)
Finally, if you’ve tried a lot of these tips and yet you are still consistently having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep for more than 1-2 weeks, please seek out help. I recommend seeing a functional medicine or naturopathic doctor, or another type of doctor who is well-versed in adrenal health and who can help you test adrenal function and administer treatment (often supplements) to help regulate and and improve adrenal function. You can google “adrenal fatigue symptoms” for more information, and of course search for things like “functional medicine doctor near me” to find help.