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Good sleep offers numerous health benefits, including improved immune function, enhanced cognitive abilities, and better emotional regulation. It aids in physical recovery, hormone balance, and weight management. Additionally, quality sleep reduces the risk of chronic illnesses, ultimately contributing to a longer, healthier life. Prioritizing sleep can significantly enhance your overall well-being.

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1. Establish a Sleep Routine

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.

2. Create a Relaxing Environment

Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool.

Consider using earplugs, eye masks, or white noise machines.

3. Limit Screen Time

Avoid screens (phones, tablets, TVs) at least an hour before bed to reduce blue light exposure.

4. Watch Your Diet

Avoid heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol close to bedtime.

Opt for light snacks if you're hungry.

5. Stay Active

Engage in regular physical activity, but avoid vigorous exercise right before bedtime.

6. Practice Relaxation Techniques

Incorporate activities like deep breathing, meditation, or gentle yoga to unwind before bed.

7. Limit Naps

If you nap, keep it short (20-30 minutes) and avoid late afternoon naps.

8. Manage Stress

Keep a journal or practice gratitude to manage racing thoughts and anxiety.

9. Seek Natural Light

Get plenty of natural light during the day to help regulate your sleep-wake cycle.

10. Consult a Professional

If sleep issues persist, consider talking to a healthcare provider for advice.

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Daytime Fatigue: Constant tiredness or lack of energy during the day.

Difficulty Concentrating: Trouble focusing or remembering things.

Mood Changes: Increased irritability, anxiety, or mood swings.

Frequent Yawning: Excessive yawning can indicate sleep deprivation.

Sleepiness During Activities: Feeling sleepy while driving or working.

Frequent Awakenings: Waking up multiple times throughout the night.

Snoring or Breathing Issues: Loud snoring or gasping for air during sleep.

Changes in Appetite: Cravings for sugary or high-carb foods.

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If you’re missing out on shut-eye, your body will soon show the signs.

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Myth: You Can "Catch Up" on Sleep Over the Weekend.

Fact: Sleeping extra on weekends might disrupt your sleep schedule. Aim for consistent sleep each night.

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Myth: Watching TV in Bed Helps You Relax

Fact: Screens emit blue light, which interferes with your ability to fall asleep. Try reading a physical book instead.

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Certain foods and drinks can promote better sleep by providing nutrients essential to sleep. Kiwi, cherries, milk, fatty fish, nuts, and rice have been found to aid in relaxation and sleep. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals before bedtime for healthier sleep patterns.

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Whether it's a jolt after a cup of coffee or drowsiness after Thanksgiving dinner, most people have personally experienced how food and drinks can affect their energy and alertness.

Researchers, including nutritionists and sleep experts, have conducted different types of studies to try to discover the best foods for sleep. While this research provides important clues, it's not conclusive.

Both diet and sleep are complex, which means there's no silver bullet or single food that is guaranteed to help with sleep. However, there are some foods and drinks that may make it easier to get a great night's sleep.

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That said, the range of varieties of cultivars of most foods means that their nutrient profile can be inconsistent. For example, have high levels of melatonin while others have virtually none. Climate and growing conditions may further alter the nutrients in any particular food product.

Dietary choices affect more than just energy and sleepiness; they can play a major role in things like weight, cardiovascular health, and blood sugar levels just to name a few. For that reason, it's best to consult with a doctor or dietician before making significant changes to your daily diet. Doing so helps ensure that your food choices support not just your sleep but all of your other health priorities as well. Many times a balanced diet can help support the best sleep.

The kiwi or kiwifruit is a small, oval-shaped fruit popularly associated with New Zealand even though it is grown in numerous countries. There are both green and gold varieties, but green kiwis are produced in greater numbers.

It is not known for sure why kiwis may help with sleep, but researchers believe that it could relate to their antioxidant properties suppressing inflammatory markers, their ability to address folate deficiencies, and/or a high concentration of serotonin.

As the name indicates, tart cherries have a distinct flavor from sweet cherries. Sometimes called sour cherries, these include cultivars like Richmond, Montmorency, and English morello. They may be sold whole or as a tart cherry juice.

These benefits may come from the fact that tart cherries have been found to have above-average concentrations of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps regulate circadian rhythm and promote healthy sleep. Tart cherries may also have an antioxidant effect that is conducive to sleep.

Malted milk is made by combining milk and a specially formulated powder that contains primarily wheat flour, malted wheat, and malted barley along with sugar and an assortment of vitamins. It is popularly known as Horlick's, the name of a popular brand of malted milk powder.

