A Checklist for Better Sleep - Tips to Help You Get Some Better Zzz’s
- Daniela Radoman
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
Sleep is crucial for every aspect of your life. From your mood, to energy levels, to recovery, it’s a key factor that shouldn’t be brushed off or looked over.
Yet, it’s very easy to let your bad sleep habits creep into your lifestyle.
From not having a night routine or cozy ambiance, to partying, to staying up doom-scrolling social media at 2am, it’s very, very easy for your sleep to take a hit.
It’s one thing if it’s a one-off bad night’s sleep, but I’m sure there are many of you reading this that can honestly say it’s not just a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence, but rather it’s turned into a bit of a pattern.
Study after study shows that if you don’t get enough sleep, your ability to grow muscle drops drastically, and the likelihood of you gaining fat increases despite doing all the other right things like exercising and eating in a caloric deficit.
Another wild fun-fact (or not so “fun” if you think about it) is that if you’re on a weight loss journey and your sleep isn’t in check, you have a higher chance of losing muscle rather than fat compared to someone who does follow a good nighttime routine.
On top of these great effects, poor sleep also negatively affects the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which influence feelings of hunger and satiety. Poor sleep has also been shown to increase plasma cortisol levels the following day, and to decrease protein synthesis. Risk of skeletal muscle metabolic dysfunction and disruptions to blood glucose levels are also followed by poor sleep, which can result in a higher likelihood of obesity, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes.
These are just a few downsides that have been listed, but I think it paints a clear picture of how bad sleep can lead to lower muscle mass, which then poses the risk for a decrease in strength and function.
Speaking from personal experience, sleep is one of those things that is still a work in progress for me.
Here are some sleep tips that are backed up by research that can help you get some Zzz’s.
Sleep Regularity
Going to bed and waking up roughly at the same time every day is one of the most important things you can do to help your sleep long term.
We all have an alarm set on our phones so we wake up in the morning, but do you have an alarm for when you’re supposed to go to bed?
Maybe you should consider it.
Many phones now have a sleep mode where you can set a sleep schedule which includes an alarm for when you wake up and a notification for when you should go to bed.
When I set mine up, it also sets my phone to dark mode, turns on the eye comfort shield, turns the always on display off, and turns on power saving mode. More on these factors next.
Either way, having a set sleep and wake time can help you wind down, get enough sleep each night, and promote better quality sleep as well.
Get Some Morning Sunlight
Try to get some sunlight as soon as you wake up.
Getting some morning sun can not only improve your mood instantly, it can also help you go to bed 12+ hours later.
This can be a part of your work commute, a quick morning walk, having your morning coffee on the porch or balcony, or even just opening up the blinds or curtains first thing in the morning.
You want to aim for 10-20 minutes of sunlight exposure - which really isn’t all that much.
Getting some rays in the early hours can help regulate your circadian rhythm, can help make you more alert, and it can actually make you sleepier later in the day when it’s time to go to bed again.
Basically, sunlight will activate the retinal cells in your eyes which then helps regulate your circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin (the one that makes you sleepy), and stimulates serotonin.
If sunlight isn’t an option, you can consider one of those light-alarm clocks that match the amount of light outside. It’s not going to have all the same effects as actual sunlight exposure, but it’s better than nothing.
Digital Detox
This is a tip I think everyone has heard before, but putting your phone away 30-60 minutes before bed can really help reduce blue light interference, which is the type of light that emits blue wavelengths that suppress melatonin release, which then results in you being less sleepy.
Basically, looking at screens makes your body think, “oh, it’s daytime, time to do stuff!”
Then you're left laying in bed, awake, and not being able to fall asleep.
One small thing that can help if you must look at a screen is to find ways to reduce blue light. That can look light setting your phone to night mode or using the eye comfort shield setting, or wearing blue light filtering glasses.
Ideally, you don’t want to be looking at any screens 30-60 minutes before bed, though.
Some other practical tips you can do to make this happen is to:
Place your phone somewhere further away.
If you have to get out of bed to get your phone, chances are you won’t get up and get it once you’re tired and all cozied up.
Don’t have a tv or computer/laptop in your bedroom.
Reduce the temptation of watching Netflix or online shopping from bed by completely eliminating these devices altogether
My favourite tip here: Read a book instead. Adopting a reading habit before bed instead of a phone scrolling habit can do wonders to help you wind down.
Caffeine & Alcohol Timing
Both caffeine and alcohol can be detrimental to your sleep quality.
It’s important to remember here that sleep duration is important, but the quality of your sleep matters as well.
