Every living, breathing organism on this planet needs sleep, even if it only lasts for a few minutes.

Sleep is an integral component of human health and its lack can negatively affect the way we function in our daily lives.

We can all have a bad night (or more) and that's perfectly okay. But how can we intervene in our environment and improve the quality and quantity of our sleep?

In this article, we will analyze 9 tips (based on scientific research) that, if applied systematically, will help you improve your sleep in 2024.

But first of all, let's start with a basic question: Why is sleep so important?

Why is sleep important?

The reality is that no one has been able to prove to date why we sleep. There are various theories from scientists, however, the explanation of this question is not commonly accepted. The numerous data support that sleep serves a basic biological function.

From an evolutionary perspective, however, the fact that sleep is essential for all living things (think of animals sacrificing valuable time away from instinctive survival activities like hunting and reproduction, while remaining vulnerable during their sleep) is a strong indication that it isfundamental to well-being .

In humans, sleep appears to play a critical role inphysical and mental development starting from infancy through the teenage years.

In adults, accumulated sleep deprivation has been associated with a wide range of health problems, including:

• cardiovascularproblems
• theweakened immune system
• the highest risk for obesity andtype II diabetes
• reduced ability to concentrate and poor memory
• mental health problems , such as depression and anxiety disorders

These diverse effects caused by sleep deprivation are strong evidence that sleep does not only have a biological purpose but is in fact, through its complexity, an essential component for the proper functioning of almost all of our body's systems.

Sleep is therefore important because it allows us to:

• to rest our body
• to recover from an illness
• to cope with stress
• to be able to solve problems that arise in our lives
• to enrich our memories and
• to improve our motor skills.

A recent study of 30,000 Britons showed that people who increased their sleep over a 4-year period increased their level of happiness in life by as much as if they had 8 weeks of psychotherapy or won a €250,000 lottery prize. Impressive, isn't it?

However, a good night's sleep is not only defined by how many hours we slept, but also by the quality of sleep.

So let's see what these 9 tips are that will help you improve the quality of your sleep, even from the first night.

How can you immediately improve your sleep?

The following 9 tips you will read are based on scientific evidence and are proven to work.

If you wake up feeling tired and lethargic every morning, if your sleep is interrupted during the night, or you can't fall asleep easily, try to implement the following tips, one by one, at your own pace, until they become part of your daily routine.

And soon, you'll be sleeping like a baby.

1. Create a sleep schedule (and stick to it)

If you want to improve your sleep quality in a short period of time, the first - and most important - step you need to take is to create a sleep schedule and apply it faithfully on a daily basis.

So what should you do?

It's simple: go to bed and wake up, every night and every morning, at the same time.

Consistency is half the battle here.

Whether it's a weekday or a weekend, your sleep schedule should always remain the same. The reason is due to the circadian rhythm, or what we all know as the biological clock.

The circadian rhythm comes from the Latin expression “circa diem,” meaning “around the day,” and refers to the 24-hour cycle that regulates the bodily functions of almost all living things, from sleep to wakefulness. Also known as the body’s internal clock, the circadian rhythm is directly linked to the suprachiasmatic nucleus located in the hypothalamus of the brain, which coordinates the timing of biological events, such as hormone release, body temperature, sleep, and digestion.

Our biological clock is perfectly tuned and operates with terrifying precision. However, it has one major drawback: it is greatly influenced by the external environment.

If there is even a small change in the person's environment, say due to unstable work hours (e.g. shifts) or due to a transatlantic trip with a change in time zone, the circadian rhythm becomes disorganized.

Therefore, our biological clock expects us to be completely consistent, including with our sleep schedule.

For example, if one night you go to bed at 4:00 am and the other at 11:00 pm, it makes sense to disrupt your circadian rhythm, which will directly affect the quality of your sleep.

Also, trying to make up for lost sleep on the weekends will have the same effect. Doing so will not help you truly rest, but instead may lead to more mental and physical fatigue.

Sticking to a regular sleep schedule can be extremely beneficial for your overall health and well-being. Try to set a consistent schedule and stick to it every day. This will take the first step towards enjoying better, more restful sleep.

2. Adjust your bedroom temperature

The next crucial tip to improve your sleep quality is to emphasize the right temperature in your room. What is that?