Milk also contains melatonin, and some milk products are melatonin-enriched. When cows are milked at night, their milk has more melatonin, and this milk in providing a natural source of the sleep-producing hormone.

Researchers believe that fatty fish may help sleep by providing a healthy dose of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which are involved in the body's release and regulation of serotonin. This study focused particularly on fish consumption during winter and darker months when vitamin D levels tend to be lower.

Nuts like almonds, , pistachios, and cashews are often considered to be a good food for sleep. Though the exact amounts can vary, nuts contain melatonin and omega-3's as well as minerals like magnesium and zinc, which together can help people sleep better. In a clinical trial using supplements, it was found that a combination of melatonin, magnesium, and zinc sleep longer and more deeply.

Studies of carbohydrate intake and sleep have had mixed results overall, but some evidence connects rice consumption with improved sleep.

A found that those who regularly ate rice reported better sleep than those who ate more bread or noodles. This study only identified an association and cannot demonstrate causality, but it supports prior research that showed that eating foods with a high glycemic index around four hours before bedtime .

Diet and Sleep: The Big Picture

With as many as 35% of American adults suffering from symptoms of insomnia, it's understandable that there's a strong desire to take advantage of food and drinks for better sleep. But sleep is a complicated process affected by many things including mental health, light exposure, daytime activity, and underlying physical issues.

Diet is also multifaceted. Individuals can have distinct reactions to different diets, making it hard to generalize about the perfect diet for everyone. Because of these factors, it's hard to design research studies that provide conclusive answers about the optimal food for sleep.

Given the complexity of diet and sleep, for many people it may be more meaningful to focus on the big picture - healthy sleep and diet habits - rather than on individual foods and drinks.

Nutritionists recommend eating a balanced and consistent diet that is made up mostly of vegetables and fruits. Properly designed, such a diet provides stable sources of essential vitamins and minerals, including those that can promote sleep. An example of this type of diet, the , has been associated with heart health as well as with .

Many principles of a balanced and consistent diet go hand-in-hand with general tips for avoiding sleep disruptions related to food and drink:

Limit caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon or evening when its stimulant effects can keep you up at night.

Moderate alcohol consumption since it can throw off your sleep cycles even if it makes you sleepy at first. Try to avoid alcohol especially within 4 hours of bedtime.

Try not to eat too late so that you aren't still digesting at bedtime and are at less risk of acid reflux. Be especially careful with spicy and fatty foods late in the evening.

Sleep Hygiene

Your sleep environment and daily routines, known collectively as sleep hygiene, play a critical role in your ability to sleep well. A healthy sleep environment entails finding the best mattress, pillows, sheets, and decor to promote restful sleep.

While some foods may help with sleep in general, they are less likely to be effective if you have poor sleep hygiene. For example, if your bedroom is noisy and bright or if you use electronic devices in bed, it may suppress your body's melatonin production and counteract the benefits of sleep-promoting food.

Reviewing your current sleep hygiene practices can be a starting point for sleeping better, and since it involves considering your daytime and pre-bed routines, this review may offer an opportunity to incorporate foods that are good for sleep into an overall plan to get more consistent and replenishing rest.

Eric Suni has over a decade of experience as a science writer and was previously an information specialist for the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Lulu Guo is a graduate of the prestigious Medical Scholars program at Michigan State University and was admitted into medical school at the age of seventeen after completing undergraduate studies in two years. She is double board-certified in Family and Sleep Medicine.

Learn more about our Editorial Team

References

1. Meng, X., Li, Y., Li, S., Zhou, Y., Gan, R. Y., Xu, D. P., & Li, H. B. (2017). Dietary Sources and Bioactivities of Melatonin. Nutrients, 9(4), 367.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28387721/

2. Peuhkuri, K., Sihvola, N., & Korpela, R. (2012). Dietary factors and fluctuating levels of melatonin. Food & nutrition research, 56, 10.3402/fnr.v56i0.17252.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22826693/

3. Richardson, D. P., Ansell, J., & Drummond, L. N. (2018). The nutritional and health attributes of kiwifruit: a review. European journal of nutrition, 57(8), 2659-2676.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29470689/

4. Lin, H. H., Tsai, P. S., Fang, S. C., & Liu, J. F. (2011). Effect of kiwifruit consumption on sleep quality in adults with sleep problems. Asia Pacific Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 20(2), 169-174.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21669584/

5. Losso, J.N., Finley, J.W., Karki, N., Liu, A.G., Prudente, A., Tipton, R., Yu, Y., & Greenway, F.L. (2018). Pilot study of the tart cherry juice for the treatment of insomnia and investigation of mechanisms. American Journal of Therapeutics, 25(2), e194-e201.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28901958/

