Buzz
While everyone understands the importance of a restful night’s sleep, many of us focus only on the quantity of sleep rather than its quality. Often, we assume that achieving good sleep is beyond our control, but there are practical steps you can take to enhance your sleep and improve your daytime energy and focus.
Create and maintain a consistent routine
A well-structured schedule is essential, and it goes beyond just setting a bedtime. Plan your entire day with a focus on building habits that support a healthy sleep routine. For instance, if you need to wake up at 6:30 AM to prepare for work, and the CDC advises at least seven hours of sleep for adults, you should aim to be in bed by 11:30 PM. Equally important are the activities you engage in leading up to bedtime, as they significantly impact the quality of your rest.
Dedicate the last hour before bed to relaxation. Avoid work emails or any digital distractions, and disconnect from your devices entirely. Create a calming environment in your bedroom with soft lighting, cozy bedding, and anything else that makes you feel secure and comfortable. Use this time to unwind with activities like a warm shower, meditation, or enjoying quality moments with your partner.
Communicate to your family that your sleep schedule is a priority, and you should not be disturbed an hour before bedtime unless it’s an emergency or related to caring for young children. Additionally, limit caffeine intake in the afternoon—avoid coffee after 3 p.m., for example. Maintain a consistent sleep and wake time every day, including weekends.
Understand the stages of sleep
Gaining knowledge about sleep is empowering. While it’s a fundamental human process, it’s also complex and multifaceted.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke provides a useful resource on sleep stages here. In simple terms, sleep is divided into two types: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep. REM sleep begins approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep, while non-REM sleep consists of three distinct phases. The transition from wakefulness to sleep is a non-REM phase, followed by light sleep and then deep sleep. The deep sleep stage, which occurs more frequently in the first half of the night, is crucial for feeling rejuvenated in the morning.
How can you use this information, which isn’t directly actionable while you’re awake? The key is to create a strategy during your waking hours to optimize the time spent in each sleep cycle.
A simple and modern approach to understanding your sleep patterns is to use a wearable device. Products like the Apple Watch can monitor your sleep, but keep in mind that wearing it overnight requires morning charging. This means you’ll need to decide whether tracking sleep or daytime activity is more important. For the initial weeks of your new sleep routine, focus on sleep tracking.
Caroline Kryder, a science communications expert at Oura Ring, a health tech wearable that collects biometric data, explained to Mytour that such tracking is beneficial. It provides users with precise, personalized insights into their health. The device tracks metrics like body temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep, and activity, offering scores in three areas: readiness for the day, sleep quality, and the balance between activity and rest. Over time, the ring even suggests optimal bedtimes based on your data.
While these high-tech tools are engaging, you can also assess your sleep success using traditional methods.
Keep a written record
Develop a daily habit of recording your sleep quality each morning. Maintain a small journal throughout the day, noting whether you woke up feeling energized or sluggish. If you notice consistent fatigue, like feeling tired every afternoon at 2 p.m., document that as well. Over time, these notes will reveal patterns, helping you understand your overall sleep effectiveness rather than just daily tiredness.
Document your bedtime, your mood before sleeping, and any significant daily events that might affect your rest, such as intense exercise or major life changes. Identify trends, particularly on days when you feel more alert and lively, and try to replicate the behaviors from the night before.
If you’re leading a healthy lifestyle—staying hydrated, eating well, maintaining a consistent bedtime, and following other best practices—but still feel exhausted, consult your doctor. Bring your wearable data or sleep journal and discuss potential underlying issues. Conditions like mental health challenges or thyroid problems could disrupt your sleep, even if you’ve optimized all controllable factors, so seeking professional advice is always wise.
