101 Tips for Getting Healthy Sleep

Healthy sleep equals good sleep habits, and a good night’s sleep is one of the most critical cornerstones of health. Lack of sleep can result in added stress, lack of concentration, moodiness, memory loss, lower motivation, obesity, fatigue, and can weaken the immune system.

A 2012 review published by The Lancet found that nearly a quarter of adults are unhappy with their sleep patterns, while up to 10 percent meet the criteria for full-fledged insomnia — putting them at a greater risk for depression, hypertension and diabetes.

Below are 101 Healthy Tips to Get a Good Night’s Sleep for those who continually experience insomnia.

Healthy Sleep Routine

1. Maintain a regular bedtime routine. Try to go to bed at the same time and get up in the morning at the same time. Keeping a regular schedule helps the body expect sleep at the same time every day.
2. Maintain your sleep schedule even on weekends and holidays. Following your sleep schedule even on weekends does not disturb the body’s internal clock and helps maintain the body’s natural circadian rhythm.
3. Regardless of how much sleep you had the night before, get up at the same time in the morning. If your sleep is reduced due to uncontrollable circumstances, don’t oversleep to make up for the lost hours.
4. Make sleep a priority and set aside adequate time for it. Don’t feel guilty about going to bed early. Think of sleep as a prime investment in your health, wellness, and productivity.
5. Keep a sleep diary and write about your wake-up, nap, and sleep timings for that day. Understanding your sleep habits and patterns is helpful and often very revealing.
6. If feeling tired leads to sleepiness in the evening, try to resist going to bed earlier than usual—unless you are sick or ill.

Healthy Sleep Environment

1. Your bedroom should not be too hot or too cold. High temperatures can disturb the quality of sleep. The optimum temperature is 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If your room is too cold, use a humidifier or warm blankets.
2. Your bed should not be too small or too hard. It should be large enough to sleep in and convenient to turn or move to either side. If necessary, switch to a king-size bed.
3. Make sure that your bed and pillows are comfortable. A firm mattress will support the entire body. Keep extra pillows to sleep on your side.
4. Replace your mattress every eight to ten years. Old mattresses may cause allergies and back concerns, interrupting sleep—research organic mattresses.
5. Test different types of mattresses. Make sure that the mattress does not sag, which can lead to inadequate spinal support, which often leads to back pain.
6. Remove any distractions from your bedroom. Your bedroom should be comfortable, clean, and neat.
7. Your bedroom surroundings should be quiet and calm, and there should be no disturbance from outside noises. Use a white noise machine or fan to block outside noise. If the noise is too loud, use double-pane windows or heavy curtains to block the sound.
8. Your bedroom should be well ventilated. Keep bedroom windows open to get fresh air. Hot, stuffy air can block your nose and lead to a dry throat, coughs, or headaches. Invest in a quality air purifier for your bedroom.
9. No light should be in your bedroom, as light may disturb sleep. If lights from outside are disturbing, use room-darkening curtains for the windows.
10. Your bedroom should be used for only sleep and sex.
11. Don’t discuss the bills, daily concerns or watch television in your bedroom.
12. Remove illuminated digital clocks from your bedroom. Focusing on the time results in anxiety and stress and disturbs sleep. Also, turn off computers, tablets, night lights, etc.
13. Don’t use too many or too few blankets. Use them according to the room’s temperature and what feels comfortable to you.

Healthy Sleep Aids

1. Take a warm bath right before bed. Add 1 cup of Epsom Salts to the water. The magnesium in Epsom Salts helps to relax the entire body. Don’t use very hot water, as it may worsen the situation.
2. Try our DIY Stress Relief & Detox Bath Recipe.
3. Some people may not prefer a warm bath; they can soak their feet in warm Epsom Salts water for fifteen to twenty minutes before bed.
4. Use essential oils in the bedroom to relax. Diffuse lavender essential oil in the bedroom an hour before bedtime. Place a few drops of lavender oil on the pillow to help relax the mind and body.
5. Electromagnetic fields can impede natural sleep. Many of the new smart meters used to replace a home’s analog electricity meter, are placed directly outside the main bedroom or living area. Smart meters seem to have an adverse health effect on many people. Consider purchasing electromagnetic protection for your bedroom and home.
6. Drinking warm, organic/raw milk before bed helps soothe the nervous system. Milk contains calcium and works on the nervous system to help the body relax.
7. Try a cup of herbal tea. Valerian, passion flower, and chamomile are some herbs for sleep. These herbs will soothe and help you get a good night’s sleep.
8. Bananas are practically a sleeping pill. They contain melatonin, serotonin, potassium, and magnesium, which are muscle relaxants.
9. Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain that controls the body’s circadian rhythm. Darkness stimulates the release of melatonin, and light suppresses its activity. If melatonin production at night decreases, it results in a lack of sleep. Try melatonin, a natural hormone used to promote and improve sleep. Use under the direction of your healthcare professional.
10. Organic oatmeal is a rich source of sleep-induced melatonin.
11. Earplugs help block disruptive noises that interfere with sleep, if the surrounding noise is disturbing.
12. Sleep masks block the light and provide complete darkness to sleep, if light is disturbing the sleep.
13. Some people indicate that the supplement Lithium Orotate helps with end-of-day anxiety and stress.