Experts say 18.3 degrees Celsius. Yes, the bedroom should be cool.

But why is low temperature ideal for sleeping?

It has been shown that in order to fall asleep and stay asleep, our bodies need to lower their core temperature by about one degree Celsius. The reason a lower temperature helps us fall asleep more easily at night is because we affect our core body temperature. Conversely, a high bedroom temperature during the night keeps us awake and alert , thus affecting the stages of sleep.

When the room is cool and the drop in temperature is detected by a group of cells located in the brain, they send a signal to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is pretty much the CEO of our sleep.

The message from the brain cells, combined with the low lighting in the room, gives the OK to the suprachiasmatic nucleus to release the evening wave of melatonin, the sleep hormone, to help us fall asleep.

On the contrary, when the room temperature is higher than appropriate, the body does not receive the appropriate stimuli from the environment and melatonin production is delayed.

So you can help your body realize that it's time for bed by simply setting your bedroom temperature between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. This is the ideal sleeping temperature for most people.

Other ways to lower body temperature

Another way you can lower your body's core temperature is by taking ahot bath before bed. It may sound a bit paradoxical, but a hot bath lowers your body temperature because it dilates the blood vessels on the surface of the skin, essentially pulling blood from the core of the body to the surface.

Thus, your skin, palms, and soles act as thermal emitters and disperse heat outward, while the temperature at the body's core remains reduced, an ideal condition for enjoying healthy and quality sleep.

Finally, if you want to save money on electricity consumption, there are other ways to keep your body cool. The Gravity Ice gravity blanket , in addition to harnessing the power of Deep Tactile Pressure to relieve stress and relax your nervous system, is made of 100% Bamboo Viscose, which allows air to circulate through its natural micropores, keeping your body cool and dry throughout the night.

3. Keep the room dark

We live in a society that lacks absolute darkness, as technological advancements have greatly changed our environment and way of life.

However, complete darkness is essential for good sleep because it regulates our circadian rhythm (the internal "clock" that determines the sleep/wake cycle) and acts as a lever for releasing melatonin, the "sleep hormone" that helps our brain understand that the right time has come to sleep.

This is how our brains have worked for thousands of years, ever since we hunted for our food and slept in caves.

Without any required thought on our part, our internal clock functioned perfectly based on the following 3 factors:

1. The intensity of the light
2. The color of light
3. The angle it comes from (how high it is)

And so we retreated to our dark caves until the next morning. So did the other animals.

So guess what happens today when you go to the bathroom to brush your teeth before bed.

Correctly.

You inhibit the production of melatonin, thus reducing the possibility of quality and healthy sleep.

And that's because the lamp in your bathroom:

1. emits bright light (✔)
2. contains a large amount of blue radiation (✔)
3. it comes from above so it looks like the sun (✔)

It makes sense that your sleep quality would be disrupted because all the signs in the external environment send a message to the brain that it should stay awake.

But many here might say:

"Yes, but I sleep well."

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's not true. You may think you're sleeping well, but that's a misconception. It's like a drunk driver thinking he can drive well. But he doesn't.

A test will convince you, though. Make sure you don't expose yourself to the blue light emitted by almost all common light bulbs and electronic devices and you'll see thatyou'll sleep much better .

You can verify this by using a sleep tracker that records the quality of your sleep during the night, there are so many on the market at a very low cost.

But the question is, how do you avoid blue light at night?

Here are some ways:

1. Try to stay away from electronic devices and screens for at least 30 minutes before going to bed . In the meantime, you can wear blue light blocking glasses, you will find them in all optical stores.
2. Additionally, make sure to remove any light sources in your bedroom. If you use a security light in the hallway, replace it with a low-intensity red light. If you sleep with the shutters open, close them, and if light continues to come in from outside, put up blackout curtains.
3. Also make sure to put insulating tape on all the red, green, and yellow lights on electronic devices (e.g. television, router, air conditioner, etc.).

The room should be dark and cool like a cave. Period.

4. In the bathroom, you can put a dimmer so that the light is low intensity. You can also put red lamps there that contain no blue radiation. It may look like a disco, but it will be fun and will also significantly improve the quality of your sleep.

By making these small changes, you will be surprised at how easily you will be able to fall asleep.