You want to limit caffeine 8-10 hours before you go to bed, and alcohol 2-4 hours before you go to bed.
Caffeine basically tricks you into thinking you’re not tired when you actually are.
Caffeine will latch onto and block adenosine receptors in your body, which are sleep inducing. So if those receptors are blocked, then that means you’re going to feel more awake.
Alcohol on the other hand can make you feel drowsy and many people claim it helps them fall asleep. The thing is, the quality of that sleep isn’t going to be good. Alcohol disrupts REM sleep and deep sleep cycles, resulting in you possibly sleeping long durations in a “shallower” state.
Try having your last coffee by noon, and have your last sip of booze around dinner time.
If you find yourself at an outing or event, you could try replacing the caffeine or alcohol with their non-caffeinated/decaf or alcohol-free counterparts, as many restaurants and establishments offer these as options now. You can also opt for a different drink altogether like sparkling water.
Bedroom Temperature & Ventilation
These are 2 tips that helped me immensely.
Having a cool bedroom can help sleep efficiency and getting deeper, higher quality sleep.
The ideal room temperature? 15-19ºC.
That’s pretty low.
Your body temperature naturally lowers when you sleep, so having a cool room helps accelerate that process and puts you to sleep faster.
I know it’s summer right now, but I’m going to break my rule and mention winter for a brief moment.
Think back to those colder months and cozying up in your bed underneath all the warm blankets. It feels like absolute bliss, right?
Use that as a rule of thumb. You want to be cozy in bed, but if you were to step out from under the covers, you should be slightly uncomfortably chilly.
Let’s go back to summer now.
If you live on an upper floor, you’ve probably experienced an unbearably hot night’s sleep leaving you tossing and turning, and most of all - awake.
Another thing you’re going to want to consider is airflow. You don’t want to sleep in a room with stagnant air.
My room is notorious for getting hot, so I’ve got my little Honeywell fan chugging along at medium speed all day and night, giving me at least a little breeze and a bit of a cooldown when I need it. Not to mention, the slight buzzing from it provides a bit of white noise which also helps with falling asleep.
So, apart from having a cooler room and a bedroom fan, you can also look into breathable bedding material, like cotton or bamboo.
If you have one of those smart phone features, see if you can adjust your thermostat to be cooler at night and then have it slowly get warmer as morning approaches (warmer temps help you wake up).
Create a Sleep Sanctuary
Imagine going to a spa, playing some relaxing music, lazying around, pampering yourself with lotions and creams, and now imagine going to a music festival with thousands of people around you all jumping and screaming, loud head banging music, flashing lights, and being covered in mud and sweat.
Which environment do you think you could relax and catch some zzz’s in?
Basically, you want to make your bedroom as relaxing, calm, and sleep inducing as possible.
Try removing screens from the room, especially work laptops and monitors.
Ideally, if you can do your work (and bills, paperwork, taxes, etc) in another room, that would be best. You want to separate any activity not related to sleeping away from your bedroom - especially if it’s something stress-inducing like work.
If you can’t fully dissociate having your work or study desk in your bedroom, at least try to keep all your work-related activities at your desk. Don’t bring your laptop to your bed. Again, you want to keep your bed solely for sleeping.
Likewise, try designing your bedroom almost like a spa haven. Try using calm colours, minimalistic design, making sure things are clean and not cluttered, and that it smells nice.
Another important aspect is also making sure you’re comfortable in bed. Having the right mattress and pillow firmness that matches your body type and sleeping style can make a big difference.
Having a sleep sanctuary basically trains your brain to relax and get ready for bed. It conditions your brain to associate the calm nature of your bedroom with sleep, making you relaxed and sleepy once you lay down.
Have a Sleep Routine
This point was kind of touched upon in the tip above, but basically, you want to create a routine, before bed and do that every single night.
This routine also trains the brain to relax, unwind, and to get ready for bed.
It often triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest one, which helps lower stress levels and induces sleep.
Think of this as the rituals you may see some professional athletes do before a match. Their routines help prep them mentally and physically, and a good night time routine will do the same, but just help you wind down rather than wind up.
You want to keep your nighttime routine between 15-30 minutes in length and if you can, try to follow the same order of actions each night.
This can look like brushing your teeth, taking a warm shower, doing your nightly skincare routine, and finishing off with reading a good book.
One activity you may also want to add is doing some breathwork before bed to help you relax and fall asleep. There are many techniques you can find off of Google, but keep your eyes peeled on our next blog on 4 techniques you can try out.
