Sleep really does impact every aspect of your health and wellness—one bad night’s rest can make the next day miserable. “Contrary to our quiet physical state, the brain is very active during sleep, carrying out many important functions,” Erica Jansen, PhD, MPH, via University of Michigan School of Public Health. “Sleep is essential to every process in the body, affecting our physical and mental functioning the next day, our ability to fight disease and develop immunity, and our metabolism and chronic disease risk. Sleep is truly interdisciplinary because it touches every aspect of health.” If you want to improve your sleep, simple lifestyle changes can make a significant impact. “It’s not always necessary to get a prescription for a sleep aid,” Charlene Gamaldo, MD, medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital, tells Johns Hopkins Health. “There are natural ways to make adjustments to your sleeping habits.” Here are 11 easy ways to get a better night’s sleep, no drugs necessary.
RELATED: Doing This Before Bed Can Help You Sleep Better.
1. Warm Milk and Chamomile Tea
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Warm milk or chamomile tea can encourage a good night’s sleep. “Warm milk has long been believed to be associated with chemicals that simulate the effects of tryptophan on the brain. This is a chemical building block for the substance serotonin, which is involved in the sleep-wake transition,” Dr. Gamaldo says. “[Chamomile tea] is believed to have flavonoids that may interact with benzodiazepine receptors in the brain that are also involved with the sleep-wake transition.”
2. Nighttime Routine
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Try going to bed at the same time and waking at the same time. “Having a nighttime routine is a great strategy to get better sleep,” says Payam Hakimi, DO, medical director of Body of Harmony in Beverly Hills, California, via NCOA. “Going through the same routine every day can help your body understand when it’s time for sleep.”
3. Keep It Cool
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A warm room can disrupt your sleep, whereas a cold room encourages better rest. “Sleeping in a cold room will help decrease our body temperature and increase our natural melatonin production,” Whitney Roban, PhD, tells Homes and Gardens. “Keeping cool at night will not only help you fall asleep but will prevent you from waking up at night overheating.”
4. Ditch the Nightcap
iStockYou might think that glass of wine helps you fall asleep, but it’s actually interfering with the quality of your sleep. “While it’s true that alcohol is a sedative, both having it in your system as well as the process of it wearing off can cause a variety of different problems,” neurologist and sleep expert Jessica Vensel Rundo, MD, tells the Cleveland Clinic. “You’re likely to experience fragmented sleep, insomnia or possibly more serious sleep issues.”
5. Watch Your Caffeine
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For most people, caffeine late in the afternoon/evening can disrupt sleep. “Start your day with your most highly caffeinated beverage and ease up on the caffeine as the morning goes on,” says Michael J. Breus PhD via Psychology Today. “First thing in the morning is likely when you’ll crave caffeine the most, and when it can do you the most good in terms of boosting energy and shaking off the effects of a night’s sleep.”
6. Don’t Sleep On a Full Stomach
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Eating heavy food right before bed can make it difficult to fall asleep. “Fatty or heavy foods may cause bloating and stomach pain that can keep you tossing and turning,” says UPMC HealthBeat. “Also, spicy foods that cause heartburn or indigestion can keep you from getting a good night’s rest. While it is important to watch what you eat before bed, eating a small healthy snack might not be a bad idea. Going to bed with a growling stomach can be just as uncomfortable as eating too much. A small snack also can keep you from binge eating at breakfast in the morning.”
7. Avoid Screens
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Avoid screens before bedtime to allow your body and mind to switch off. “The light from our screens can delay our transition to sleep, even if we are engaged in some soothing activity online,” neurologist Joanna A. Cooper, MD, tells Sutter Health. “But it’s more likely that our evening texting, television shows or video games are stimulating in themselves, keeping the brain busy and wound up, and even causing adrenaline rushes instead of calm.”
8. The Darker the Better
Shutterstock Make sure your sleep environment is dark. “Getting sunlight or equivalent indoor brightness early in the morning is a good thing, but light during the night can cause problems for sleep,” says the National Sleep Foundation. “Different types of light can affect your quality of sleep.”
9. Avoid Nicotine
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Smoking is obviously bad for your health, but also disruptive for sleep. “Nicotine disrupts sleep – and smoking can also raise the risk of developing sleep conditions, such as sleep apnea,” says Henry Ford Health. “But since nicotine is a stimulant, smoking can mask your exhaustion. After all, if you’re feeling sleepy, a hit of nicotine can wake you up and make you feel alert the next day.”
10. Limit Naps
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Too much daytime sleep can impact night time sleep. “Short naps generally don't affect nighttime sleep quality for most people,” says the Mayo Clinic. “But if you experience insomnia or poor sleep quality at night, napping might worsen these problems. Long or frequent naps might interfere with nighttime sleep.”
11. Stay Active
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Exercise is one of the best ways to ensure a good night’s sleep. “We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality,” says Charlene Gamaldo, MD, tells Johns Hopkins Health. “But there’s still some debate as to what time of day you should exercise. I encourage people to listen to their bodies to see how well they sleep in response to when they work out.”
