7 healthy tips for a better night’s sleep
By Claudia Aguirre on August 23, 2016 in Interviews
Sleep is critical for mind and body health. Without it, the effects can be severe. But what if you suffer from insomnia? Below, neuroscientist Claudia Aguirre provides 7 healthy tips for a better night’s sleep:
1. Aim for power hours. Sleep the recommended amount for a restorative night. That is: between 9 and 12 hours for school-aged children, 8 to 10 hours for teenagers, and 7 to 9 hours for adults. [Animation by TED-Ed]
2. Ban the blue. Filter the blue light of your electronic device and sleep better. Studies show that blue light from electronic devices can delay sleep onset and affect overall circadian rhythm. [Animation by Javier Saldeña/TED-Ed]
3. Spoon. Sleeping on the side may help the brain clear waste more efficiently than sleeping on the back or belly. [Animation by TED-Ed]
4. Breathe deep. Deep breathing triggers the body’s relaxation response. What’s more, inhaling can drive cerebrospinal fluid flow to help clear brain waste and oxygenate the brain. [Animation by TED-Ed]
5. Don’t overdo it. Science is still working this one out, but there are some cases where too much sleep can pose a health risk. Better set that alarm. [Animation by Alan Foreman/TED-Ed]
6. Exercise. Lab experiments show that regular exercise can protect the brain from sleep deprivation-induced memory deficits. [Animation by Andrew Zimbelman/TED-Ed]
7. Keep cool. You just might get a better night’s rest if you sleep in a cool room (or stick your feet out). [Animation by TED-Ed]
For more health tips from experts, check out 7 TED-Ed Lessons for a healthier you.
Author bio: Claudia Aguirre is a neuroscientist and the author of several TED-Ed Lessons, including What would happen if you didn’t sleep? and Does stress cause pimples?
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Claudia, some great advice here and a super relevant article. I’ve particularly found the exercise point useful in the past but I definitely would like to try the others on your list now that you’ve given me the ideas. Thanks again, Matt
this is a nice one, hah, I like those pictures.
It is highly useful and helpful.
If you blink really fast for a minute it helps you sleep.
Thank you for the tips! I had no idea that sleeping on the side may be better for a good night’s sleep compared to on your back or belly. I love sleeping on my belly but will try to change that.
Also, I’ve used some apps that wake you up with an alarm at a certain time during your sleep (avoiding the deep sleep phase, for example), to ensure that you are woken up when sleeping the lightest – apparently this helps you wake up in the morning and feel good for the rest of the day! Still debating if it’s effective in my case….
Well these tips are much important now as these days its hard to sleep due to smart phone and social media. There should be one more tip for sleeping is to shut down internet.
Yes, Flux is a very good tool for filtering the screen light and reminding your brain that it’s not 3pm!
One of the best tips I’ve found is to read a fiction book for around an hour before bed (not non-fiction). It encourages the mind to wander and ‘nod off’. Whereas non-fiction can sometimes have the opposite effect.
Hi Claudia,
great tips and nice visuals! I will share with my friends
Most people do not realize how important sleep is – even to loose weight or build muscles.
Now I know why I like to meditate before bed, the deep breathing helps! Another thing that helps me fall asleep is listening to a podcast called Sleep With Me Podcast, boring bedtime stories for adults. A lulling voice (Scooter) telling rambling stories that are perfect to distract your busy mind, but not interesting enough to keep you awake. It’s my bedtime routine, meditate and listen to Scoots.
I had a question regarding Biphasic sleep ( sleeping during two periods over 24 hours). I am currently sleeping 4 hours at night and 3 hours in the late afternoon. Are there any negative effects to the quality of sleep I am getting, regarding the consolidation of long-term memory, synaptic pruning and the clearance of waste products ? … are there any papers how have studied these modality of sleeping and its long term effects.
Excellent advice. I love my sleep and when insomnia striles and i get less than 8 hours im not great. I always use therapuetic essential oils to help me through this…lavender, cedarwood is the perfect blend…
it’s very helpful to gain awesome tips.
I’m loving that you said that sleep is critical for the mind and body’s health. Maybe I should keep this in mind when I am thinking about staying up late. It might be a good idea to speak with a professional about health tips if you are unsure about what you can do.
Thanks for the tips! I leave my phone on and its probably the reason why I cant sleep at night. Also I didn’t know that sleeping on a side position can help sleep at night.
Especially even 3am I still can not fall asleep.
thanks to your nice post.it is better help to wonderful sleep.really this post to teach with us that why we need a nice sleep and how can we take a nice sleep? it is a interesting matter and more helpful.i will try to flow this rules.
Great tips and beautiful pictures! I am always using mobile phones that are the reason why I can’t sleep at night. These tips are really helpful to me, and I will share with my family and friends also. Thanks for sharing us.
Oh my god! I really need these tips. Thanks so much!!
This information is useful.
Also iv read what time you go to bed is also important. Hitting bed 9-10pm results in highest possible deep sleep hours
great article and tips. Sleep patterns, or our habits in terms of sleep, strongly influenced the biological clock that regulates our awake and sleep for 24 hours. Changes in sleep patterns usually occur because of staying up late or awake longer. This causes changes in sleeping habits and a shift in the biological clock, causing us to fall asleep at a time which is abnormal.
these tips will surely help people who have a problem in sleeping. I personally like the idea of exercising it helps in a lot of areas including healthy sleeping.
Amazing tips and the visuals are unique and very interesting. In my experience, getting enough sleep is my first defense against the stress of the following day. Thanks for sharing this!
Very useful information, help to get a good sleep and relax your mind.
Thanks to your great post. It is really help to a sound sleep. A sound sleep plays an important role in our physical health. For example, sound sleep is engaged in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels.
3. Spoon. Sleeping on the side may help the brain clear waste more efficiently than sleeping on the back or belly.
This fact is new for me! I thought that, there is no different between sleeping on stomach and side!