THE PULSE

We all love a good night’s sleep—but not all of us are getting them as often as we need. In fact, the CDC reports that 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep. Going to bed earlier or sleeping in later are obviously good places to start, but what if you’re tucking into bed at a good hour but still not sleeping soundly?

Higher quality sleep can improve your overall health – so try adopting these habits to encourage better zzz’s.

1. Get more light during the day
Your body has an internal time-keeping clock called your circadian rhythm. It helps you stay awake during the day and tells your body when it’s time to sleep. If you’re spending all your time indoors in low light, it can throw off your circadian rhythm and make it more difficult to nod off when you want to. One promising study found that in people with insomnia, bright light exposure during the day improved sleep quality and duration, and reduced the time it took to fall asleep by 83%!

Try getting some daily sunlight exposure, or investing in a light therapy lamp.

2. Perfect your sleep environment
Sometimes the things that keep us up at night are obvious, like noisy neighbors or too much light in your room. To make your sleep environment as comfortable as possible, try:

• Wearing earplugs and a sleep mask
• Decorating with heavy curtains and rugs, which absorb sound
• Adding white noise by running a fan, using a white noise app, or buying a device specifically designed to play soothing sounds
• Keeping your phone on silent or on “sleep mode”

3. Exercise regularly—but not before bed
Exercise is one of the best ways to improve your sleep and health. It can reduce symptoms of insomnia and improve your sleep quality. One review of six studies showed that those who participated in an exercise program saw improvements in self-reported sleep quality and the time it took to fall asleep.

For some people, exercising too late in the day can cause issues with sleep. This varies by person, but If you’re exercising late in the day and regularly struggling to sleep, try switching to a morning workout and seeing if you sleep any sounder.

Want more tips to snooze? Check out our other articles about sleep:

• Sleep Gadgets You Might Want To Try
• Melatonin And Sleep: Safe To Use Every Day?
• Fall Asleep Fast With These Breathing Exercises