April 24, 2023

How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

About Katie Neal

Content Manager

Katie Neal is a former Parade magazine editor who was lucky enough to interview two of her idols — Jimmy Carter and Taylor Swift —before pivoting to a career in marketing. Now she leads content strategy and engagement for Brookdale Senior Living.

In our webinar series, Dr. Michael Breus, popularly known as The Sleep Doctor, offered advice on improving sleep as we age. As it turns out, a good night’s sleep has a lot more to do with what you do when you wake up than what you do when you go to bed. In case you missed it, here’s the recap.

1. Select one wakeup time, and stick to it.

For many of us, going to bed at the same time every night is ingrained in us from the time we are children. But more important than a consistent bedtime is a consistent wake time, Dr. Breus advises.

“Pick a wakeup time, be consistent, seven days a week. Do not sleep in on certain days — always wake up at the same time. This helps keep your circadian rhythm [to go] the way we want it to, and it helps you have high amounts of deep sleep.”

2. Limit caffeine intake after 2 p.m.

We know, we know: asking some people to function without caffeine is like asking a phone to operate with no signal.

But if you drink caffeine later in the afternoon, Dr. Breus explains that 50% of that caffeine may still be circulating in your brain when you try to fall asleep. So, for the best sleep, the average coffee drinker should stop their caffeine intake by 2 p.m.

However, if you tend to drink caffeine throughout the day and experience headaches without it, make this change gradual to help avoid withdrawal symptoms.

“I want to be clear,” explains Dr. Breus, “don’t go cold turkey off of your caffeine… Slowly infuse decaf, and then slowly reduce the amount [of caffeine].”

3. Limit alcohol to two drinks, no later than three hours before bedtime.

You may feel that alcohol helps you relax or even feel a little sleepy, but alcohol consumption is not the best way to get good sleep.

“There is a really big difference between going to sleep and passing out!” laughs Dr. Breus.

Once alcohol metabolizes, it causes disruptions that reduce the amount you get of the quality REM (rapid eye movement) sleep that your brain needs to regenerate and recover. Instead, Dr. Breus recommends, limit your alcohol intake to two drinks per day, consumed, at the latest, three hours before bedtime.

4. Get 25 minutes of cardio daily.

“If there’s one way to improve your overall sleep quality, it’s with daily exercise,” explains Dr. Breus, adding that 20 or 25 minutes of moderate cardio, such as walking through the mall, is all a person needs for great sleep.

But if you have a habit of exercising right before bedtime to tire yourself out or squeeze in your steps for the day, this might be a habit worth changing.

“You don’t want to do [cardio] too close to bedtime,” says Dr. Breus. Why? “Because it raises your core body temperature, and that makes it very difficult to fall asleep,” he explains.

5. Get 15 minutes of sunlight daily.

You may have heard that quality sleep is a function of your diet and exercise habits. But did you know that the amount of time you spend indoors vs. outdoors could be dampening your sleep quality too?

“Fifteen minutes is the exact amount of time you need to produce vitamin D,” Dr. Breus explains.

Vitamin D is a “circadian pacemaker,” he says, and in addition, when sunlight hits a person’s eye, a special cell called a melanopsin cell halts the production of melatonin in the brain. So, if you want better sleep at night, start your day with 15 minutes in the sunlight.

To learn more about how you can work to get a better night’s sleep, watch the full version of our webinar.

_{The above content is shared for educational and informational purposes only.You must consult your doctor before beginning any exercise or fitness program, taking any additional or discontinuing any existing medications, or acting on any content on this website, especially if you have a medical condition. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on our site.}