Top 10 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night

A good night's sleep is just as important as regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Research shows that poor sleep has immediate negative effects on your hormones, exercise performance and brain function (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

For both adults and children, it can also cause weight gain and increase disease risk (5, 6, 7).

In contrast, good sleep can help you eat less, exercise better and be healthier (2, 8, 9, 10).

Over the past few decades, both sleep quality and quantity has declined. In fact, many people regularly get poor sleep (11, 12).

If you want to optimize your health or lose weight, then getting a good night's sleep is one of the most important things you can do.

Here are 17 evidence-based tips to sleep better at night.
1. Increase Bright Light Exposure During The Day

Your body has a natural time-keeping clock known as your circadian rhythm (13, 14).

It affects your brain, body and hormones, helping you stay awake and telling your body when it's time to sleep (14, 15).

Natural sunlight or bright light during the day helps keep your circadian rhythm healthy. This improves daytime energy, as well as nighttime sleep quality and duration (16, 17, 18).

In patients with insomnia, daytime bright light exposure improved sleep quality and duration. It also reduced the time it took to fall asleep by 83% (19).

A similar study in the elderly found 2 hours of bright light exposure during the day increased the amount of sleep by 2 hours and sleep efficiency by 80% (20).

To date, most of the research is in patients with severe sleep issues. However, even if you have average sleep, daily light exposure will most likely help improve it.

You can achieve this by getting daily sunlight exposure or, if this is not practical, invest in an artificial bright light device or bulbs.

2. Reduce Blue Light Exposure in the Evening

Exposure to light during the day is beneficial, but nighttime light exposure has the opposite effect (21, 22).

Again, this is due to its impact on your circadian rhythm, tricking your brain into thinking it is still daytime. This reduces hormones like melatonin, which help you relax and get deep sleep (23, 24).

Blue light is the worst in this regard, which is emitted in large amounts from electronic devices like smartphones and computers.

There are several popular methods you can use to reduce nighttime blue light exposure. These include:

Wear glasses that block blue light (24, 25).
Download an app such as f.lux to block blue light on your laptop or computer.
Install an app that blocks blue light on your smartphone. These are available for iPhones and Android phones.
Stop watching TV and turn off any bright lights 2 hours before heading to bed.

3. Don't Consume Caffeine Late in the Day

Caffeine has numerous benefits and is consumed by 90% of the US population (26, 27, 28, 29, 30).

A single dose of it can enhance focus, energy and sports performance (31, 32, 33).

However, when consumed late in the day, the stimulation of your nervous system may stop your body from naturally relaxing at night.

In one study, consuming caffeine up to six hours before bed significantly worsened sleep quality (34).

Caffeine can stay elevated in the blood for 6–8 hours. Therefore, drinking large amounts of coffee after 3–4 p.m. is not recommended, especially if you are caffeine sensitive or have trouble sleeping (31, 35).

If you do crave a cup of coffee in the late afternoon or evening, then stick with decaffeinated coffee.

4. Reduce Irregular or Long Daytime Naps

While short "power naps" have been proven beneficial, long or irregular napping during the day can negatively affect your sleep.

Sleeping in the daytime can confuse your internal body clock, meaning you may struggle to sleep at night (36, 37).

In one study, participants actually ended up being more sleepy during the day after taking daytime naps (37).

Another study found that while napping for 30 minutes or less can enhance daytime brain function, longer naps can negatively affect health and sleep quality (38).

However, some studies have shown that those who are used to taking regular daytime naps did not suffer from poor quality or disrupted sleep at night.

If you take regular daytime naps and sleep well, then it's likely not an issue. As always, it depends on the individual (39, 40, 41).

5. Try to Sleep and Wake at Consistent Times

Your body's circadian rhythm functions on a set loop, aligning itself with sunrise and sunset.

Being consistent with your sleep and waking times can aid in sleep quality in the long-term (42).

One study found those who had irregular sleeping patterns and went to bed late on the weekends reported poor sleep (43).