4. Control your caffeine and alcohol consumption

Many of us start our day with a cup of coffee and end it with a glass of wine or another alcoholic beverage. And there's nothing wrong with that.

However, if you want to improve the quality of your sleep, you should control the amounts of caffeine and alcohol you consume, both during the day and in the critical hours before bedtime.

A general rule to keep in mind is this: Don't drink coffee after 12:00 PM and don't go to bed groggy from drinking.

But let's see how each of these two substances affects your sleep.

Caffeine belongs to the group of recreational stimulant drugs called psychoactive substances and, as we know, has the property of waking up the body and keeping us alert.

However, what we don't know is the duration of its effect on our body. Caffeine takes 5 to 6 hours to lose half of its initial effect and 10 to 12 hours to lose ¾ of its effectiveness and be metabolized by our body.

In other words, if you drink a coffee at 12:00 noon, then at 00:00 midnight ¼ of the caffeine will still be circulating in your brain.

Furthermore, caffeine significantly affects the quality of our sleep. Many people may claim that after dinner they drink an espresso and then fall asleep easily. And indeed, this may be the case.

However, caffeine reduces the time of deep non-REM sleep during the night by 20%, that is, stages 3 and 4 of non-REM, in which the most quality and refreshing sleep takes place.

Someone who falls asleep at night after a cup of coffee will not remember the next morning that they had difficulty sleeping during the night and for this reason their brain will not make the connection that "caffeine + sleep = insomnia".

However, in the morning he may feel the need to drink 1 more cup of coffee to be able to function, and this is because the stages of sleep during the night were not complete.

Alcohol, on the other hand, has been -wrongly- associated in the minds of many as a "sleep aid." In reality, however, it is not just a sleep aid.

Although alcohol belongs to the category of drugs with a depressant nature, the anesthesia it causes in our body is NOT sleep.

This narcolepsy is a state where the activity of brain cells, mainly in the cerebral cortex, stops, causing us to think we are asleep. However, this is not natural sleep, quite the opposite.

In natural sleep, and especially in the stages of deep non-REM sleep, the brain is extremely active, resulting in hundreds of thousands of brain cells coordinating with each other and creating time stages where at one moment they are all activated together and at the next moment they are silent, creating large and powerful brain waves of deep non-REM sleep. This has nothing to do with alcohol, which simply drugges our brain cells.

Alcohol can also disrupt our sleep, as it activates the sympathetic nervous system (the one responsible for our survival - also known as "fight or flight"), causing us to wake up during the night.

In addition, it increases the secretion of chemicals produced in our body, which under normal conditions are intended to keep us alert, such as cortisol and adrenaline, affecting the quality of our sleep at night.

Finally, alcohol can block REM sleep, the crucial stage of sleep that offers us a number of benefits, such as restoring our emotions, mental health, creativity, memory, and many others.   

So, if you tend to drink a lot of coffee and alcohol during the day, try to control the amounts and times you drink them. You will see that your sleep will improve dramatically.

5. Create a relaxing bedtime ritual

In the modern society we live in, we are used to doing everything quickly, eating quickly, watching movies quickly, communicating quickly, moving quickly, and so on.

But sleep doesn't work that way—at least for most of us.

Sleep is a biological (physiological) process that is more like taking off in an airplane. The mind needs time to relax and enter a state of sleep and rest.

So what can you do to properly prepare your mind and body before going to bed?

The answer is many. However, each of us is different and there is no one-size-fits-all ritual. So you will need to improvise. Check out some of our suggested ways to prepare for sleep.

Start with the important things by staying away from any electronic device (mobile phone, TV, computer, tablet, etc.) for at least 30 minutes before going to bed - ideally 1 hour.

As we explained above, the blue light emitted by electronic device screens affects the natural production of melatonin. From there, try to do things that truly relax you.

For example, you can sit in your favorite armchair, light some nice scented candles, make a tea with herbs that help you sleep (e.g. lavender, chamomile, valerian) and read a book. Or if you don't like reading, you can sit on the couch with your partner and spend some quality time together. Whatever suits you.

A warm bath, a gravity blanket , dim lighting, the right room temperature, and reading a book before bed are factors that can help you fall asleep quickly and soundly.