Healthy Relaxation Techniques

1. Massage is a great way to relax tensed and tired muscles. Ask your partner to massage your body before going to bed. It can be a simple massage that involves massaging your neck, feet, and hands.
2. Deep breathing relaxes muscle tension, lowers heart rate, and helps one sleep faster. Do deep-breathing exercises in the bedroom before going to sleep.
3. Meditation helps clear all thoughts. Meditating before bed relieves tension and helps one get a peaceful sleep.
4. Color therapy can promote general health and treat physical and emotional sleep disturbances. In the bedroom, soothing, calming, and relaxing colors can be used.
5. Listen to relaxing music. Music is one of the best ways to calm the mind and relax the body. Listening to nature sounds is also soothing to the mind..

Healthy Sleep Rituals

1. Avoid drinking alcohol before going to bed. Alcohol can disrupt sleep, leading to poor quality of sleep.
2. Avoid caffeine before going to bed. Caffeine stimulates the mind and body, and keeps one awake.
3. Avoid soda, cookies, cakes, and other stimulants as they interrupt the quality of sleep.
4. Stop smoking as it releases adrenaline in the body and is a stimulant. It interrupts the quality of sleep.
5. Do not exercise before bedtime. As it stimulates the body, exercising before bedtime makes it difficult to fall asleep.
6. Do not watch television or movies before bedtime or in the bedroom. They disturb sleep and make it difficult to sleep.
7. Don’t drink too much fluid two hours before going to bed. It may lead to frequent urination, which can disturb sleep.
8. Urinate before bed to prevent getting up in the middle of the night.
9. Avoid heavy meals before bedtime. They may make lying down uncomfortable, cause indigestion, and interfere with sleep.
10. Have dinner at least three hours before bedtime.
11. Eat a protein snack before bedtime to avoid hunger during sleep.
12. Snacks such as apples, organic almond butter, and bananas can help to keep insulin levels balanced.
13. Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. It provides L-tryptophan, which helps produce serotonin and melatonin.
14. Include generous amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables in your daily diet, promoting health and sound sleep.
15. Don’t consume unhealthy fats, as fat takes several hours to digest.
16. Vitamin B3, vitamin B12, and Folic acid seem to improve sleep.
17. Don’t argue or fight with family or friends before bed.
18. Wear comfortable, loose clothing. 100% cotton is calm, soft, and relaxed. Tight-fitting clothes prevent movement freely in the bed.
19. Because the feet have the poorest circulation, they often feel cold before the rest of the body, which can wake you up during the night. Wear socks before going to bed.
20. Sleeping with a pet may cause allergies and interfere with restful sleep.
21. Keep a glass of purified water near the bed so that you do not need to get up at night if you are thirsty.
22. Sex with spouse before bedtime sometimes helps in a restful sleep.
23. Stop doing office work or household activities an hour before bedtime to calm mental activity and to avoid stress.
24. Avoid making phone calls or answering phone calls after going to bed.
25. Maintain good body hygiene.
26. The smell of foods or cigarette smoke can interfere with sleep quality. Remove the smelly foods and avoid smoking in the bedroom.
27. Reduce weight, as obesity can cause breathing concerns and prevent a good night’s sleep.

Healthy Daytime Habits

1. Don’t nap during the day if you have trouble sleeping at night. Napping disturbs the body’s circadian rhythm, making sleeping more difficult at night.
2. Exercise regularly for half an hour, either in the late afternoon or in the morning. Exercise increases the body’s temperature and has a stimulating effect.
3. Get exposed to sunlight during the day, especially around midday.
4. Drink eight to ten glasses of purified water every day, as dehydration of the body leads to chronic fatigue.
5. Check iron deficiency, as iron deficiency can inhibit sleep.