6. Brezinová, V., & Oswald, I. (1972). Sleep after a bedtime beverage. British medical journal, 2(5811), 431-433.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5067672/

7. dela Peña, I. J. I., Hong, E., de la Peña, J. B., Kim, H. J., Botanas, C. J., Hong, Y. S., Hwang, Y. S., Moon, B. S., & Cheong, J. H. (2015). Milk collected at night induces sedative and anxiolytic-like effects and augments pentobarbital-induced sleeping behavior in mice. Journal of Medicinal Food, 18(11), 1255-1261.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26501383/

8. Hansen, A. L., Dahl, L., Olson, G., Thornton, D., Graff, I. E., Frøyland, L., Thayer, J. F., & Pallesen, S. (2014). Fish consumption, sleep, daily functioning, and heart rate variability. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 10(5), 567-575.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24812543/

9. Reiter, R. J., Manchester, L. C., & Tan, D. X. (2005). Melatonin in walnuts: influence on levels of melatonin and total antioxidant capacity of blood. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 21(9), 920-924.
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0899900705001632

10. Rondanelli, M., Opizzi, A., Monteferrario, F., Antoniello, N., Manni, R., & Klersy, C. (2011). The effect of melatonin, magnesium, and zinc on primary insomnia in long-term care facility residents in Italy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 59(1), 82-90.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21226679/

11. Yoneyama, S., Sakurai, M., Nakamura, K., Morikawa, Y., Miura, K., Nakashima, M., Yoshita, K., Ishizaki, M., Kido, T., Naruse, Y., Nogawa, K., Suwazono, Y., Sasaki, S., & Nakagawa, H. (2014). Associations between rice, noodle, and bread intake and sleep quality in Japanese men and women. PloS one, 9(8), e105198.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25127476/

12. Afaghi, A., O'Connor, H., & Chow, C. M. (2007). High-glycemic-index carbohydrate meals shorten sleep onset. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 85(2), 426-430.
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/85/2/426/4649589

13. Katagiri, R., Asakura, K., Kobayashi, S., Suga, H., & Sasaki, S. (2014). Low intake of vegetables, high intake of confectionary, and unhealthy eating habits are associated with poor sleep quality among middle-aged female Japanese workers. Journal of Occupational Health, 56(5), 359-368.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25168926/

14. Tanaka, E., Yatsuya, H., Uemura, M., Murata, C., Otsuka, R., Toyoshima, H., Tamakoshi, K., Sasaki, S., Kawaguchi, L., & Aoyama, A. (2013). Associations of protein, fat, and carbohydrate intakes with insomnia symptoms among middle-aged Japanese workers. Journal of epidemiology, 23(2), 132-138.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23419282/

15. A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. (2018, July 12). Mediterranean diet.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000110.htm

16. Muscogiuri, G., Barrea, L., Aprano, S., Framondi, L., Di Matteo, R., Laudisio, D., Pugliese, G., Savastano, S., Colao, A., & on behalf of the OPERA PREVENTION Project (2020). Sleep Quality in Obesity: Does Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Matter?. Nutrients, 12(5), 1364.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32397621/

Other Articles of Interest

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Want to eat well to get better sleep? Read about food & drinks to help you sleep and how you can take steps to improve your diet and sleep at the same time.

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1. Set a consistent sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time.

2. Create regular bedtime rituals. Do the same thing every night before bedtime, like take a warm bath, read or listen to music. Your pre-sleep activity should be relaxing so your body knows when it’s time to go to sleep.

3. Get regular exercise. Make sure you exercise at least two hours before bedtime though, or it may be difficult to fall asleep.

4. Keep a healthy diet. Meals just before bedtime may make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. But, a small snack just before bedtime tends to promote sleep.

5. Limit caffeine and avoid nicotine. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that interfere with sleep. Regular users also may experience withdrawal symptoms at night, leading to restless sleep. Limit caffeine intake to less than two servings per day, and don’t drink after noon. Tobacco users who break the habit usually are able to fall asleep faster and sleep better once withdrawal symptoms subside.

6. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a sedative that slows brain activity. While it may induce sleep, it interferes with sleep during the night, causing you to wake up frequently and have nightmares. It’s best to not drink alcohol four to six hours before bedtime.

7. Keep naps short. During the day, you build up a “sleep debt” that helps you fall asleep at night. Naps during the day pay off that debt, interfering with your night sleep. If you need to nap, limit it to less than 30 minutes.