It can also be a good idea to have a dim light on during your routine, as well as some white noise. Personally, I have my nightstand lamp on instead of the main bedroom light on, and again, my fan has been nonstop running since 2017 so that’s my white noise.
Having the Right Ambiance
Reducing the amount of light and disruptive sounds you’re exposed to before bed can make a big difference in sleep quality and minimizes disturbances.
Being in a low light or dark environment can help boost melatonin levels in the body, which helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.
Whereas sleeping in a bright room can lead to increases in heart rate, decreases in heart rate variability (which is a measure of your autonomic nervous system functioning), and can increase your insulin resistance the next morning.
Reducing noise minimizes sleep disruptions and allows you to progress through the deeper sleep cycles.
If you find your room is too bright, consider getting black out curtains or an eye mask to block it out.
I recently invested in a $14 eye mask off Amazon and all I can say is that I wish I got it sooner.
For noise, you can try earplugs, or if that’s too uncomfortable, you can try a white noise machine or some 10 hour youtube calming music video to help drown whatever other noise that’s bothersome to you.
Exercise Timing
Regular exercise and activity during the day can do wonders for your sleep!
Consistently exercising in some capacity during the day promotes deeper sleep, more restorative sleep, and can help you fall asleep faster as well.
Exercise increases adenosine secretion which is an important molecule that helps promote deeper sleep cycles.
Not to mention, if you’ve ever spent your day being active, I’m sure you know the feeling of finally being able to lay down in bed at the end of the night and just clock out.
The trick though is to make sure your hard training happens in the morning or early afternoon, since training really hard close to bedtime can actually do the opposite and leave you feeling wired.
Late night workouts will stimulate your sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight one, when you should be trying to relax and wind down. Also, if you workout late, you probably won’t have the opportunity to get enough food in your system in order to recover optimally.
If you can only workout later in the day, try to keep it 3-6 hours before you go to bed.
Light activity throughout the day is fine, though. That includes stretching, yoga, and walking. It’s just the intense exercise that should be kept for earlier in the day ideally.
Meal Timing & Nutrition
You want to also have light evening meals rather than bigger, heavier evening meals.
Larger meals closer to bed time can worsen sleep quality, and sometimes can make you just feel gross.
Your body will also have to work a lot in order to digest the meal you just ate, which also raises your core body temperature. If you read the previous tip on staying cool, then you know that this is a no-no.
This can lead to lesser sleep quality and/or less sleep duration, since you may have a harder time falling asleep.
Lighter meals, on the other hand, can help improve sleep onset and aren’t as disruptive on your body.
Try to have dinner at least 2-3 hours before bed, and try to prioritize protein and have moderate amounts of carbs and fats. Avoiding overly spicy or acidic foods can also help since those might raise your body temperature and affect digestion as well.
Not to mention, eating well in general is also a big promoter of healthy sleep. From letting your body have enough fuel to recover and prosper, to also promoting gut health which can contribute to better sleep quality.
Avoid Unneeded Evening Arousal
Have you ever watched a scary movie before bed and then couldn’t fall asleep?
Ever had guests over where people were yelling or causing drama at a late night hangout?
Ever found yourself scrolling through an emotionally charged debate between two people you don’t even know online?
Ya, not ideal when you’re trying to go to bed.
Arguments, disturbed, or provocative stimulants evoke the fight or flight response and raises cortisol and adrenaline levels which leads to less and lower quality sleep.
This one can sometimes be hard to avoid, but if you can enforce a “no debates or controversial takes” rule at home after dinner, that may help dissuade some late night heated discussions.
Silencing notifications and avoiding people, places, things that you know are stress triggers for you can also help. Replacing them with calmer activities like reading, journaling, or listening to gentle music may be good substitutes.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, getting a better night’s sleep comes down to building good habits that supports relaxation and rest, like creating a nighttime routine, limiting screen time before bed, keeping your bedroom cooler and darker, and managing stress especially before bed. One rough night here and there isn’t going to derail your health, but aiming for consistent and good quality sleep will pay off with better workouts, less muscle loss and more muscle building, better mood, more energy, and better overall health. Think of creating these good sleep habits as a long term investment in yourself, because if you get proper sleep regularly, you set the stage for feeling and performing at your best every day.
Final Remarks
Our goal at Delta Kinesiology is to help women reach their health and fitness goals. We specialize in conditions and injuries that women are more likely to experience, and we tailor the sessions using evidence-based principles and methods to help you reach your goals. Whether that be going about your day pain-free, building muscle, improving stamina, or feeling better about yourself, we are here to help.
Check out some of the ways we can help below!