The 10 Best Sleep Tips – How Can I Sleep Better?

Shift workers can tell you how important a consistent sleep-wake rhythm is: the body often reacts to changes in the daily rhythm with increased susceptibility to illness. Therefore, try to develop a stable sleep-wake rhythm by going to bed at similar times and always getting up at the same time. This way, your internal clock is optimally set, you sleep better, and getting up becomes easier.

Unfortunately, this also applies to the weekend. Because a “weekend long sleeper” throws their internal clock out of rhythm. So if you’re serious about improving your sleep, be consistent. You know how it goes: you still have to do this and that, and you absolutely wanted to finish reading something, and before you know it, your planned bedtime has passed again. To avoid missing your planned bedtime, you can use an alarm clock if needed to remind you to go to bed.

If your regular sleep-wake rhythm can’t be maintained in everyday life – for example, due to an early business flight on Monday morning or a nice party on Saturday night – you should try to meet your sleep needs, for instance, with a short nap. If you compensate for the lack of sleep the next morning by sleeping in late, you risk having trouble getting up on Monday morning and dragging yourself tired to the office.

And finally, a plea to fans of the snooze button: resist the urge to press it, because the little sleep you get between alarms is of poor quality. Instead, get a SmartAlarm to make getting up easier.

For many people, the bedroom is often associated with frustrating attempts to fall asleep, which can lead to restlessness and inner tension. For people with falling asleep problems, the result is often that they fall asleep easily on the sofa but have trouble falling asleep in the bedroom due to negative experiences.

If you’re affected by this, you can try a little ‘training.’ The simple rule: get up if you notice you can’t fall asleep. Especially get up if you start to get annoyed. Only go back to bed when you feel you can sleep. Don’t sleep outside the bed (e.g., on the sofa). In general, the bed should only be used for sleeping (and sex). Working and arguing in bed are strictly off-limits!

If it takes a little longer to fall asleep or if you wake up at night, don’t put yourself under pressure. What most people don’t know: on average, we wake up 28 times per night but usually don’t remember waking periods shorter than 3 minutes. Therefore, you shouldn’t look at the clock at night to avoid unnecessary pressure. Many people with disturbed sleep sleep much better when the time pressure is removed. I know it’s not always easy, but these tips will help you in the long run!

Sleeping pills unnaturally affect sleep and can even reduce nighttime recovery. Since most sleeping pills artificially induce and maintain sleep, the natural progression of the individual sleep phases can be disrupted. In extreme cases, this leads to poorer recovery!

Sleeping pills should therefore only be taken for serious sleep disorders and only in consultation with a specialist doctor. Avoid sleeping pills whenever possible and first try the other tips and tricks to improve your sleep.

Avoid too much bright light especially in the late evening hours. Light inhibits the production of the natural sleep hormone melatonin, which controls the human body's day-night rhythm. US researchers at Harvard Medical School found in a study that the body reduces melatonin production when exposed to light. The result is poor sleep, as melatonin is essential for numerous nighttime regeneration processes in the body.

In the study, 116 participants were exposed to bright light for 16 hours according to a strictly defined daily schedule. Afterwards, they were allowed to sleep for eight hours. As a control, the same participants were exposed to bright light for eight hours and then, before going to sleep, to dimmed light for another eight hours. The researchers found that under dimmed light, 90 minutes more melatonin was released per day. Bright light in the evening, on the other hand, reduced melatonin production by half.

New studies also show that LED screens can further disrupt sleep. These often have a high proportion of daylight or blue light, which can delay the rise of melatonin levels by an hour. Blue light essentially wakes the brain up again. So don’t be surprised if you can’t fall asleep in the evening after spending too much time in front of your PC or smartphone. A little tip: Many smartphones have a blue light filter. Use it!

A well-prepared ‘sleep environment’ is very important for restful sleep. But what exactly do we mean by that?

In addition to sufficient fresh air, an air temperature appropriate for sleep is particularly important. The ideal sleeping temperature varies individually (preferences, sensitivity to cold) somewhat, but it is generally assumed that 16-18° Celsius is optimal. This is because body temperature drops during sleep, a process that supports the sleep-specific regeneration of the body. If the natural course of body temperature is negatively affected (e.g., by overly warming textiles), it leads to disturbed and less restful sleep.

Besides temperature, the noise environment also plays an important role. Loud and irregular external noises can make it difficult to fall and stay asleep. Therefore, pay attention to a quiet environment and eliminate ambient noises as much as possible. If disturbing ambient noises cannot be avoided, for example, if you live in a party district or above a police station, you can try to 'mask' the noise with a monotonous background sound (e.g., air conditioner, fan).

Many sleep problems are often triggered by stress and everyday issues. A conscious approach to your own problems and a strong will to solve them can positively affect the quality of your sleep. Problems rarely resolve themselves, and the sooner a problem is actively addressed, the sooner you can relax again, which is good for sleep.

Relaxation exercises before going to bed can also help with falling asleep. Feel free to experiment with various relaxation techniques, such as calming yoga poses or breathing techniques. Try this, for example: Focus on the rising and falling of your chest and concentrate on the body parts where you can feel the slow inhaling and exhaling.
Another option is the method of progressive muscle relaxation. Tense each muscle group for 5 seconds and then relax it again. Work your way from the toes up to the forehead.

But not only relaxation exercises, generally soothing activities like a hot bath or the trusted bedtime reading can promote relaxation and make falling asleep easier.

Regular exercise stimulates metabolism in the brain and body and promotes sleep. Therefore, exercise is recommended by the DGSM and the National Sleep Foundation as a measure to improve sleep.

However, the positive effect of exercise also depends on overall physical fitness and the time of day. People who are physically fit can exercise as usual. Untrained individuals should start slowly and avoid acute overexertion. Overexertion and severe physical exhaustion disrupt sleep.

It is important that physical activity does not take place too close to bedtime. A break of 2-4 hours before going to bed should be observed. According to a recent study, high-intensity sports (especially endurance sports) seem to have the best effect on sleep quality.

Our diet is purely a matter of habit, as are its effects on our sleep. Basically, there are no dietary habits that generally disturb sleep unless they involve stimulating substances like caffeine or nicotine. An unusually large meal late in the evening can also lead to sleep problems.
So please avoid heavy and fatty meals before bedtime, as they stimulate digestion too much and make falling asleep more difficult.

Caffeinated foods should be avoided 3-4 hours before bedtime. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and negatively affects sleep by preventing falling asleep and staying asleep. Caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, and cola, as well as prescription and over-the-counter medications containing caffeine, should therefore generally not be taken in the late afternoon and evening. While moderate caffeine consumption during the day usually does not significantly affect nighttime sleep, excessive intake can lead to sleep problems at night.

Nicotine is also a stimulant that can disrupt sleep and, due to withdrawal symptoms, disturb nighttime sleep. Cigarettes and some medications contain significant amounts of nicotine. Smokers who quit their habit fall asleep faster and wake up less often at night once withdrawal symptoms have passed.

Alcohol reduces brain activity and initially has a calming effect in small amounts. However, unfamiliar and excessive consumption of alcohol before bedtime leads to sleep interruptions, poorer sleep, and earlier awakening as time goes on. The cause of this is the breakdown products of alcohol, which disrupt our sleep and recovery. Additionally, alcohol dehydrates the body, and the increasing feeling of thirst in the early morning hours can cause us to wake up earlier than we would like.