The ritual of relaxation before bed is an essential process that if you manage to follow every night, your mind will associate with sleep and you will be able to sleep more easily, but also with better quality. Try it!

6. Don't stay in bed if you can't fall asleep.

Don't stay awake in bed for long periods of time. If you can't fall asleep within 25 minutes, sleep experts recommend getting out of bed and doing something relaxing in another room of the house. (By relaxing, we don't mean scrolling through Instagram, of course.)

The reason this is suggested is because the brain learns to associate the bedroom with a waking state, and not the other way around. So you need to prevent this association the brain makes by simply changing the space and activity.

This is why you shouldn't work from bed, eat in bed, watch movies in bed, and so on.

Because if you do all this in bed, then rest assured that when the time comes when you want to sleep, things will be quite difficult for you.

But what can you do if you can't fall asleep?

The good news is that there are certain breathing techniques you can practice to relax your mind and fall asleep faster.

The environment in which you practice breathing techniques should be quiet, with low lighting and no electronic devices around that can distract you. Your eyes should be closed and your mind focused on your breathing.

Here are two of the most effective breathing techniques you can use:

1. 4-7-8 breathing technique

This technique is simple and is applied as follows:

1. Relax your lips and let them separate from each other.
2. Get all the air out of your lungs.
3. Gently seal your lips and take a deep breath through your nose, counting to 4.
4. Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
5. Exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds.
6. Repeat the process 4 to 8 times.

This technique was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil as a variation of pranayama, an ancient yoga technique that helps people relax while replenishing oxygen in the body.

2. Diaphragmatic breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing not only helps you relax and fall asleep more easily, but it also strengthens your diaphragm, the muscle that helps you get the most out of your breathing.

The technique is as follows:

1. Lie on your back and place pillows under your knees or sit in a chair with your back straight.
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
3. Take slow, deep breaths through your nose, trying to fill your belly with air, not your chest.
4. Exhalation through the mouth

The purpose of this technique is to inhale and exhale so that only the hand on your stomach moves, while the hand on your chest remains still.

Bonus: Practicing these techniques on a daily basis will not only benefit the quality of your sleep but will also improve the quality of your breathing during the day, as you will breathe more consciously and be able - whenever you feel the need - to relieve yourself from stress and pressure. 

So, if you have trouble falling asleep, get out of bed, do something else, and only return when you feel sleepy. This way, your brain will gradually learn that the bedroom is a place for healthy, uninterrupted sleep, and you will sleep better.

7. Avoid strenuous, evening exercise

Regular exercise plays an extremely important role in health and sleep, as it:

1. Reduces stress levels.
2. It improves the quality of our sleep.
3. It helps regulate the circadian rhythm.
4. It mimics the body temperature change that occurs when we sleep.

However, intense physical exercise 2 to 3 hours before bedtime can make it difficult for you to fall asleep as the mind needs more time to relax.

Although there is no formal research proving that vigorous exercise affects sleep quality, many people may stay awake longer when they exercise vigorously before bed.

It's a good idea to aim to finish heavy exercise at least 3 to 4 hours before bed, or simply choose to exercise in a more relaxed way, such as going for a half-hour walk, doing yoga, or swimming. This will clear your mind and give your body the energy it needs to fall asleep more easily.

On the other hand, according to research that has been conducted, it is proven that morning exercise (immediately after waking up) can favor your circadian rhythm (the internal biological "clock"), resulting in you feeling more tired at night and being able to fall asleep easily, so that you can repeat it the next morning.

Finally, according to otherresearch , morning exercise seems to enhance deep sleep more than afternoon exercise.

8. Eat early and lightly

Another important factor that affects the quality of your sleep is food.

In fact, more and more research suggests that the foods we consume can affect how well we sleep at night, while the quality of our sleep can affect our dietary choices.

That is, the more tired we are, the more likely we are to consume poor quality foods and therefore the more likely we are to experience symptoms of obesity and cardiovascular problems in the future.

Furthermore, another thing that plays an important role in how well we sleep at night is the time we eat. For example, if your meal contains fatty and spicy foods and you eat it right before you go to bed, then it's a given that your night will be a nightmare. Literally.

