When I talk to customers about their struggles with sleep, the most common thing I hear is, “I’ve tried everything!” Warm milk, weighted blankets, weird supplements – there are a lot of sleep suggestions floating around online and it can be challenging to wade through all the advice. And some of the most common sleep tips, like adopting a strict bedtime or cutting out caffeine, are simply unrealistic for most of us. Just like with a crash diet, if you try to adopt major changes that don’t fit your lifestyle, the changes won’t stick.
If you’re feeling exhausted and overwhelmed from all the conflicting sleep advice, here’s what you’ve been looking for: three tips that are backed by science, and importantly, easy enough to fit your life.
Tweak the temperature. Our bodies naturally cool down at night. In fact, body temperature is one of the signals your brain uses to know when it is time to sleep. You can use this effect to improve your sleep by lowering the temperature in your bedroom a few degrees at night – 65° to 68°F is ideal. Or you can “trick” your body into lowering your core temperature by taking a warm bath or drinking a warm (non-caffeinated) beverage a bit before bedtime.
Create a relaxation routine. One of the keys to falling asleep quickly is to use a repeated routine at bedtime to help delineate ‘sleep time’ from ‘wake time’. This routine doesn’t need to be time-consuming, just a quick few minutes to help your mind and body relax at the end of the day. Listen to a relaxing song or podcast, read a few pages of a book, do today’s Wordle or Sudoku. The key is to adopt a routine that separates you from life’s daily stresses - that means no email and no social media once you climb into bed.
Wear a StimScience sleepband. Our sleepband uses gentle electrical stimulation to precisely mimic your brain’s natural sleep pattern, helping you to fall asleep quickly and have a deeper, more restful night’s sleep. We designed it to be comfortable and incredibly easy to use - just wear it for a fifteen minute stim session at bedtime, and you’ll start to nod off.
If you have questions about what we’re working on, or want to share your own sleep tips, send me a note: aaron@stimscience.com. Sleep well!