8. Use your bedroom for sleep only. Don’t eat or watch TV in bed. Don’t use electronics – laptops, cellphones or tablets – in bed. Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet and cool. If you use it only for sleep, you’ll associate your bedroom with sleeping rather than activity or stress.

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A healthy lifestyle and simple behavior changes can help you get a good night’s rest.

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The cumulative long-term effects of sleep loss and sleep disorders have been associated with a wide range of deleterious health consequences including an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke.

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1. What time do you usually go to bed and wake up? Do you feel well-rested upon waking? 2. Do you have a consistent sleep routine? Do you follow it every day, including weekends? 3. How often do you use screens (phone, tablet, computer, TV) before bed? Do you feel like it affects your sleep quality?

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Table of Contents

Intro

Why Is Sleep Important?

The Sleepless Generation

Super Sleepers

Sleep Disorders

Why Don't We Sleep?

10 Tips for Better Sleep

Stages of Sleep

Get More Sleep, But Don't Stress Over It

About Zety's Editorial Process

Sources

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Want to know how to sleep better? You're not alone.

We're not sleeping enough, and it's killing us.

As a nation, we're the most exhausted, overworked, under-rested bunch in history. It's bad for our health, for our looks, and for our work performance.

In fact, 70 million US adults suffer from sleep loss every day. We spend over $66 billion on sleep medication, devices, and clinical visits, and fractured sleep time costs over $411 billion every year.

Worse, cheating sleep will not give you a long and healthy life. The overwhelming body of scientific sleep research shows sleep loss promotes cardiovascular disease, dementia, and death.

But we can't just work less, "have less stress," and meditate two hours a day. That would be wonderful and practical if we were rich like Gwyneth Paltrow.

The good news? We can take steps to fix sleep problems, but there's no one-size fits-all solution. The real cure for all those 3 am angst sessions is pinpointing the exact cause of your sleeplessness, then taking a targeted approach.

In this article, we'll look at the many causes of sleep loss that torpedo work performance, health, and productivity. We'll see fixes from apps to medications to sleep tips used by Navy SEALs to fall asleep in seconds. In the process, we'll hear from bona fide sleep experts who've helped millions get the deep, restful sleep patterns we crave and need.

Why Is Sleep Important?

Why do we need to switch our brains off 8 hours every night? Sleep time lets us rest, restore, repair, and it may even keep our brains young and "plastic." Understanding the importance of sleep is a key step in knowing how to sleep better.

Brain plasticity. NFL great Tom Brady chalks up a lot of his success to "brain plasticity." That's the idea that a brain can get "stiff"-like an unused muscle. Brady uses brain games to boost plasticity, but Harvard Medical school research shows knowing how to sleep better can improve focus, learning, mood, and decision-making ability.

Restoration. Human and animal studies show sleep restores, rejuvenates, and repairs our minds and bodies. Animals deprived of sleep entirely die in a matter of weeks when their immune systems collapse. Sleep aids tissue repair and muscle growth. It also clears the brain of amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer's patients.

Energy conservation. During sleep time, our metabolisms drop. In the modern world, plentiful food supplies make that less of a survival matter and more a carbon footprint issue. In short, 8 billion people who never slept would consume the planet's resources at a faster rate.

Safety. Researchers once thought of sleep as a safety issue. Sleeping in the dark may have kept us safe from nighttime predators like tigers. This theory has been discredited because it would be safer to stay still and conscious than to fall asleep.

The Dangers of Losing Sleep

Why is sleep important? When you don't sleep, the world becomes a living nightmare. Things that seem petty in daylight turn monstrous. Worse, you know without sleep you'll be less-well equipped to solve those problems when the sun comes up.

But you're not alone. 70 million Americans suffer from sleeplessness every night. The costs of poor sleep patterns hit us at work, in our wallets, in our private lives, and in our health. Here are six big reasons to focus on how to sleep better.

1. $411 Billion Financial Cost

How important is sleep to the economy? According to Rand corporation research, we lose 2-3% of global GDP to sleeplessness. That's $411 billion in lost productivity in the US alone. But even small changes to our sleep habits could have a massive impact. If everyone slept at least six hours a night, we'd add an estimated $226.4 billion to the US economy.

2. Lost Productivity

Why is sleep important? People in the US lose 1.2 million work days per year from lack of sleep time. Supervisors spend 5.3 weeks a year dealing with absences. A single absence on the team makes a supervisor 15.7% less productive. Co-workers get 30% less work done when one person is out sick.

3. Sleep Loss Wrecks Careers

How important is sleep to your career? Regularly missing sleep slashes concentration, reaction time, memory, and decision-making power. It crushes your interpersonal skills one of the biggest determinants of career success.

