Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Sleep continues the series on Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Life.
See here for what this series is about, and scroll to the bottom or click here for a list of other entries in the series. Also see the end of the post for details on submitting your own incredibly easy life-improvements.
Note: Some links here are affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission when you purchase them, at no additional charge to you. I only suggest things I honestly believe in.
Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important factors in your happiness. And there are a lot of incredibly easy things you can do to improve your sleep.
Being well-rested will make you more cheerful, more productive, more efficient, more resilient, and able to do more.
You’ve no doubt seen plenty of hard suggestions about improving sleep. Such as avoiding screens for 4 hours before bed, completely changing your diet, or radically altering your meal and exercise schedule.
And you’ve probably ignored them, because they’re too much of a hassle.
But here are some extremely easy things you can do, which take no ongoing willpower, effort, or time commitment.
1. Don’t cut back on sleep to get more things done
Sometimes if you’re super busy and burning the candle at both ends, it’s tempting to cut back on sleep in order to add more hours to the day.
Don’t do this.
It will make you slower, less efficient, and dumber, so you’ll ultimately accomplish less.
Plus you’ll be miserable while doing it.
If you’re a new parent, you won’t have a choice. But this is the reason new parents consistently have the lowest life satisfaction of any demographic. Don’t emulate them where you aren’t creating a human life to show for it.
2. Wear orange glasses before bed.
Blue light sends a signal to our brian that it’s daytime, and we should stay awake.
You’ve probably heard people tell you not to look at screens for two hours before bedtime, because the light they emit will keep you awake.
And you’ve probably ignored that advice, because it’s terribly inconvenient. That’s the best time to look at screens.
You’re home from work, the kids are in bed, and it’s the only chance you’ve got to watch TV, browse Facebook, play video games, or work on your side hustle.
A much easier alternative is to simply wear orange glasses for two hours before bed. They’ll filter out the blue light. Here are some that cost under $5.
I used to have terrible insomnia, and some $5 safety goggles cured it instantly.
3. Get blackout curtains
Light in the morning also messes with your sleep. You’re fighting millions of years of evolution telling your body to get up with the sun.
Some good blackout curtains will help with this.
4. Wear an eye mask when you sleep.
Blackout curtains aren’t enough by themself. Light will seep through, and there’s sources of light in your room. You should also wear a sleep mask.
I recommend the wraparound style, which does the best job of blocking out light. The downside of these is that they put pressure on your eyelids, which really bugs some people.
An alternative is the “eye-bra” style of mask, which doesn’t put pressure on your eyelids, but aren’t as good at blocking light as the wraparound style.
Don’t get the flat style. They’re lousy at blocking light, and put pressure on your eyelids.
5. Spend between $800 and $1,500 on a mattress.
Never buy a cheap mattress.
It’s where you spend a third of your life.
They’ll ruin your sleep and your back.
Even if you’re young and not yet worrying about your back, a cheap mattress will cause damage now that you’ll feel and regret in 15 or 20 years.
Plus you’ll have to replace a $300 mattress after three years or so. While a $1,000 mattress will last 15-20 years. So cheap mattresses end up being more expensive than decent mattresses.
On the other hand, there isn’t much difference between a $1,000 mattress and a $10,000 mattress. So don’t go nuts.
When you try mattresses, there may be certain features that make a $1,500 one worth it to you. And you might find a $1,000 mattress on sale for $800.
So that’s the range.
6. Buy the right pillow for you
What kind of pillow works best for your sleep?
Firm? Soft? Smushy? Memory foam?
Figure this out, and buy the pillow that’s right for you individually.
Buy it even if it’s expensive. If it costs $50 or $100, it’s worth it.
You’ll be spending a third of your life with your head on it. And you’ll be keeping it for years. That comes out to a few cents a night. (Though you may find a cheap pillow is best for you, and that’s fine too.)
Remember, there’s no law saying you and your spouse have to get matching pillows. Each of you should get the one that’s right for your own sleep.
7. Take your own pillow on trips
It’s very unlikely that a hotel is going to have a pillow that’s exactly right for you.
So once you’ve found the right pillow, take it with you so you can get decent sleep on trips.
This may not be practical if you’re only bringing a carry-on on a flight.
But if you’re driving or packing a suitcase, you’ll be glad you have it.
8. Don’t take long naps
The idea of long naps sounds relaxing. And they’re great, while you’re napping.