Healthy Sleep Tips

1. Don’t lie in bed for prolonged periods of time in the morning because it may lead to lethargy.
2. Don’t spend too much time in bed if you cannot sleep. Get up, leave the bedroom, and try to engage in other activities, like reading a boring book or novel.
3. Please don’t dwell on past, present, or future concerns before bed, as they can disturb sleep.
4. If your worries and problems disturb your night’s sleep, write them down on paper. Then, try to go to bed in a peaceful state of mind.
5. Try to visualize and concentrate on anything that frees the mind from worries.
6. Sleep on your back as it allows all the internal organs to rest correctly and is the best relaxing position.
7. Please don’t sleep on your stomach. It puts pressure on all internal organs, including the lungs, which results in shallow breathing.
8. Lie back and rub your stomach. This soothes the digestive system, improves its function, and promotes good sleep.
9. Sleep in a separate room or use ear plugs if your bed partner snores.
10. Don’t suffer with pain. If pain keeps you from sleeping, consult your healthcare professional about solutions.
11. Put a pillow under the knees to relieve lower back pressure for a restful sleep.
12. Stop the habit of watching the clock and counting the hours, as it leads to lack of sleep. Turn the clock away from you so that you cannot see it.
13. Avoid thriller, murder, and suspense books and movies as they stimulate and activate the brain.
14. Avoid doing mental math as it keeps the brain thinking and disturbs sleep.
15. If sleepless nights or insomnia are consistent, change the sleep timings and consider going to bed later or getting up earlier.
16. Always try to sleep in the same place regularly, as changing places may interfere with sleep.
17. Close the eyes and roll them upwards three times. This happens naturally when falling asleep and triggers some sleep chemicals in the body.
18. Light therapy, which consists of exposure to light for a prescribed amount of time, can help you get better sleep without the use of drugs. It promotes a normal sleep-wake cycle and decreases sleep disturbances.

Consult a Healthcare Professional

1. Consult a healthcare professional before using sleeping pills or over-the-counter medications.
2. Don’t rely on sleeping pills as most are addictive.
3. Make sure your medications do not have a side-effect of insomnia.
4. If stress keeps you awake, seek counseling and test cortisol (stress hormone) levels.
5. Don’t neglect depression, as depression can lead to lack of sleep. Consult your healthcare professional.
6. If sleeping concerns continue, consult a healthcare professional to determine whether the sleep concern is due to a sleep disorder or physical condition.

Ways to Overcome Other Sleep Disorders

1. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to stop during sleep. It should be treated by using nasal masks to keep the nasal passages open at night. Alcohol, tobacco, and other sedatives should also be avoided, and weight should be lost.
2. If restless leg syndrome (RLS) is interrupting a good night’s sleep due to uncomfortable sensations in the legs, like crawling or creeping, walk or stretch at the beginning and end of the day and massage the calf and legs regularly when they feel uncomfortable. Lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet and adding a calcium and magnesium supplement, such as IntraCal, can help prevent RLS.
3. If a circadian rhythm disorder interrupts a good night’s sleep by disturbing the body’s natural circadian rhythm, bright light therapy and melatonin may help.
4. Have your thyroid checked. The thyroid gland is a major player in natural sleep, and natural healthcare professionals know this and can help patients who complain of constant insomnia.
5. Adrenal issues. Those suffering from adrenal issues may have the symptom of waking up every morning around 3:00 AM and then have difficulty going back to sleep. Checking one’s cortisol levels through saliva can help determine if one suffers from adrenal fatigue. If you are constantly stressed or have just been through a stressful life event, it is wise to check your cortisol levels.
6. Night sweats. Avoid caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol, and unhealthy fats. Keep extra clothing beside the bed to avoid inconvenience and disturbance at night. Women and men should consider performing a hormone saliva test to check hormone levels.
7. If fibromyalgia is causing poor sleep at night due to pain in the neck, shoulders, back, and hands, it can be treated with exercises that stretch muscles, massage, and heat applied to painful muscles.
8. Exhaustion doesn’t necessarily make people sleep better. Always make it a point to take some time to unwind from your daily activities. Just spending 30 minutes of quiet time might save you lots of tossing and turning later.
9. GERD, or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, causes persistent heartburn that may be experienced while sleeping. Avoid spicy or acidic foods that cause heartburn or indigestion during the evening hours. Taking digestive enzymes such as Digestive Enzymes Ultra 30 minutes before eating and systemic enzymes such as Trevinol Professional Enzymes throughout the day on an empty stomach helps many overcome GERD.
10. Chronic illnesses such as Diabetes, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, etc. Exercise, a healthy diet, and quality supplements can help. Changing from an unhealthy to a healthy lifestyle is vital in obtaining natural and restful sleep.