Lack of sleep also causes accidents. Sleep loss was a contributing factor in disasters like the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown, the Exxon Valdez Oil spill, and the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion. In fact, tired workers are similar to drunk employees for motor function, speech, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving. Fatigue causes an estimated 100,000 car crashes per year.

Plus, as we move up the company ladder, we get both more responsibility, and less sleep. The average senior manager and CEO get 25% less sleep time than the populace at large.

Heart disease. How important is sleep to your heart? Short sleepers put themselves at a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Poor sleep patterns could be as dangerous to your heart as smoking.

Diabetes. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are linked to short sleep duration. Possibly because short sleepers eat more high-carb foods.

Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Cheat sleep, and your brain may suffer. "The brain needs deep REM sleep to prevent Alzheimer's disease," says sleep expert Walter Gaman, MD, of Executive Medicine of Texas. Alzheimer's disease is linked to the buildup of amyloid protein in the brain. Shockingly, even one night of missed sleep causes a 5% jump in brain amyloid.

Sex drive. Need another reason to learn how to sleep better? Sleep deprivation causes sexual dysfunction as the brain suppresses sex hormones. That's worse in women than in men.

Depression. Studies show over two-thirds of depression patients suffer from a sleep disorder. Insomniacs are four times more likely to develop depression if their sleep problems aren't addressed. Poor sleep is also linked to bipolar disorder, anxiety, and ADHD.

Unhealthy skin. Beauty sleep-it's real! Lack of sleep time can lead to skin malnourishment, breakouts, dark circles, and eye bags. Want to look older fast? Just stop getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

Inflammation. The new watchword for all our health woes is "inflammation." It's the trigger for just about every health baddie in our lives-from heart disease to dementia to cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Sleep loss creates inflammatory cytokines that throw our bodies out of whack.

Poor immune system. Sleep boosts your immune system. How? When we don't sleep enough, we're more likely to get sick. Also, if you're sick, a good night's rest will help you beat it faster.

4. It Wrecks Your Health

Want to live a long and healthy life? Learn how to sleep better. People who sleep less than six hours a night have a 13% higher chance of dying.What should really keep you up at night though (pun intended) is the variety ways sleep loss wrecks your health. Here's a rundown:

The grain of salt. The "good" news? Sleeping too long has also been associated with nearly every health risk in this list. In short, there's a sweet spot-your sleep schedule should be 7-9 hours every day.

5. Sleep Loss Wrecks Relationships

How important is sleep to your love life? Not getting enough sleep wrecks marriages and friendships. According to neurologist Chris Winter, author of The Sleep Solution, sleepless people talk to their partners less and help out less with household chores.

Why is sleep important to relationships? Poor sleepers feel sadder and angrier-not conducive to romance. Fractured sleep patterns can even contribute to divorce. The upside? Married people know how to sleep better. That gives them a leg up on their single peers.

6. Sleep Sharpens Your Mind and Heart

When you hear about people waking up from sleep with an answer to an unsolved problem or an idea for a new invention, you can thank REM sleep time. "During REM, the brain consolidates memories," says sleep expert Dr. Kasey Nichols. "That means it converts new experiences into long-term memories."

Sleep also smooths out our emotions. "REM sleep allows your amygdala to process negative emotions, in particular, fear and stress," says Nichols. Less REM sleep can cause negative memories to pile up, which can spark depression.

The Sleepless Generation

As a nation, we're not concerned with how to sleep better. Americans got an average of 7.9 hours of sleep in 1942. Today, that's shrunk to 6.8 hours. It's seen as "cool" to run on less sleep. Some executives and professionals brag about how little sleep time they get.

"We skimp on sleep," says Terry Cralle, sleep expert and author of Sleeping Your Way to the Top, "because we want more waking hours. But if you sleep well, you get more done and do it better."

People who sleep longer think more clearly, solve problems more efficiently, make fewer errors, and are more productive. "Overall," Cralle says, "you're performing at a much higher level."

Super Sleepers

Can getting enough sleep make you a superhero? Not to harp on Tom Brady again, but the G.O.A.T. gets more than 8 hours of shut-eye, keeping his bedroom "cold and dark like a bear."

Brady is not alone. Roger Federer sleeps 10 hours a night and takes a 2-hour nap. LeBron James is in the 12-hours-of-sleep club too. Usain Bolt sleeps 10 hours a night plus naps. In fact, he broke one world record just after waking up.

So does sleeping more make you a champion? And could that carry over into work performance? The evidence says yes and yes.