But you end up waking up groggier than when you laid down.
You aren’t able to do anything requiring thought the rest of the day.
And when you try to go to bed that night, your sleep schedule is all messed up.
Don’t do it.
9. Take short naps (For most people)
On the other hand, short naps, in the range of 15-20 minutes, are great.
They recharge and refresh you, without making you groggy.
This is something you could work into your regular schedule, unless your work life makes it impractical.
One caveat: This is true for most people, but not everyone.
For a minority of people, short naps make them just as groggy as long naps. Or they can’t even fall asleep in 15-20 minutes.
If that describes you, ignore this advice.
10. Don’t use a snooze alarm. Ever.
The snooze alarm is a terrible invention.
It seems like a good idea in the moment, when you’re still half asleep and not thinking straight.
But it just results in you not getting decent sleep while also not starting your day. And also ruining the sleep of your spouse.
If you feel the need to get up later, decide that the night before and set your alarm for the time you actually want to get up. Then you’ll get more rest while sleeping decently.
Don’t “cut back” on the snooze alarm, or say you “usually” won’t use it.
If there’s wiggle-room, then your half-asleep self will always find a way to rationalize using it.
Set a hard and fast rule for yourself that you’ll never use it, ever.
11. Sleep on your back with a small pillow under your knees, or on your side with a small pillow between your knees (if you don’t have sleep apnea)
For most people, the most restful sleeping positions are either on their back with a small pillow under their knees, or on their side with a small pillow between their knees.
Give these positions a try and see if you sleep better.
Note: This is true of most, but not all people. If these positions result in worse sleep for you, don’t get frustrated. Just go back to your old position.
Edit: Reader Robin Dowds contacted me to inform me that sleeping on your back is bad for people who have sleep apnea. Many people have sleep apnea without knowing it. This is especially common in people who snore or are overweight.
So if you have or might have sleep apnea, ignore the advice about sleeping on your back.
12. Don’t have caffeine in the afternoon or evening.
People don’t realize how long caffeine stays in their system.
If you have a pick-me-up coffee at 3:00 PM, it will still be keeping you up at bedtime.
Limit your caffeine to the morning.
13. Make your bed when you first get up
(Submitted by Josie Yount)
If you make your bed right when you get up, that’s one less thing you have to deal with before bed.
Plus it will make your room look tidier, and give you momentum to start the day.
Note: While this specific advice is helpful, I’m not the biggest fan of the book Make Your Bed, and it’s not among my recommendations.
14. Don’t weekend-jetlag yourself
When the weekend comes around, it’s tempting to stay up late at night and/or sleep in the next morning.
Then Sunday night comes around, and you can’t fall asleep. Monday morning, you can’t wake up.
Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, regardless of weekends, will have a significant impact on your happiness.
That takes willpower, so it’s not incredibly easy.
But at least limit how much you stay up late/sleep in on weekends.
15. Learn your individual chronotype.
Your chronotype is how your mind and body works at different times of day.
Most people can be classified as larks, who are best in the morning, or owls, who are best in the evenings.
But some people are neither. And every individual is going to be different in the specifics.
Learn when the best times are to do different times of tasks.
When should you be creative, or disciplined, or do mindless things? When should you exercise? When should you nap? When should you use caffeine?
Learning this about yourself can pay huge dividends, making you more effective and happier.
I highly recommend the book When by Dan Pink as a guide to this.
Conclusion
These Fifteen incredibly easy ways to improve your sleep will make your life dramatically better, all without any ongoing effort, willpower, or time-commitment.
That’s a huge win for your life.
Want more Incredibly Easy sleep tips? See the follow-up article, 14 More Incredibly Easy Ways to Sleep Better
Do you have any thoughts on the items on this list?
Or suggestions of others to add?
I’d love to hear from you.
If you have suggestions of incredibly easy ways to be happier, or any other ways to improve your life, please send them to me so I can include them in a future entry. You can comment here, e-mail stevenraymarks at gmail.com, or tweet/DM to @YourselfHelping. I’ll give credit, and if you wish, link to your (family-friendly, non-scammy) Blog/webpage/product.
Other entries in the Incredibly Easy series:
- The Incredibly Simple, One-Sentence Guide to Investing
- 10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Health
- 10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Be Happier
- 11 Incredibly Easy Things to Stop Doing to Be Happier
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