How To Sleep Better: 18 Healthy Habits To Start Now

By Lisa Joyner and Sarah Barratt

Are you wondering how to sleep better in 2023? Sleep and mental health go hand-in-hand, which is why good sleep (and early nights) are essential for helping your body and brain function properly.

"It's the start of a new year and while some resolutions are best left in January, others can reap lifelong benefits," Alison Jones, Sleep Expert at Sealy, says. "Making a resolution to improve your sleep in 2023 could have a multitude of benefits, including improved mood and better mental and physical health."

Whether you're unable to unwind, worried about work, or stirred by stress, here are our top tips to help you sleep easy from now on...

1. Reset your routine

If you want to be a better sleeper, reset your routine. According to The Sleep Council, 51% of adults struggle to dose off and over a third of us scrape by on five to six hours sleep a night. This is two to three hours less than the recommended seven to eight hours we should be getting.

"While you might be tempted to catch-up on lost sleep from the week, this can play havoc with your body's circadian rhythm – the internal 'clock' which controls your energy levels," Alison adds. "A regular bedtime, will signal to your body that it's time to feel tired, meaning you'll be more likely to drop off to sleep no matter the day of the week."

2. Keep a sleep journal

A sleep diary or sleep journal is an easy tool to help you learn how much and how well you sleep. Grab a pen and paper and start tracking what might be getting in the way of your well-rested night.

"Make a note of everything from your sleep times and what wakes you up during the night, to the food you've eaten, your amount of screen time, and your day's activity," explains Alison. "After keeping a record of your sleep for a month, you'll be able to see any trends on things during the day that are impacting you at night."

3. Reduce your light pollution

Light exposure at night can hinder transitions between sleep cycles, reducing the quality of sleep. Switching off unnecessary lights at home, keeping lights dimmed before bedtime, and limiting the amount of blue light you're exposed to from screens will help you sleep soundly. Artificial light can wreak havoc on the body, so try to stick to this habit in 2023.

"Light is one of the key influencing factors in your natural body clock, which is why it's important to limit the amount of light you're exposed to in the run up to bedtime," says Alison.

"Melatonin, the hormone responsible for controlling our body clock, is produced in the brain at night, meaning exposure to light before bed can have a negative impact on our sleep by suppressing its production and preventing us from feeling tired."

4. Don't eat a big meal within two hours of going to bed

If our body and stomach are awake, trying to digest our evening meal, our minds will not fully shut down either. It's important to let food digest for at least two hours before going to bed, so try and eat dinner as early as you can.

5. Establish a calming nightly routine

It may seem obvious, but the key to combating troubled sleeping is to reduce anxiety. Of course, this is easier said than done. Ronan de Burca of Sleep Bristol, advises that you "find something which calms you down and do it a lot. If you do it every night, this new routine becomes an association, and new positive habit." This could be anything from a relaxing meditation video, a hot bath or a good book – so long as you find it calming.

6. Put down the phone

The blue light omitted from our devices is said to inhibit the release of melatonin (a sleep-inducing hormone). So, step away from the iPad. The hour before bed should be completely restful – and staring at bright screens is not.

7. Exercise

When you don't even have the time to squeeze in a full eight hours, exercise can be tricky to prioritise, but if you do try to do some form of physical activity during the day (aim for at least 30 minutes), you're likely to find you're able to drop off more easily.

8. … But don't exercise too late in the day While exercise is important, it's also worth noting that, if you leave it too late in the day, you might compromise your night's sleep. Physical activity increases our heart rate and raises our blood pressure to such an extent that it has the same kind of impact as a shot of espresso. For the best quality sleep, try exercising in the morning.

"Make sure that you exercise during the daytime and not too close to bedtime, as exercise in the evening can sometimes be disruptive to sleep, due to the release of endorphins and adrenaline," Dr Lindsay Browning, psychologist, neuroscientist and sleep expert at And So To Bed, advises.

9. And relax, properly

We live such hectic lives, that we never really switch off from them. Even when watching the television, we'll often be simultaneously scrolling through our phones or shopping on our iPads – so the mind never really switches off. Put down the phone and do something genuinely relaxing like reading a book, having a bath or listening to soothing classical music.

10. Create a soothing atmosphere

Many of us work, eat, socialise and watch television in our bedrooms, but for optimum sleep quality, it's important to associate your room with rest. Try to do work elsewhere and eat in the kitchen, then when bedtime comes, you'll associate your bed with being a restful place.

11. Know how to manage your stress

"Generally, while people are aware of stress, they are not aware of how to deal with it," says Ronan. Watching television shows on repeat or scanning the internet late at night won't help improve your stress levels. If listening to soothing music de-stresses you, do that. Or perhaps going for an afternoon run will banish the worries from your weary mind? It's about taking control of your own state of mind and training yourself to switch off.

12. Declutter your bedroom

A cluttered room equates to a cluttered mind – and cluttered minds cause troubled sleepers. So, here's another reason to keep your bedroom tidy – you'll sleep easier if you do.

"While a comfy and supportive mattress is crucial to helping you rest, the environment in which you sleep also plays a huge part in the quality of your slumber," explains Alison. "In fact, studies have shown that those who have a messy and cluttered bedroom have a worse night's sleep due to increased stress levels - compared to those that keep their bedrooms clean and tidy.

"Make sure to have a clear out and tidy to create the perfect sleep oasis that will leave you feeling calm and relaxed, rather than stressed out."

13. Got milk? Drink it

Calcium helps the brain to use tryptophan – this is an amino acid, which makes melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps us sleep. To cut a long story short, milk contains a lot of calcium, so drink up!

14. But don't drink alcohol before bed

Ever grown sleepy after a few glasses of merlot, only to wake up a few hours later? Well, that's because alcohol acts as a sedative, which the body rapidly absorbs. When absorbed, the body craves more and wakes up. Alcohol is also a diuretic (meaning it makes you need the loo) – so night time trips to the bathroom become more frequent the more you drink.

15. Get your temperature right

Too cold and you could have nightmares, too hot and you'll be restless. -18C is the optimum sleeping temperature according to Oxford University. You could also make time for a hot bath before bed. Dr Lindsay adds: "Having a relaxing warm bath before bed will not only help you to wind down after a busy day, but also the temperature of the bath will help you sleep. When you go to sleep, your body temperature naturally decreases.

16. Wake up the same time every day

Yes that's right, even at the weekend. According to scientists, 70 to 80% of us could banish our sleeping issues by spending less time in bed, not more. Waking up at different times each day confuses your biological clock. Rising at the same time each day will help you fall asleep easier and wake up more alert.

17. Get outside in the morning

Through exposing ourselves to natural light first thing in the morning, our body's sleep/wake cycle is regulated, this in turn helps us sleep better. In fact, according to previous research, spending an hour in the morning sun enhances sleep quality. When we expose ourselves to morning sunlight, our bodies become better at increasing or decreasing melatonin levels.

18. Go to bed at a sensible time

"The reason you might feel more refreshed if you go to bed early is because you are likely to get more sleep overall," Dr Lindsay says.

"It's much easier to go to bed earlier than it is to sleep in in the morning because you probably have responsibilities like a job and children that will keep you from getting extra sleep in the morning, at the end of your sleep-time."