"We've got to start thinking about sleep as a biological need that truly enhances our performance," Cralle says.

There's no denying knowing how to sleep better can boost your chances of success. Still, unless you're training like a champion (eating 5,000 calories a day and training 5-7 hours a day) you likely won't need 12 hours per night.

Insomnia is sleeplessness caused by stress, disease, anxiety, depression, drug or alcohol abuse, and certain medications.

Fragmented sleep patterns happen when someone wakes up frequently at night. It can ramp up levels of cortisol-the stress and inflammation hormone.

Trouble falling asleep. Some people have a hard time nodding off each night.

Restless leg syndrome is an irresistible urge to move your arms and legs at night. It affects 10% of the population. To fight it, cut caffeine and alcohol and get more exercise.

Sleep apnea is a throat blockage that causes snoring and stopped breathing. It can lead to sleepiness and death. The most common treatment is a CPAP machine.

Sleepwalking stops us physically from resting. Want to know how to sleep better with a sleepwalking problem? Cut down on liquids before bedtime.

Night terrors. Some illnesses and medications can cause nighttime screaming and violent movements. Doctors treat night terrors with medication.

REM sleep behavior disorder happens when people thrash around during REM sleep time. Medication is the common fix.

Teeth grinding. Excessive anxiety and stress can cause nighttime teeth grinding. To fix it, don't chew gum or other non-food items in the day.

Narcolepsy. Some people have a blurred line between sleep and wakefulness. They may fall asleep during high-stress situations. It's treated with medication.

Circadian rhythm problems. Daily biological rhythms synchronize our sleep schedule to hours of darkness. When those rhythms get unbalanced, you lose sleep. The treatment is more natural light, especially in the morning.

Nighttime muscle cramps. Some sleepers wake frequently from leg cramps. The solution? Exercise, stretching, and B12, but see a doctor to rule out underlying conditions.

Sleep Disorders

There are over 70 different sleep disorders that may be stealing your beauty sleep. But you can't know how to sleep better until you know the cause. So, here are the top sleep disorders.

Why Don't We Sleep?

Even when we want to know how to sleep better, we often can't. Below are the top reasons for short sleep time and sleep deprivation.

Choice. We're not asking, Why is sleep important? "Our culture today equates sleep with weakness, not the biological necessity it is," says Terry Cralle. "We think if we're high-achievers, we have to learn to power through with less sleep." But research shows with good sleep patterns, we actually get more done in less time than when we cheat on sleep.

Daytime caffeine zaps your sleep at night, making you more tired the next day without it. "Everyone's a little different in their tolerance, but I see too many people in Starbucks late in the day," says Cralle

Shift work can crush our sleep patterns by disrupting our circadian rhythms and depriving us of natural daylight.

Being a parent with a young child can disrupt your sleep for up to 6 years after the child is born.

Certain diseases like Lyme disease can rob you of your sleep and leave you groggy during waking hours.

Not enough daylight. If you spend most of your day inside, you won't feel sleepy at night and you'll be groggy during the day.

Diet. Eating well isn't just good for your health. It also helps you sleep.

10 Tips for Better Sleep

Can't figure out how to sleep better? Below are the best techniques for getting better sleep, from sleep experts and neurologists.

1. Keep Clocks Out of Your Bedroom

What's the biggest change you can make to get more sleep? Don't look at the clock during sleeping hours, says sleep expert Terry Cralle. Without a clock, the "chore" of falling asleep goes away. You won't start doing math in your head and worrying about how little sleep you're getting. If your room is dark and cool and you're "in the dark" about how much sleep you've missed, you'll most often fall back to sleep soon.

2. Follow a Sleep Schedule

One of the biggest reasons we don't sleep is that we don't respect it. "People say they only have time for 4-5 hours a night," says Cralle. "But that can be dangerous, with studies showing metabolic changes after just a few nights of short sleeping."

Wondering, "When should I wake up?" Or, "What time should I go to bed?" Try to go to bed as close to the first full darkness as you can, and rise with the sun. Going to sleep at 9pm, 10pm, or 11pm matters less than keeping the same sleep schedule every night.

Is 6 hours of sleep enough?

Getting 6 hours of sleep a night will sap your focus, moods, health, and well-being. Always get 7-9 hours of in-the-bed sleep time, even if you're awake for some of it. Even if you feel fine after six hours of sleep, your effectiveness suffers.

