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10 Hacks to Help You Get Better Sleep

Your complete guide to getting the best sleep ever, so you can wake up feeling energetic and refreshed — every day.

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10 Minutes a Day

Watch the sunset and sunrise daily. Even if you are able to only take a 10-minute walk as the sun is setting, this is a very powerful way to enhance melatonin secretion. Once you are waking up earlier, also watch the first 10 minutes of the sunrise. If you do this, your brain will initiate a chain of biochemical reactions to support your natural daily cycles. Not sure of the timing? Just google sunset and sunrise times.

An easy way to prevent jet lag is to watch the sunset and sunrise for the first 24-48 hours in your new destination.

Drink This Not That

Cherry juice increases the level of melatonin secreted at night and promotes sleep cycles. By drinking only a tenth of an ounce of pure cherry juice, volunteers in that study noticed that their time asleep increased by 25 minutes after one week.

For those of you who thought that a glass of alcohol would help you sleep, think again. Studies show that alcohol messed with the chemicals in your brain and lightens your sleep, reducing both REM and deep sleep. On other words, the quality of your sleep will be poor, and you’re likely to wake up a lot. If you drink a lot, it can trigger sleep apnea, where your brain fails to tell your lungs to breathe! I know this one’s tough, but try not to drink too much before bed.

10 Hacks to Help You Get Better Sleep

I assume it goes without saying that caffeine is not your friend. Even drinking coffee in the morning eventually changes your brain chemistry (hence, withdrawal symptoms) and messes with your body’s rhythms. Drink relaxing organic caffeine-free herbal teas instead, like chamomile. Definitely don’t have any caffeine after 4pm, as its effects last up to 6 hours and can make it hard to get restful sleep.

And speaking of food and its effects on sleep, it’s very important to avoid heavy meals before bedtime, since they can lead to indigestion and acid reflux, and they keep your body busy while it’s supposed to be busy regenerating overnight. Instead, make lunch your big meal, and have something light and plant-based for dinner.

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Avatar of Hilary Rowland

A writer, artist, and designer since she was young enough to put pencil to paper, Hilary taught herself code and created Urbanette when she was a teenager. Currently, she lives in Monte Carlo, but spent the past decade living in NYC, still considers herself a New Yorker, and visits regularly. She's always traveling, looking for hot new topics, destinations, and life hacks to bring to Urbanette readers.

Reader Discussion: 63 Comments

  1. Avatar of BestEthel

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  2. Avatar of Geneva Walton

    Geneva Walton

    Eating a lot will give you a better sleep. But when you wake up you will feel terrible. For best sleep experience, Quit your job so that you can sleep for how long you want without worrying about going to work tomorrow.

  3. Avatar of Blanche Martina

    Blanche Martina

    Such helpful article! Really knowledgeable. I shared this article with my Mom cause she needs this after all the stress!

  4. Avatar of Arlen Given

    Arlen Given

    I tried this! I seriously got 9 hours of sleep which was the best sleep I ever had in years. THANK YOU HILARY

  5. Avatar of Brett Lee

    Brett Lee

    Before going to bed, my wife has this habit of spraying our room with some air freshener. I could suggest she tries to get some lavender scent, maybe using a diffuser.

    • Avatar of Hilary Rowland

      Just make sure that you use real essential oils in a diffuser, or an air freshener that is made using real essential oils and no chemicals. A lot of chemical scents are toxic and could make sleeping harder.

  6. Avatar of Alena Martin

    It’s true that having fresh flowers can help you relax. It gives you some sense of calmness whenever you look at them!

  7. Avatar of Nataliya Smith

    Nataliya Smith

    Comfy pillows! I want to get for myself since I love having many pillows in my bed. I can’t sleep if it was less than four 🙁

  8. Avatar of Jurik Smith

    Jurik Smith

    I can’t do the electronic-free bedroom. Well, I will have at least a TV in my room.

  9. Avatar of Juli Woods

    Juli Woods

    I never thought about trying Cherry Juice! Might get one from the market later!

  10. Avatar of Josephine Murphy

    I don’t think I can do this on a Sunday night ‘coz I might end up getting late for Monday because of having too much of good sleep! Haha

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