Having Trouble Sleeping? Here are 18 Hacks to Help You Sleep Better

Sleep deprivation has become a significant issue affecting millions of people around the world. In the United States alone, approximately 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep issues, leading to a staggering cost of $411 billion for the US economy. Lack of sleep can have detrimental effects on our health, well-being, and overall quality of life. However, there are several strategies and hacks that can help improve sleep patterns and promote a restful night.

The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Health:

Sleep deficiency is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. The cumulative long-term effects of sleep loss and sleep disorders have been associated with a wide range of harmful health consequences, including an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke.

Short-term problems resulting from sleep deprivation can include:

• Lack of alertness: Even missing as little as 1.5 hours of sleep can have an impact on how you feel, leading to decreased alertness and difficulty concentrating.

• Excessive daytime sleepiness: Sleep deprivation can make you feel excessively sleepy and tired during the day, impairing your productivity and overall functioning.

• Impaired memory: Lack of sleep can affect your ability to think, remember, and process information, making it harder to retain and recall important details.

• Relationship stress: Sleep deprivation can make you feel moody and irritable, increasing the likelihood of conflicts and tension in your relationships.

• Quality of life: When you don't get enough sleep, you may become less likely to participate in normal daily activities or engage in exercise, affecting your overall quality of life.

• Greater likelihood for car accidents: Drowsy driving accounts for thousands of crashes, injuries, and fatalities each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Sleep-Stress Cycle:

Stress and sleep have a reciprocal relationship. High levels of stress can contribute to trouble sleeping, and poor-quality or insufficient sleep can lead to maladaptive changes in the stress response. When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that can interfere with your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Additionally, lack of sleep can exacerbate stress levels, creating a cycle where stress disrupts sleep, and lack of sleep increases stress.

These are 18 sleep hacks that can help you achieve better sleep:

• Be consistent: Go to bed at the same time every night, even on weekends.

• Dim the lights: Turn off at least half of your lights 1-2 hours before bed time to trigger your brain that it needs to prepare to go to sleep. It is important to decrease bright lights to help with sleep.

• Get up if you can't fall asleep: Laying in bed will only increase your stress about not sleeping. Get up every 30 minutes and do a relaxing activity, such as yoga, meditation, or soothing music. Then go back to bed and try to sleep again.

• Disconnect from electronic devices: Blue lights are emitted from tvs, phones, ipads, laptops, e-readers, and some bulbs. Blue light makes you alert and will delay the release of melatonin in your body, preventing you from falling asleep. Your sleep cycle is thrown off and you may also have poor sleep quality and/or wake up often through the night.

• Bedtime Yoga: A reported 85% reduction of stress and a 55% improvement in sleep was due to yoga before bed. A few poses for you to try include: Child's Pose, Cat-Cow, Seated Half Forward Fold, Legs up on Wall, Happy Baby, and Corpse Pose. Speak to a yoga instructor for more information.

• Maintain a cool sleep environment: The ideal sleep temperature is 60 - 68 degrees. Use socks or hot water bottles if you are chilly but your body must cool down.

• Try white noise: These soothing sound waves help you fall asleep and drown out other noises.

• Practice 4-7-8 breathing technique: This breathing exercise helps people get to sleep. Inhale through your nose 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat up to 8 times.

• Nap wisely: Limit the number of naps during the day, the duration of the nap, and how close to bedtime you are napping.

• Try sleep meditation: This is specifically designed to help you let go of the day, lower your heart rate, and enter a restful state so you are ready to sleep. You can use an app or YouTube videos to guide you.

• Avoid alcohol before bed: Even if you can fall asleep after drinking, alcohol will block your REM sleep, which leaves you with poor quality sleep. If you drink at night, try to do so a few hours before bedtime.

• Invest in a good pillow: Stomach sleepers may need flatter pillows, side sleepers may need thicker pillows to support the head & neck, and back sleepers may need a medium pillow to support head and neck but also to take on the shape of the body.

• Utilize the calming effects of lavender: Lavender helps with sleep. Use it in the form of essential oils, tea or even edible forms of the flower found online.

• Limit evening fluid intake: Try not to drink too much water at night and too close to bedtime. This helps to decrease disruptions of sleep to get up to use the bathroom.

• Engage in regular exercise: This helps your body decrease the time it takes to fall asleep. Try to ensure you finish exercising at least 3 hrs before bedtime. Walking is great too.

• Use a sleep tracker: These give you information about your sleep cycles, sleep duration, heart rate, body temperature, and even your movement. Some sleep trackers are Fitbit or the Oura Ring.

• Establish a to-do routine: Go through your day and check off all that you accomplished. Make note of anything you need to carry over to the next day. This alleviates your stress of what you may have forgotten to do. Also, set up for your morning, such as clothes, breakfast supplies, and items you need.

• Keep a sleep journal: If sleep has been a struggle this may help you find patterns so you and your physician can address it.

Conclusion:

Sleep deprivation not only affects your daily functioning but also has a significant impact on your long-term health. By implementing these 18 sleep hacks, you can improve your sleep quality and promote a healthier lifestyle. Remember, sleep and stress are closely interconnected, and taking care of your sleep patterns can help reduce stress levels, leading to a happier and healthier life.