3. Get More Daylight

Numerous studies show getting more natural light is one of the top techniques for how to sleep better. Yet we've got ever brighter screens in laptops and phones. Those screens-and our brightly-lit homes-are sending silent messages to our brains that say, "It's morning! Go to sleep 12 hours from now." Trying to override those messages can be like eating a 32-ounce porterhouse steak right after Thanksgiving dinner. Your body will say, "Nope."
How to fall asleep:

1. Sit on the edge of your bed.

2. Relax the muscles of your face, jaw, tongue, and eyes.

3. Let your shoulders and arm muscles go slack.

4. Breathe out. Relax your chest, then thighs, calves, feet, and toes.

5. Clear your mind for 10 seconds.

6. Picture one of these three images:

1. You're lying in a pit room in a black velvet hammock.

2. You're in a canoe on a calm lake with blue sky above.

3. You repeat the words "don't think," for 10 seconds.

The upside? One-third of US employees work from home at least sometime during the week. That gives us a tremendous opportunity to work on a porch, park bench or in an outdoor cafe. In winter, sit near a window for a few hours in the morning.

4. Have a Coffee Cutoff Time

Tired of being tired? Try switching to decaf after 2pm. Studies show that even drinking coffee 6 hours before bedtime can rob your sleep time.

5. Try Audiobooks

Listening to an audiobook can help you sleep. Turn the volume down and set the playback to its slowest speed. Then set a timer so it shuts off in an hour. Most phones can set a "stop playback" alarm. Here's how on iPhone and Android.

Sleep Sounds: Play soothing sounds and fall asleep. 4.8 stars for 83K ratings.

Relax Melodies: Soothing sounds for sleep. 4.7 stars for 270K ratings.

Sleepo: Sleep sounds and ambiances. 4.8 stars for 56K ratings.

Sleep as Android: Sleep patterns tracker app. 4.6 stars for 294K ratings.

6. Distraction Techniques

When your mind has a tricky "job to do," it stays alert. "Some people fall asleep better with a distraction," says Cralle. So, here are a few tips for how to sleep better with distractions:

The Navy SEAL Technique

Why is sleep important for Navy SEALs? Imagine trying to sleep in the rain, cold, or in a fire zone, when your life depends on being rested. Thankfully, these hardened warriors have a trick that helps them drift off in two minutes.

The 2-minute Navy SEAL sleep technique works for 96% of sleepers. The downside? It can take six weeks of practice.

Sleep Apps

Mantras. A mantra may sound mooney, but it's just a word or phrase you think repeatedly. How does it help you sleep? By filling your mind with something other than your worries.

Prayers. Same as mantras. Bonus: they get you in touch with your spiritual side.

Breathing techniques. When you focus on your breathing, you're distracted from the "chore" of trying to sleep. A great "how to sleep better" technique.

Mandalas. A mandala is an image you imagine. It distracts you to help you meditate or fall asleep. It can be a flower, drawing, or even a stop sign.

Want to know how to sleep better? Yep, there's an app for that. None are clinically tested, but high user review scores on a few show promise. Here's a shortlist:

Iphone Sleep Apps

Android Sleep Apps

Some sleep doctors caution that sleep tracking can make you stress about sleep loss, which makes you lose more sleep. "But overall," says Cralle, sleep management should be basic in our lives, like brushing our teeth or showering."

7. Meditation and Meditation Apps

Meditation can teach you how to sleep better by reducing stress. Here are a few meditation apps that can help you get your 40 winks:

Stage 1. Light sleep, easy to wake. 5-10 min.

Stage 2. Light sleep, preparing for deep sleep. 10-15 min.

Stage 3. Deep sleep. Hard to wake. Body repairs itself and boosts the immune system.

REM sleep. Rapid eye movements. Your brain clears plaques in this stage. 10 minutes to 1 hour. REM cycles get longer as the night progresses.

"I like meditation," says neurologist Chris Winter. "When you start getting good at it and settling your mind, it becomes easier to fall asleep." And even if you don't learn how to sleep better, you still get good quality mental rest.

8. Mantras, Prayers, Breathing, and Mandalas

Here are a few more relaxation and distraction techniques that can take your mind off, "I can't get to sleep!"

9. Eat Well

Eating a healthy, balanced diet can improve your sleep time. Foods that impact tryptophan, serotonin, and melatonin like eggs, cheese, and salmon can help your sleep quality and duration.

Plus, take a magnesium supplement. "Magnesium facilitates sleep-regulating melatonin production," says Dr. Carolyn Dean. Studies from MIT and elsewhere have shown magnesium helps your sleep patterns and enhances memory.

10. Exercise

Daily exercise will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. But shouldn't you limit exercise before bed? New studies say exercise at any time of day will help you sleep. "I'd rather see people get some exercise than none, because exercise begets quality sleep," says Terry Cralle.

