7 Ways To Improve Your Sleep And Free Yourself From Insomnia

10 min readAug 20, 2022

“No wonder Sleeping Beauty looked so good…she took long naps, never got old, and didn’t have to do anything but snore to get her Prince Charming.” — Olive Green

It’s 2 a.m. and you’re still looking at the clock, wondering when you’ll finally fall asleep. Another night of tossing and turning under the comforter staring at the ceiling. Is there a solution to this?

Sure, getting a good night’s sleep may seem impossible when you’re still awake at 3am. But know that you have much more control over the quality of your sleep than you think.

Just as your daytime activities are often impacted by the number of hours you sleep, the cure for your sleep problems is hidden in your daily routine.

Bad habits during the day can create insomnia, affect brain and heart health, the immune system, your creativity, vitality and weight. These disorders can then permanently diminish your quality of life.

However, by following these tips, you may be able to enjoy better sleep at night. You can improve your mental and physical health, your thinking and your mood during the day.

1. Follow your body’s natural sleep-wake cycles

Synchronizing with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle (called the circadian rhythm) is one of the most effective strategies for getting better sleep.

If you maintain regular sleep-wake schedules, you will feel much more refreshed and invigorated than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times. Even if you change your bedtimes by an hour or two.

The 4 important points to get a good sleep pattern:

Always go to bed and get up at the same times every day. This will set your internal clock and optimize the quality of your sleep. Choose a time to go to bed when you normally feel tired, so you don’t wake up during the night. If you get enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm clock. If you need an alarm clock, then you need to go to bed earlier.
Avoid sleeping in, even on weekends. The more your weekend/weekend sleep schedule differs, the more you’ll feel a shift, much like jet lag. If you need to catch up on a late night, take a nap during the day instead. This will avoid disrupting your normal sleep pattern.
Take naps wisely. While a nap is the best way to catch up on sleep, if you have trouble sleeping at night or wake up during the night, naps can make the problem worse. In this case, limit your naps to 15 to 20 minutes in the early afternoon.
Don’t get carried away by drowsiness after dinner. If you feel sleepy well before bedtime, then get up and do a moderately stimulating activity, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting your clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to drowsiness, then you may get up during the night and have trouble going back to sleep.

2. Control your exposure to light

Melatonin is a natural hormone controlled by light exposure that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Your brain secretes more melatonin when it’s dark — which puts you to sleep — and less when it’s light, which makes you more alert.

Unfortunately, many aspects of modern life can alter your body’s melatonin production and alter your circadian rhythm.

During the day:

Expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. Don’t hesitate to do so as soon as possible, as soon as you wake up. You can also eat breakfast next to the window (if it is exposed to the sun). The light on your face will help you wake up.
Spend more time outside during the day. Take your breaks outside if you work, do physical activity outside, or take your dog out during the day instead of at night.
Let in as much natural light as possible in your home or workplace. Leave curtains and blinds open during the day, and try to move your desk closer to the window.
If you can afford it, get Luminette glasses. They simulate sunrise light, and can be very helpful on short winter days, improving your mood and sleep quality.

During the night:

Avoid screens 1 to 2 hours before bedtime. The blue light emitted by your smartphone, tablet, computer or television is harmful to your sleep. It overexcites you and research has shown that screens disrupt melatonin production. However, you can reduce their impact by lowering the brightness and/or using software to filter blue light such as F.lux on PC, the feature is already integrated on iOS and Android.
Don’t read on a tablet, prefer reading devices. Unlike backlit tablets, e-readers are more comfortable for the eyes, and the latest ones have a lighting system that reduces the blue light emitted.
When it’s time to go to bed, make sure it’s dark in your room. Don’t hesitate to buy blackout curtains and close your blinds completely, or try a sleep mask. Also, don’t forget to cover any electronic devices that emit a little light.
Leave lights off if you get up during the night. Try a nightlight in the hallway or bathroom, or use a small flashlight. This will help you fall back asleep more easily.

3. Exercise during the day

Studies show that people who exercise sleep better at night and feel less tired during the day. Regular exercise also improves symptoms of insomnia, sleep apnea and increases the duration of deep sleep, which regenerates the body.

The more vigorous your physical activity during the day, the greater the benefits to sleep. But even light exercise, such as walking for just 10 minutes a day, improves sleep quality.
It may take several months of regular activity before you feel the full sleep benefits. So be patient and consistent in your physical activity, to form a habit. After all, it takes an average of 66 days to form a habit.
Of course, the time of day you exercise is important too. Exercising increases your metabolism, raises your body temperature and releases hormones like cortisol (stress hormone).

This is not a problem if you exercise in the morning or afternoon, but if you exercise just before going to bed, it may keep you awake.

One study suggests avoiding vigorous exercise at least an hour before bedtime. Instead, you can always do some stretching or yoga that will help you relax gently.

4. Watch what you eat and drink

Your eating habits during the day play a role in the quality of your sleep, especially in the hours before bedtime.