Other studies have highlighted that irregular sleep patterns can alter your circadian rhythm and levels of melatonin, which signal your brain to sleep (43, 44, 45).

If you struggle with sleep, try to get in a habit of waking up and going to bed at a similar time each day and night. After several weeks, you may not even need an alarm.

6. Take a Melatonin Supplement

Melatonin is a key sleep hormone that signals your brain when it's time to relax and head to bed (46).

A melatonin supplement is an extremely popular aid to fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality.

Often used to treat insomnia, it may be one of the easiest ways to fall asleep faster (47, 48).

In one study, 2 mg of melatonin before bed improved sleep quality and energy the next day, and helped people fall asleep faster. Another study found half the participants fell asleep faster and had a 15% improvement in sleep quality (48, 49).

Additionally, no withdrawal effects were reported in either of the above studies.

Melatonin is also useful when traveling and adjusting to a new timezone, as it helps your body's circadian rhythm return to normal (50).

In some countries, you need a prescription for melatonin. In others, melatonin is widely available in stores or online. Take around 1–5 mg, 30–60 minutes before bed.

Start with a low dose to assess your tolerance, and then increase it slowly as needed. Since melatonin may alter brain chemistry, it is advised that you check with a medical professional before use.

7. Consider These Other Supplements

Several supplements can induce relaxation and help you sleep, including:

Ginkgo biloba: A natural herb with many benefits, it can aid in sleep, relaxation and stress reduction. Take 250 mg, 30–60 minutes before bed (51, 52).
Glycine: A few studies have found that 3 grams of the amino acid glycine can improve sleep quality (53, 54, 55).
Valerian root: This root is backed by several studies that show it can help you fall asleep and improve sleep quality. Take 500 mg before bed (56, 57, 58).
Magnesium: Responsible for over 600 reactions within the body, studies show magnesium can improve relaxation and enhance sleep quality (59, 60, 61).
L-Theanine: An amino acid, l-theanine can improve relaxation and sleep. Take 100–200 mg before heading to bed (62, 63, 64).
Lavender: A powerful plant-based supplement with many health benefits, lavender can induce a calming and sedentary-like effect to improve sleep. Take 80–160 mg containing 25–46% linalool (65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71).

Make sure to only try these supplements out one at a time. Of course, they are not a magic bullet for fixing sleep issues, but they can be useful when combined with some of the other tips in this article.

8. Don't Drink Alcohol

Drinking a couple of drinks at night can negatively affect your sleep and hormones.

Alcohol is known to cause or increase the symptoms of sleep apnea, snoring and disrupted sleep patterns (72, 73).

It also alters nighttime melatonin production, which plays a key role in your body's circadian rhythm (74, 75, 76, 77).

Another study found that alcohol consumption at night decreased the natural nighttime elevations in growth hormone, which plays a role in the circadian rhythm and has many other key functions (78).

9. Optimize Your Bedroom Environment

Many people believe that the bedroom environment and its setup are key factors in getting a good night's sleep.

This can include aspects such as temperature, noise, furniture choice and arrangement, external lights and more (79).

Numerous studies have highlighted that external noise, often from traffic, can cause poor sleep and long-term health issues (80, 81, 82).

One study investigating the bedroom environment of women found that around 50% of participants noticed improved sleep quality when reductions in noise and lighting were introduced (83).

To optimize your bedroom environment, try to minimize external noise, light and artificial lights from devices like alarm clocks. Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, relaxing, clean and enjoyable place.

10. Set Your Bedroom Temperature

Body and bedroom temperature can also profoundly impact sleep quality.

As you may have experienced during the summer or when on vacation, it can be very hard to get a good night's sleep when it's too warm.

One study found that bedroom temperature affected sleep quality even more than external noise (79).

Other studies show that increased body and bedroom temperature can decrease sleep quality and increase wakefulness (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89).

Around 70°F, or 20°C, seems to be a comfortable temperature for most people, although it always depends on your preferences and what you're used to.