Stages of Sleep

The sleep cycle is the pattern of sleep stages from NREM (non-REM) to REM sleep (rapid eye movement). Each sleep cycle lasts 90 to 120 minutes, and includes about 15 minutes of the four stages of sleep, including stages 1, 2, 3, and REM sleep.

Get More Sleep, But Don't Stress Over It

We all need more sleep time, and most of us would love to know how to sleep better. One in three of us is sleep-deprived, and that's dangerous to our careers, health, moods, and relationships. The first step is acknowledging the problem. Then, get more bright daylight in the morning, and try one of the excellent sleep apps above. Chances are you'll soon be sleeping a lot better than a baby.

About Zety's Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We're committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

Sources

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How to Get Enough Sleep? Here's How Many Hours You Need

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How important is a good night's sleep, and how will improper sleep hygiene mess with your health and wellness? Learn how you can sleep better.

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Art history - the study of art from across the world, and from the ancient to the present day - covers virtually every aspect of human history and experience. This is because it looks at works of art not just as objects, but as a way of understanding the world, and the societies in which they were created.

What were the conscious and unconscious choices that led to an artwork's form and subject matter? What does its content - how people are represented, how religion is shown - tell you about the society in which it was created, and its history? How was it received when it was first put on display, and how has this changed?

By asking these questions, art historians gain a fascinating insight into how people throughout time and across the world lived, thought, felt and understood everything around them. Developing understanding of these challenges helps us make sense of the relationship between people, art and the forces that shape the world we live in today - and provides us with the critical skills to understand the visual world around us.

Why study Art History?

It combines the rigour of a history degree with the visual skills required to interpret works of art. It will help you develop critical skills, to think about art and history from a variety of perspectives, and to present your ideas succinctly and persuasively. These are all key skills that will help you to stand out in today's job market. You will learn to analyse the role art plays in shaping society. Art History will introduce you to world-famous works of art, as well as others that are less well known but equally as fascinating to examine and study. You will get to explore new areas of Art History, and artworks from a variety of time periods, from all around the world, delivered in a range of different forms. If you enjoy reading history, studying literature or languages, looking at art, and are fascinated by the relationship between people, art, and the forces that have shaped the world we live in, then Art History is the subject for you.

"What is art history" - we asked our academics:
Dr Guido Rebecchini, Reader in Sixteenth-Century Southern European Art:
Artworks from the past communicate with us across centuries in a language that is much more mysterious and nuanced than one might first assume. Interrogating them and looking closely at what they represent, as well as at their materials and techniques, enables us to make contact with ideas, rituals, beliefs and practices wholly different from our own. Art historians therefore explore the gulf between the appearance of artworks - as we might see them today in museums, galleries and historical buildings - and the complex ideas behind their production.

It is important to remember that artworks produced in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, in both the East and the West, were not intended to be displayed in museums. Instead, such artworks communicated with their audiences in spaces where rituals and practices that helped to form familial, civic and religious identities, such as palaces, churches and squares. Works of art were often made to mark marriages, births, deaths, and they reflected hopes and ambitions; in fact, they were often thought to have real agency in the world. Artworks were considered to possess holy powers, brought in procession, or stood in for absent people.

Ultimately, as art historians, we look closely and carefully, patiently and inquisitively, and ask questions incessantly. To do so, we analyse, compare and connect a wide range of difference sources and pieces of evidence; primarily the artworks themselves, but also documents, literature and many other traces of the past. By doing so, we locate works of art in the ecosystem in which they were conceived, which helps us to better understand how artworks of the past have shaped the world we live in. For these reasons, art history is a truly interdisciplinary: it demands that we take the vantage point of others, like the anthropologist does; that we see things in historical perspective, as the historian does; and that we consider how ideas related religion, family, gender, race, and politics are implicated in the art of the past. In conclusion, art history is an inquiry into human culture pursued mainly - but not only - by critically looking at the extraordinary images that past generations have left behind.

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Art history - the study of art from across the world, and from the ancient to the present day - covers virtually every aspect of human history and experience. This is because it looks at works of art not just as objects, but as a way of understanding the world, and the societies in which they were created.

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Why sleeping is important for your health?

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Why sleeping is important for your health?

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Good sleep is essential for overall health as it helps the body repair, supports immune function, and improves cognitive performance. It also plays a crucial role in regulating mood and stress levels. Delving into the ultimate benefits, quality sleep can enhance memory, boost creativity, and promote better physical health.

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Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT)

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Why is sleep important? - Wellbeing video