How to Get to Sleep

Falling asleep easily is affected by what you do in the hours leading up to bedtime. Make these changes to your evening routine to make getting to sleep simple and stress-free.

• End it Early

  If you’re having an emotionally fraught or tense conversation with someone, try to end it an hour before bed. This gives you time to gain perspective, unwind, and assume a more relaxed state.¹

• Make a Nighttime Routine

  It’s not just kids that need a bedtime routine. Adults can benefit as well. Having a series of steps to get ready for bed teaches your brain to grow accustomed to the process and prepares it for rest.²

• FIND YOUR COMFORTABLE SPOT

  “Comfortable” is subjective, but having a mattress that you find cozy is key to sleeping well. People who find their mattress comfortable have deeper sleep and more sleep efficiency than people who sleep on something they’re not satisfied with.³

• Leave the Screen but keep the sound

  Experiencing pleasant nature sounds helps people recover from stress faster.⁴ Have a video or playlist set to go for bedtime so you don’t have to fiddle with your phone. Search nature sounds to get the kind of auditory assistance that will let you drift off into relaxation.

• 1

  Impaired sleep after bedtime stress and worries. Torbjörn Åkerstedt, Göran Kecklund, John Axelsson.

• 2

  A Nightly Bedtime Routine: Impact on Sleep in Young Children and Maternal Mood. Jodi A. Mindell, PhD; Lorena S. Telofski, BA; Benjamin Wiegand, PhD; Ellen S. Kurtz, PhD.

• 3

  Quantitative effects of mattress types (comfortable vs. uncomfortable) on sleep quality through polysomnography and skin temperature. Hyunja Lee, Sejin Park.

• 4

  Stress Recovery during Exposure to Nature Sound and Environmental Noise. Jesper J Alvarsson, Stefan Wiens and Mats E Nilsson.