12 Smart Sleep Hacks That Really Work
Here’s how to get to sleep faster, sleep deeper, and wake up with more energy
If you struggle to get the sleep you need, you’re not alone.
At bedtime, your mind won’t stop racing, it takes forever to fall asleep, and when you finally do you wake up throughout the night or wake up too early.
Or maybe you sleep too hot or too cold. Or maybe you sleep next to someone who snores worse than a hibernating grizzly bear…
Can you relate?
The problem is wide-spread. According to the American Sleep Association, almost a third of adults don’t get the recommended 7+ hours of sleep every night… and sleep quality is at an all time low.
Sure, you can turn to pills to alter your brain chemistry and artificially force your body to sleep, but that can be habit-forming and have profound effects on brain function. (Not good.)
Bottom line, nothing compares to the restorative nature of good, natural sleep.
After a quest for solutions, here are some proven ways to restore and improve your sleep health:
Stop snoring at the source
Silence the snore and everyone wins — snoring is bad for everyone involved. Any form of breathing obstruction while you’re sleeping — whether it’s snoring, sleep apnea or nasal/sinus congestion — wreaks havoc on your body because it decreases your blood oxygen levels and can contribute a wide range of health problems. Fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and high blood pressure, just to name a few.
Don’t leave snoring untreated.
Designed by a dentist to gently advance the jaw, ZQuiet helps to open up your airway and reduce snoring. It’s a straightforward solution that can often silence snores from the very first use, which can offer both sleep and overall health benefits.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Get up to 33% OFF ZQuiet HERE.
No caffeine after noon
Un-wire your brain for better sleep — Everyone loves their cup of ‘joe,’ but did you know that caffeine can stay in your system up to 12 hours? That’s much longer than most people think. Caffeine stimulates your brain and nervous system, which can affect your ability to get to sleep, cause you to wake up more often, and shorten your ‘deep sleep’ cycles.
As tempting as it may be, skip that afternoon coffee, tea or soda (or go with decaf).
Upgrade your pillow
Get the right pillow for your sleep position — For many, sleeping on a cheap unsupportive pillow is the hidden cause of nagging neck pain, headaches, and poor sleep.
There are a lot of options available these days and it’s easy to spend a fortune and still end up with the wrong pillow.
The ideal choice is a pillow that’s fully customizeable, like the Sleepgram Pillow. Engineerd with a multi-layer design, each layer is filled with millions of soft nano-coil fibers that hold their shape perfectly and gives your head and neck the exact level of support you need.
Plus, everyone loves the cool side of the pillow, right? (If you’ve ever flipped your pillow over to experience the bliss, you know the feeling.) The creators of the Sleepgram Pillow used NASA-inspired cooling materials so the pillow automatically cools itself to help regulate your temperature for the perfect night’s sleep.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Get up to 50% OFF Sleepgram Pillow HERE.
Upgrade your pillowcase to silk
Sleep cooler and healthier on silk — You may not know that ‘fabric friction’ from your pillowcase can silently wreak havoc on your sleep, allergies, skin and hair.
For years now sleeping on silk has been a best-kept secret of dermatologists and beauty experts because of its benefits: cooler sleep, fewer allergies, clearer skin and healthier hair.
When shopping for silk bedding, quality matters. Made from 22 Momme Mulberry silk (one of the highest quality silks you can buy), the Blissy pillow cover is dreamy-soft and smooth, and has quickly become the gold standard.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Get up to 55% OFF Blissy Silk Pillowcase HERE.
Exercise 20 minutes per day
Increased physical activity triggers deeper sleep — Stepping up your physical activity is a great way to improve deep, restorative sleep according to doctors and sleep experts.
It doesn’t have to be anything crazy — even something as simple as going for a walk can make a big difference.
Don’t exercise too close to bedtime, though, as it can stimulate your body and make it harder to fall asleep. Try to finish any exercise at least two hours before you go to bed so you give yourself a chance to relax.
Breathe better to sleep better
Breathe better through your nose — Science tells us that breathing through your nose is best for your health, and there’s even a new trend where people are taping their mouth shut to sleep better. It does work, but maybe a bit extreme for most of us.
Even if you don’t snore, you’re probably not breathing your best while you sleep, which can deprive your body of healthy oxygen levels.
Adhesive nasal strips are one way to go, but as the winner of 6 innovation awards, ENT doctors are now recommending Hale Breathing as a smarter — and more effective — way to expand your nasal passages to allow more air flow and improve breathing. Hale is also reusable and there are no adhesives to irritate your skin.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Get up to 33% OFF Hale Breathing HERE.
Upgrade from nasal strips
Breathe better, sleep better — Studies have repeatedly shown that breathing through your nose is best for your sleep and overall health, which is why nasal strips have become a popular solution.
Intake has taken the concept to a new level. Using the power of rare-earth magnets, Intake provides 80% better breathing than old-school nasal strips and it stays put through the night. (It’s also sweat-resistant and great for improving fitness performance.)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Get up to 33% OFF Intake Breathing HERE.
Spend more time outside
Exposure to natural light helps your sleep/wake cycle — Sunlight plays an important part in setting and reinforcing your natural circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle). It also helps boost energy levels and mood, so that’s a nice perk as well.
Get outside or open up your blinds right after you wake up. Having natural light exposure will help your body and mind wake up and be ready for the day. If you’re stuck indoors, try to let in as much natural light as possible throughout the day.
Use a metronome light
Fall asleep 2.5x faster — “Busy” has become the new normal and it can be really hard to switch off your mind at night.
That’s where a metronome light like Dodow can help.
By focusing on Dodow’s mesmerizing rhythmic light, your breathing rate naturally slows, your busy mind quiets down, and you’re lulled into a deep, restful sleep 2.5X faster than other methods.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Get up to 33% OFF Dodow HERE.
Skip the screen time
Fall asleep faster and stay asleep — Research shows that light exposure from digital screens significantly reduces your brain’s natural production of melatonin, which directly affects your sleep.
Avoid using your phone, tablet, computer and watching TV before you hit the sack. I know it’s tough not to scroll your feed or check email one last time before bed, but you’ll thank yourself in the morning.
Keep your bedroom cool
60-67° is the sweet spot for sleep — Research has shown that the ideal temperature for getting high-quality sleep is lower than you may think. Try to keep your bedroom between 60 and 67 degrees F (16-19 C) for optimal sleep.
Here a couple of our favorite ways to cool your room fast:
Get a portable air cooler — ChillWell 2.0 is a small-yet-mighty cooler that goes anywhere. It’s like having your own personal AC to keep your bedroom cool and comfortable.
Add a ceiling fan to any light socket — WunderCool is one of the smartest cooling gadgets we’ve seen. You simply screw it into a light socket to bring a refreshing breeze to any room.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Get up to 50% OFF ChillWell and WunderCool today.
Keep your sheets smooth and tight
Smooth sheets, comfortable sleep — You know that feeling when you slide into bed with fresh clean sheets, all smooth and tight… Soooo nice, right? It’s the perfect way to sleep.
Sadly, within minutes your sheets usually just wrinkle and bunch up. Wrinkled, lumpy sheets rob you of comfort and increase restlessness, which only makes things worse.
Bed Scrunchie is a clever solution. You just hook it to any fitted or flat sheet, cinch it under your mattress, and your sheets stay perfectly tight and smooth — like a freshly-made hotel bed, every night.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Get up to 40% OFF Bed Scrunchie HERE.
