If you consider sleep a luxury or live by the motto “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” let this be your wake-up call. When you don’t get enough zzz’s, all aspects of your health fall apart, including your gut health, metabolism, sports performance and productivity.
So how much sleep do you really need? And what are the best ways to overcome insomnia, sleep apnea and other sleep-related issues? It’s time to take a closer look at everything from your bedroom setup to your diet and exercise routine. With these expert-backed tips, you’ll check exhaustion at the door and start cozying up to better sleep.
30 Ways to Sleep Better Tonight
How to Create a Bedtime Ritual You Can Follow
If you stay up late and wait to feel tired to go to sleep, you’re doing it all wrong. Instead, set a shutdown alarm to alert you when it’s time to go to bed. Check out these pro tips on how to wind down effectively, and score a more consistent sleep schedule.
7 Bedtime Rituals to Help Banish Your Insomnia
Whether it’s stress or a more serious health condition, many people struggle to sleep for different reasons. Adopt these healthy sleep habits to help you snooze soundly.
Stressed? These GIFs Will Help You Relax, Stat
When meditation apps just won’t do, these soothing GIFs will cue you to inhale and exhale and lull you to bed like a lullaby.
Is Your Sleep Schedule Wrecking Your Metabolism?
You work out and eat healthy, but the scale just won’t budge? Your late-night routine might be to blame, so follow these tips to get consistent zzz’s.
6 Ways to Sleep Better and Avoid Jet Lag on the Road
Don’t lose sleep due to wanderlust. Try these traveler-tested tips to get the best night’s sleep when you’re away from home.
9 Ways to Fall Asleep Faster (Without Counting Sheep)
Chamomile tea and bedtime stories don’t work for everyone, but here’s what you can do to finally pass out and get quality shut-eye you so need.
10 Unexpected Things That Can Ruin Your Sleep
Hint: It’s not just your wine nightcap. Avoid these surprising sleep snatchers, and you’ll have better chances of drifting off to dreamland.
How to Give Your Bedroom a Makeover
Your bedroom is your sleep sanctuary. Make sure it’s low on zzz’s-thieving devices and high on hygge (aka coziness). Here, we highlight some feng shui tips that can help infuse some zen into your bedroom. You’ll be surprised how much more rested you feel with the right mattress, colors, images and even positioning of your bed.
Bedroom Makeover: 9 Feng Shui Tips for Better Sleep
Does your bed directly face the door? If you’re guilty of this and other common feng shui mistakes, you could be losing your ticket to dream world.
Can the Right Mattress Change Your Life?
If you wake up with the sweats or with neck and back pain, it might be time to change your mattress. Use this checklist to find out what kind of mattress is right for you.
3 Athlete-Approved Mattresses for Better Sleep and Recovery
These mattresses are equipped with special features like customizable foam support and infrared lights for better circulation and muscle recovery.
7 Products to Make Your Home Instantly Zen
Want less stress in your life? Fill your home with relaxation-forward finds. See our top picks for meditation pillows, essential oil diffusers and other zen must-haves.
How to Address Sleep Issues, Stat
Sometimes getting better sleep is much more complicated than simply going to bed earlier. Maybe you’re jet lagged from travel, or working later than usual to meet a tough deadline. Or, maybe you’re dealing with a more serious health issue, like insomnia and sleep apnea, which can also rob you of much-needed shut-eye. Instead of throwing down a pillow fight, it’s time to get to the root of your sleep problem and have the sweet dreams you deserve.
Can’t Sleep? Your Guide to a Better Night’s Rest
These sleep hacks can help you keep your circadian rhythm — your body’s natural sleep cycle — in check and get on a steady slumber schedule.
6 Things You Didn’t Know About Insomnia and How to Treat It
Insomnia is a chronic sleep disorder that stems from a variety of mental and health issues. Keep these helpful facts in mind.
Think Snoring Is Normal? Why Sleep Apnea Shouldn’t Be Ignored
Snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea, a serious health condition that’s been linked to high blood pressure and heart disease. Find out how to treat it.
