How to sleep better − 10 top tips for restorative slumber

As the resident Sleep Editor here at Homes & Gardens, I'm often asked, how can you sleep better? It's the key to improving our mood, supporting our immune system, and boosting our productivity.

When we don't get enough sleep, we make ourselves more vulnerable to all sorts of physical health risks, from everyday infections to cardiovascular problems, and pave the way for mental burnout.

Over the years, I've discovered the importance of investing in the best mattress and the best bedding for my sleep needs. I've experimented with bedroom ideas to optimize my design and decor for sleep. I've learned about the right foods to eat and the bad habits to kick. Now, it's my job to teach you how to sleep better.

How to sleep better − 10 expert tips

I've combined my first-hand, hard-won wisdom with insights from leading sleep scientists, medical professionals, and product developers. Along the way, I've picked out a few of my favorite products to help you sleep better.

1. Define your sleep style

'Sleep style' is a catch-all term that encompasses three key concerns: your sleep position, which is how you tend to lie on the bed; your sleep temperature, which is whether you run hot or cool; and your sleep circumstance, which covers all the little stresses in your daily life that could impact your sleep.

Let's take these terms one at a time, starting with sleep positions. You either sleep on your stomach, back, or side, or a combination of the three. Each sleep position has its merits and can be perfectly comfortable, as long as you're sleeping on a supportive mattress.

Next, sleep temperature: if you suffer from night sweats or hot flashes, you're classed as a hot sleeper. If you often wake up in a cold sweat, then you qualify as a cold sleeper. Your sleep temperature is also impacted by the weather outside, which you can't control, and the microclimate inside your bedroom, which you can, via a thermostat.

Finally, sleep circumstance: this covers everything from the conversations you had over dinner to the content you consume right before you sleep. If you're struggling with a health condition or sniffling with seasonal allergies, that falls under sleep circumstance, too. Many of these issues are complex, but a few have quick fixes: for example, an antibacterial duvet could bust the dust mites and save you from sneezing and spluttering.

2. Find the best mattress

To get better sleep, you need to find the mattress that meets your sleep needs. I asked Chris Tattersall, Managing Director at Woolroom, to tell us more.

Tattersall believes that 'your mattress is the key component to supporting your body. Finding the right fit with the correct firmness is integral to ensuring sleep posture.'

Mattress firmness is highly subjective, and Tattersall says 'it's important to find the right middle ground between plush comfort and sturdy support. I recommend a medium tension mattress, which should strike the ideal level of support for your spine and hips.' Tattersall cautions against 'a mattress that is too soft, which will cause your hips and shoulders to pinch and your spine to curve downwards, putting unwanted pressure on your joints and muscles.'

To help you decide which mattress you should buy, I've combed through our back catalog of reviews and picked out a few of my favorites. Each mattress is assessed against the same criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support.

3. Buy the best bedding

Once you've found the best mattress, it's time to buy the bedding. Although you could pick up a cheap set of sheets your local homestore, the best places to buy bedding are specialist sleep stores. That's where you'll find the widest range of products, which are scientifically designed and stylishly finished.

First, you need the best bed sheets. I recommend lightweight linen for summer nights and a cotton sateen set for a touch of luxury, though you may prefer the cool, crisp finish of cotton percale. Just make sure you avoid polyester: sweaty and scratchy, it's one of the bedding materials to avoid.

Next, you need the best pillow. You want something supportive to cushion your neck and shoulders. Side sleepers might prefer a thicker pillow, while stomach sleepers will appreciate something flatter to prevent neck strain. I recommend an adjustable pillow, so that you can find your own firmness.

Finish your bedspread with one of the best duvet inserts. Hot sleepers could narrow the search to the best cooling comforter, while cold sleepers living in cooler climates can cuddle up under the best warm comforter.

4. Set the scene

Although the bed is the focal feature of the bedroom, there are plenty of other factors to consider as you create your sleep sanctuary. I asked Alison Jones, the in-house Sleep Expert at Sealy, for a few of her top tips to make your bedroom look, smell, and feel good.

Jones says that 'using the best candles in your bedroom is not only visually appealing but it will also bring a gorgeous scent into the air that can help you drift off to sleep. Alternatives to candles include essential oil diffusers, electric wax melt burners, reed diffusers, and even incense sticks, which do not require an open flame.'

'Similarly, listening to bedroom soundscapes, such as logs burning on an open fire can be incredibly relaxing,' says Jones. 'To replicate the soothing sound perfectly, all you need is a wood wick candle.'

All this burning might boost the temperature in your bedroom, so I recommend setting your thermostat somewhere between 60 and 75°F: according to the sleep scientists at Harvard Medical School, that's the ideal temperature for sleep.

If you've got some time on your hands, and you don't mind doing a little heavy lifting, you could follow the principles of bedroom Feng Shui and rearrange your furniture to suit your sleep space. If you're in the middle of remodeling, it's worth learning about the best and worst bedroom colors for sleep.

5. Design the ideal dinner

It's not all about the bedroom. What you eat and drink throughout the day can make a major impact on your sleep quality. When you're meal planning, try to incorporate ingredients that are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and fatty acids. You can't go wrong with fresh produce and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Health and medical writer Dr. Deborah Lee urges you to 'pay attention to what you eat before bed as this could be something that’s ruining your sleep. Salty foods, acidic foods and spicy foods are three key stapes that you should be monitoring and limiting to aid a better night’s sleep.'