Limit your caffeine and nicotine intake. You may be surprised to learn that caffeine can cause sleep disturbances for up to 10 to 12 hours after drinking it! Similarly, smoking is another stimulant that can disrupt your sleep, especially if you smoke at bedtime.
Avoid heavy meals at night. Try to make dinner earlier in the evening, and avoid heavy, rich foods in the two hours before bedtime. Spicy or acidic foods can cause stomach pain and heartburn at night.
Avoid alcohol at dinner, or before bedtime. Its sugar content and properties interfere with your sleep cycles once you are asleep.
Avoid drinking too much fluid at night. Drinking a lot of fluids can lead to trips to the bathroom during the night.
Reduce your intake of sugary foods and refined sugars. Eating a lot of refined flour foods such as white bread, white rice and pasta during the day can wake you up during the night, as your body secretes cortisol to lower your blood sugar. As a result, your restorative sleep cycles are altered.
So make sure your dinner is low in sugar, and why not end the meal with a soothing herbal tea. In any case, avoid eating if you get up at night, as this could cause indigestion and make it more difficult to sleep.

5. Relax and clear your mind

Do you have trouble falling asleep, or do you get up in the middle of the night? It’s possible that the build-up of stress, worry and anger during the day is preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep.

If stress and worry are on your mind when you’re in bed, learning to manage your anxiety can help. Writing down your anxieties and what you can do about them can also help you step back and see them more objectively. You will notice that your worries may not be well founded.
If you are overloaded with work and it is bothering you, it may be time to learn to prioritize your tasks better. You will notice that not everything you do is useful or important.
The more our brains are stimulated during the day, the harder it is to slow down and relax at night. Interrupting our activities to constantly check our smartphone, emails, social networks creates stress and bad habits that persist even at night. Don’t multitask, but leave yourself time for each activity. Block out a few minutes to check your email in the evening or morning, for example.

Practicing relaxation techniques before bed is a great way to relax, calm the mind and prepare for sleep. Try:

Take deep breaths. Close your eyes and take deep, slow breaths. Make each breath deeper than the last. You will soon feel a sense of relaxation.
Relax your muscles gradually. Tense your muscles as much as you can, then relax them. Start with your toes and work your way up to the top of your head.
Visualize a peaceful and relaxing place. This can be a particularly pleasant vacation memory, or an imaginary place. Close your eyes and imagine this place with all its details, colors, sounds and smells. Concentrate on how relaxed you feel when you see it all.

If you often feel stressed, make a list of activities to help you relax. You can then create your own ritual before going to bed, such as

Reading a book in a soft light, in a subdued atmosphere
Take a warm bath
Listening to soft (or relaxing) music
Doing some stretching
A hobby you are passionate about
Listen to audio books
Make a to-do list for tomorrow
Meditate
Dim the lights in the hours before bedtime

6. Improve your bedroom environment

Having a peaceful bedtime routine sends a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time to relax and release the stress of the day. Sometimes even small changes in your environment can make a big difference in the quality of your sleep.

Your bedroom environment should be dark, cool and quiet.

Reduce nighttime disturbances. If you can’t avoid or eliminate noise from neighbors, traffic or others in your home, try masking it with a fan or sound machines. Earplugs can also help.
Keep your bedroom cool. Most people sleep best in a slightly cool room (about 18° C) with adequate ventilation. A room that is too hot or too cold can affect sleep quality.
Make sure your bed is comfortable. If you often wake up with a sore back or neck, you should test and choose a mattress that fits you better, or add a foam mattress topper and pillows that can support your sleeping position.
Dedicate your bed to sleep. If you used to work, watch TV or eat in bed, don’t do that now. Your bed should be a place reserved for sleep.
Choose a good sleeping posture. Perhaps you are used to sleeping on your side like the majority of the population or worse on your stomach? These postures are not the most adapted to have a restful sleep. Sleeping on your back allows you to avoid moving during the night and the quality of your sleep is improved. If changing position is too complicated for you, you can still improve your sleep by choosing an adapted mattress.

7. Learn to fall back asleep quickly

Sometimes we wake up briefly during the night, but if you have trouble falling back to sleep, these tips can help:

Don’t think. As difficult as it may seem, don’t stress about not being able to fall back asleep. Stress will only encourage your body to stay awake. Put your mind aside and focus on how you feel, or practice breathing exercises. Breathe in and out slowly as you imagine chasing your thoughts away.
Make relaxation your goal, not sleep. If you have trouble falling back to sleep, try a relaxation technique such as cardiac coherence, progressive muscle relaxation or meditation, which can be done without even getting out of bed.
Do something quiet and non-stimulating. If you’ve been awake for more than 15 minutes, get out of bed and do a quiet, non-stimulating activity, such as reading a book until you feel tired. Use a nightlight and avoid screens so you don’t tell your body it’s time to wake up.
Put off worries and problems until later. If you wake up during the night worried about something, write it down and deal with it the next day. For now, accept the fact that there is nothing you can do. Similarly, if you have a great idea in mind that keeps you awake, write it down on a piece of paper, then go back to bed knowing you’ll be even more productive after a good night’s sleep.

The final word

Improving your sleep quality is a package deal. Sometimes you’ll find that all you need to do is change one little thing and you’ll be back on track. The most important thing is to experiment with these methods, and then if some of them work for you, apply them regularly.

Of course, there are times when this is not enough. In this case, the insomnia is due to a medical problem and you should consult a doctor. In the meantime, filling out a sleep diary can help you identify the causes of your insomnia.