It is therefore a good idea to eat dinner at least 3 hours before going to bed so that there is a reasonable amount of time for digestion. Also, if you want to sleep better at night, try to control the food you eat.

Researchers found that diets high in sugar, saturated fat and refined carbohydrates can significantly disrupt sleep, while eating more vegetables, fiber and foods rich in unsaturated fats - such as nuts, olive oil, fish and avocados - appear to have the opposite effect, helping to promote healthy sleep.

Foods that are suitable before bed are the following:

• Almonds
• Nuts
• Cherry juice
• Kiwi
• Banana
• Yoghurt
• Fatty fish
• Avocado
• Cheeses
• Rice
• Honey
• Hummus

Finally, 1 hour before bedtime, it is a good idea to limit your fluid consumption, for obvious reasons.

The above dietary tips can help you sleep better, however, every person is different and has specific needs, so before making significant changes to your diet, it is a good idea to consult a doctor or dietitian.

This way you will ensure that your dietary choices not only support your sleep but also all your other health priorities.

9: Use a gravity blanket

Gravity blankets are the most effective way to deal with insomnia and stress without medication, as they have been used for many decades to help people suffering from anxiety disorders, autism , and other sensory disorders.

How do they work?

They weigh from 3 to 15 kilograms and are designed to exert a gentle and steady pressure on the entire body, which occupational therapists call “ Deep Tactile Pressure ”. This steady pressure relaxes the nervous system and helps the body naturally increase levels of serotonin and melatonin (the hormones of happiness and sleep) while reducing levels of cortisol, which is responsible for stress.

As a result, the mind stops "racing", the heart rate drops, the mood improves and the body enters a state of complete relaxation.

The positive effects on insomnia

According to research conducted on people suffering from chronic insomnia and other coexisting psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, or generalized anxiety disorder, using a gravity blanket for 4 weeks had the following results:

• reducing the time until they fall asleep
• longer duration of sleep during the night
• more energy during the day
• reduced symptoms of fatigue
• reduced levels of anxiety and depression

Less stress, more well-being

Another study showed that using a gravity blanket reduced blood pressure and pulse oximetry, signs that indicate low stress levels.

More specifically:

• 63% reported feeling less stressed
• 78% preferred the gravity blanket for stress relief over any other option

The feeling of embrace that the gravity blanket has due to its weight - and therefore the effect of this feeling on the body - is an excellent way to release hormones such as serotonin and oxytocin (hormones of happiness and love), regulate cortisol levels in the body (the stress hormone) resulting in the person feeling "grounded" and relaxed.

Many users report that the gravity blanket works great when they feel nervous or insecure as it acts like a "cocoon" within which they feel safe. 

So the next time you feel anxious or nervous, try using a gravity blanket to relax and reduce the intensity of these feelings.

Choose the one that weighs closest to 10% of your body weight and upgrade your sleep from the very first night!

Epilogue

So these were the 9 most important tips to optimize your environment and habits so that you can enjoy better quality sleep every night. Because good sleep is essential for a balanced life full of health and well-being.

On the other hand, poor sleep quantity and quality can, over time, increase the risk of serious health problems—including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.

When you repeatedly don't sleep well, you create a " sleep debt " and can damage your emotional health, making you more vulnerable to anxiety, stress, and depression.

However, somewhere here I must note something important. If you suffer from sleep disorders, such as chronic insomnia or sleep apnea, it is a good idea to seek help from a doctor first. Because the advice we give can improve the sleep performance of a healthy person who simply does not sleep well, but they cannot cure a serious problem like the ones mentioned above.

If you were an athlete, for example, and I were your coach, then I would suggest the above tips to significantly improve your performance. However, if you had a broken ankle, then you would not see any difference with these tips. This is because the broken ankle must first be healed and then you can look for the details that will improve your performance, e.g. in running.

The exact same thing happens with sleep.

Therefore, if you think you have some kind of sleep disorder, our advice is to talk to a doctor and solve this specific problem.

Otherwise, establishing a sleep routine like the one made up of the 9 tips above is very useful. So make sure to invest in your sleep and don't leave it to chance.

Sleep is an opportunity to grow as a person, resolve issues that are not related to sleep, and grow spiritually.

The difference you see in the quality of your life will be spectacular.

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