'If you can’t fall asleep or struggle to stay asleep, salt could be the root of the issue. Sodium-high meals result in fluid retention and increased blood pressure, making it hard for the body to switch off completely after eating snacks like crisps or salted nuts.'

'Eating foods that contain natural melatonin right before you are ready to attempt sleep can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly,' reveals Trista Best, a registered dietitian at The Candida Diet. 'Almonds, walnuts, and bananas are prime examples of these easy to snack on foods rich in melatonin.'

6. Set healthy habits

If you're raising kids, or you've spent a lot of time around little ones, then you'll be familiar with the concept of a bedtime routine. For consistently deep sleep, it's worth setting your own bedtime routine for adults.

The rules are pretty simple. You should try to wake up and go to sleep at the same sort of time every day to settle your circadian rhythm. You should aim to eat dinner at least two or three hours before you sleep to aid digestion and try to take regular exercise (but not too close to bedtime).

'Daily habits are probably the most important predictor of sleep quality,' says Dr. Lizzie Benge, a sleep physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital. 'Avoiding screens before bed, stretching, or practicing relaxation techniques like meditation can help signal to the body that it’s time to wind down.'

'Consistency is key,' Dr. Benge continues. 'Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends, helps regulate the body’s internal clock. Other helpful strategies include avoiding caffeine after 2 PM, skipping naps after 3 PM, and limiting alcohol after dinner. Of course, everything in moderation. Sleep health is about improving quality of life, so patients should experiment and find what works best for them.'

7. Control your light levels

Internal medicine physician Dr. Fiona Gispen recommends you 'align your body with natural light cycles by seeking sunlight exposure within 30-60 minutes of waking up and again in the late afternoon. This helps regulate your circadian rhythm, boosting early-day cortisol for alertness and preparing your body for sleep.'

'In the evening, minimize exposure to blue light from screens and bright overhead lights to support your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle,' continues Dr. Gispen. 'Consider setting a “technology curfew” an hour or two before bedtime. If you do use your device, use the night-mode settings to minimize blue light exposure.'

'Ensure your bedroom is conducive to sleep—keep it cool, dark, and quiet. Consider using blackout curtains, eye masks, earplugs, or white noise machines to create an ideal sleeping environment.'

8. Manage your stress

You can lower the lights, buy the best bedding, and eat all the right foods, but you'll never get good sleep if you lie awake stressing. One of the best ways to relieve mental and physical stress before sleep is to stretch. I asked Dr. Mike Basten, DPT, to talk us through a few simple moves to wind down well.

First, Dr. Basten suggests the three-way prayer stretch. 'From child's pose, shift your hands right and lift to stretch each side of your back and forward to elongate the spine. Repeat three times each way, holding for 30 seconds. This stretch relieves back tension and enhances spinal flexibility.'

Move onto lower trunk rotations. 'Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor, and rotate your knees from side to side, keeping your shoulders grounded,' says Dr. Basten. 'Perform 20 reps on either side to loosen the lower spine and alleviate lower back stiffness'. This step is especially important for back sleepers and anyone who suffers from chronic pain.

The final step is the simplest: diaphragmatic breathing. 'Lie on your back with one hand on your belly and the other on your chest,' says Dr. Basten. 'Breathe deeply through your nose, focusing on diaphragm expansion. Practice for three minutes. This technique promotes relaxation and eases you into sleep by lowering your heart rate and calming the nervous system'.

9. Experiment with ASMR

'One helpful sleep method is to listen to relaxation podcasts at bedtime which incorporate ASMR principles,' says Dr. Craig Harris Richard, a university professor who researches the intersection between sleep and relaxation.

'The key aspect of an ASMR-based relaxation podcast is a narrator who speaks (or whispers) directly and personally to the listener - in a slow, soft, and gentle way. The gentle voice may guide the listener through a meditation, read a fictional story, or explain a curious moment from history.'

Dr. Richard cites this paper as an example of 'multiple published studies, consistently reporting that people respond to ASMR stimuli with increased relaxation, decreased heart rates, decreased blood pressure, decreased stress, and an increased ability to fall asleep more easily.'

'Listening to a relaxation podcast is quite simple. Keep your bedroom dark, your eyes closed, and stay focused on the story, voice, and sounds from the podcast,' recommends Dr. Richard. It's one of the sleep trends I'm most excited to try.

10. Talk to your doctor

If you've tried making changes to your routine and environment, and you're still struggling to sleep, then the problem might be your hormones.

Dr. Amy Divaraniya, Founder and CEO of the women's health company Oova, explains that 'hormones are a crucial part of overall health and wellbeing, and can directly impact how you’re sleeping. Fluctuating estrogen and progesterone, for example, can disrupt the balance in the brain’s sleep regulation processes. Hormone fluctuations can lead to insomnia, difficulty staying asleep, and overall poorer sleep quality.'

Dr. Divaraniya outlines 'the most immediate and practical changes you can make, including maintaining a cool bedroom environment to combat night sweats, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake before bedtime, and practicing stress-relief techniques like mindfulness or deep breathing exercises.'

'Having a consistent and calming bedtime routine can also help signal the body that it's time to sleep. Your doctor can also recommend options like hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to stabilize estrogen levels and reduce night sweats and hot flashes, and even cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia.'

It can be hard to sleep at home, where you're surrounded by the little stresses of daily life. You could spend thousands of dollars and fly hundreds of miles to take part in a sleep retreat at a luxury hotel, or you could save yourself the trouble and learn how to create a sleep retreat at home.