Always Tired? 5 Signs You Need More Sleep
If you’re always craving a nap or sip on coffee all day to stay awake, then you’re definitely not getting enough shut-eye. Here are other bleary-eyed habits you need to address.
6 Ways to Sleep Better and Avoid Jet Lag on the Road
When you’re in a different time zone, it can be difficult to fall asleep, much less get eight hours. Follow these expert tips to sleep better while traveling.
Can You Really Catch Up on Sleep?
We’ve all had those nights when you got only four hours of sleep. Can snoozing extra hours make up for the sleep you lost the night before? Find out here.
Is Your Sleep Position All Wrong?
There are pros and cons of sleeping on your side, back or stomach. Here’s what your sleep position says about the quality of zzz’s you get.
How to Enhance Your Zzz’s
Nope, we aren’t recommending popping pills. But what’s shelling out a few dollars on a set of comfy pillows, melatonin-inducing LED lights or a sleep tracker in the name of better sleep? These special gadgets, meditation apps and sound machines will gear you up for the best slumber of your life.
9 Cool New Gadgets to Sleep Better Tonight
When counting sheep doesn’t work, these tools, sheets and gadgets will help make falling and staying asleep easier.
Want Better Sleep? These 6 Products Can Help
From softer, more breathable pillows to next-level sleep trackers, these snooze enhancers can help set you up for success.
3 Guided Meditations for Productivity, Sleep and Cravings
Kelsey Patel, a reiki master and meditation healer, created these three five-minute meditations to help release tension in the body and mind.
What Is Melatonin and Should You Really Take It for Sleep?
Melatonin can induce sleep, but it won’t necessarily help you stay asleep (and it affects everyone differently). Here’s what you need to know.
I Tried It: 40 Minutes of Lucid Dreaming
What if you could control what happens in your dreams? That’s exactly what lucid dreaming is. Learn how it helped one writer nod off Inception-style.
How to Make the Perfect Nightcap
If you’re wondering how you can help improve the quality of your sleep, look no further than your gut. As the “second brain,” your microbiome holds essential nutrients for optimal slumber. While we love de-stressing with a glass of wine once in a while, your Malbec nightcap might be hurting your sleep stats. Instead, consider the sleep-promoting snacks and smoothies listed below.
Is It All in Your Gut? The Sleep-Gut Connection
Your gut is responsible for producing 95 percent of your body’s serotonin, the building block for melatonin. So when you don’t have enough of it, sleep issues may arise.
7 Snacks That Will Actually Help You Sleep Better
Craving a bedtime snack? Instead of munching on milk and cookies, enjoy these savory, sweet and creamy dishes to knock you right out.
8 Soothing Smoothie Recipes to Help You Sleep
A creamy smoothie packed with potassium- and magnesium-rich foods is the remedy for sleeplessness. Whip up one of these delicious drinks before you hit the hay.
10 Simple Snacks for Better Sleep
Certain minerals and vitamins influence your sleep patterns and help your body get the rest it needs. These nighttime nibbles are only 200 calories and provide a dose of sleep-inducing nutrients.
How to Revamp Your Evening Workout Routine
Early birds aren’t the only ones that get the worm! Working out in the evening helps you de-stress. But because exercise can increase cortisol levels — the stress hormone — falling asleep can block snooze-triggering melatonin. Follow these tips to avoid post-workout insomnia.
Love Evening Workouts? 5 Ways to Avoid Sleepless Nights
Sometimes you have no choice but to squeeze in a sweat session late in the evening. So to avoid post-workout insomnia, follow these tips to wind down with ease.
5 Relaxing Yoga Poses to Do Before Bed
Downward dog your way to REM by incorporating these yoga poses into your bedtime routine. You’ll ease tension, calm the mind and sleep better.
3 Moving Meditations to Take Your Workout Higher
Who says you can’t meditate while you work out? These three moving meditations from Holly Rilinger will help you catch your breath so you can lunge deeper, squat lower — and snooze better.
5 Restorative Yoga Poses to Ease Your Muscles (And Your Mind)
In restorative yoga, you hold each pose for at least five minutes to deepen the stretch. Use a bolster, like a pillow or folded blanket, to relax into each position.