How to get a better night’s sleep — starting tonight
These strategies can help to improve the quality of your bedtime slumber, helping to enhance your memory as well as improve your concentration and productivity. Take our true/false quiz to test your sleep knowledge and help change your sleep habits for the better.
As of June 2022, getting sufficient sleep, to the tune of 7 to 9 hours a night for most adults, was added to the American Heart Association’s list of important behaviors you can do for your heart health—joining seven other established habits including not smoking (both traditional and e-cigarettes as well as vaping) and being physically active. And yet, some 75 million Americans have trouble consistently getting a good night’s sleep.
Achieving healthy sleep starts with understanding the behaviors that can improve the quality and number of sleep hours you get—what experts refer to as “good sleep hygiene.” Take our true or false quiz to test your knowledge of these good habits, so you can begin to make changes that may improve your slumber.
In this article, find the answers to these common sleeping questions:
True or false: Melatonin supplements and essential oils could help you fall asleep.
True. Melatonin, a natural hormone, plays a role in sleep, and taking a melatonin supplement seems to help some people fall asleep more quickly. “We consistently find that many people benefit, so it’s worth a try,” says Dr. Colwell.
Consumers will find that melatonin is commonly recommended for older adults, since the body’s melatonin levels often decline with age. A small study published in April 2022, done at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, showed that for some adults 55 and older, five milligrams of melatonin taken 30 minutes before bedtime added 15 minutes of slumber. (More research is needed to corroborate this.)
As for essential oils, some studies show that lavender may be helpful for people with mild sleep disturbances. In addition to its delicate, sweet scent, lavender has documented sedative and calming properties.
One study of women aged 45 to 55 with insomnia had “significant improvement in sleep quality” after 12 weeks of inhaling lavender scent twice a week for 20 minutes. If you’re a bath person, consider using a magnesium flakes bath before bed.
True or false: Having your dog in bed with you won’t disrupt your sleep.
False. While a small study by Mayo Clinic researchers found that having a dog in the bedroom did not disrupt sleep in healthy adults and, in some cases, even resulted in slightly better shut-eye, allowing your Frenchie in the bed with you can take a toll on the quality of your sleep.
Why? Dogs often shift position, scratch or bark at night noises, waking you up or interrupting your sleep. Such sleep interruption can, in the short term, impede your clarity of thinking, memory and decision-making. Over the long term, it may correlate to higher rates of cardiovascular disease, weight gain, diabetes, depression and Alzheimer’s dementia, research suggests.
So, if you want your dachshund or Yorkie to snooze in your room, provide them with a dedicated crate or bed.
True or false: Sleeping with your phone near you is unhealthy for your sleep.
True. So-called blue light — which is most of the light emitted by laptops, smartphones, tablets and TVs — is more effective than other types of light at suppressing the release of the body’s sleep-inducing melatonin, a natural hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm).
“This can make it even more difficult to fall asleep,” says Christopher Colwell, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles. Plus, having the phone nearby could tempt you to check it during the night, possibly making it harder to fall back asleep.
So, it may be better to use a standard alarm with a dimmable display and leave your phone turned off or in another room.
True or false: Your partner’s snoring can affect your health.
True. “Snoring can be a problem for both you and your partner,” says Margarita Oks, MD, Director of Sleep Medicine at Northwell Health. What’s more, a partner’s snoring can also be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a potentially serious sleep disorder in which their breathing repeatedly stops and starts — something you, as their bed partner, may actually hear.
If your partner displays such symptoms, he or she may need to see a sleep specialist. According to a recent study of 1,000 women, spouses of patients with heavy snoring and OSA are three times more likely to report insomnia symptoms.
True or false: Weighted blankets may improve sleep.
True: Weighted blankets may calm anxiety and may help you get a good night’s sleep. “They put firm pressure on a sleeper, similar to the feeling of being swaddled,” says Thomas M. Kilkenny, DO, Director of the Institute of Sleep Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital.
Although research is limited, a 2020 study of 120 people with anxiety, attention-deficit disorder and depression found that a weighted blanket was a safe and effective method in treating insomnia for those with major anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression.
True or false: If you can’t sleep, get out of bed.
True. “If you can’t sleep, don’t try to force yourself,” says Michael Perlis, PhD, Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Instead, he recommends you get up, leave your bedroom and make use of the time (e.g., reading, writing or watching a comforting movie), then go back to bed when you feel sleepy. (Plan to stay up at least 30 minutes.)
“You’ll fall asleep faster and into a better sleep than if you stayed in bed thrashing,” Dr. Perlis says. One important caveat: Don’t make this a habit, or else you may end up “giving your insomnia a function,” he adds.
True or false: Keeping the TV on can help you fall asleep.
False. Many people fall asleep with their TVs on each night, but the blue light can suppress the body’s production of melatonin. What’s more, if you get caught up streaming a series (Ted Lasso, anyone?), you’ll likely stay too stimulated to sleep.
One survey of 423 adults ages 18 to 25 found that higher frequency of binge television viewing (as opposed to regular television viewing) was associated with a poorer sleep quality, increased fatigue and more symptoms of insomnia.
True or false: The right pillow will help improve your sleep quality.
True. The right pillow can make a meaningful difference in your sleep comfort — and therefore how you feel when you wake up in the morning. “You want a comfortable pillow that supports the natural curve of your neck,” says Dr. Kilkenny. This can help reduce stress on the spine as well as help relax neck and shoulder muscles, which can improve sleep quality.