5 Ways Science Can Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Using scientific methods to help you get a better night’s sleep is something you can get started trying in your own home. Technology writers and medical professionals recommend these five strategies, which range from easy, common-sense strategies, to long-term, methodical interventions.
Stick to a Schedule

The Center for Disease Control recommends going to sleep at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every day. Yes, even if it’s a weekend or a vacation, following this simple technique can make a positive impact on your sleep patterns.
Why? If you stick to a sleeping schedule even when you don’t “have to” wake up early, your body won’t have to readjust every Monday morning, which has some pretty significant long-term health benefits.

Study Your Sleep Patterns

But what if you’re not sure what your sleep schedule really is, or what quality of sleep you’re getting? Thomas Goetz, executive editor of Wired Magazine, notes that there’s a lot of good technology that can help you maximize your sleep health, like wearables that can sense when you’re still, cameras that can see you tossing and turning, and software that gathers data to chart your tendencies and progress in an objective display.

Chronic insomniacs may also be referred by their physician to have a sleep study conducted at a laboratory, where trained professionals and higher-tech equipment can zero in on the cause of sleep difficulty.

Dim the Lights

You probably won’t be surprised to hear the CDC recommends removing technology from your sleeping area: light from smartphones, tablets, laptops, and televisions can interfere with sleep up to 30 minutes after you stop using them.

If you need to use backlit technology late into the evening, Lifehacker’s gadget blogger Whitson Gordon recommends screen-dimming software that automatically changes the color profile and brightness level on your screen, based on the time of day.

Tackling this problem from the opposite direction, phototherapy, or bright-light therapy, is a technique that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine describes as a possibility to reset your sleep rhythms by being exposed to bright light at the right time in the morning.

Consider What You’re Drinking
The National Library of Medicine recommends avoiding ingesting caffeine in large quantities, or too late in the day. Using additional objective, data-driven measurements like nutrition trackers can also help you pinpoint dietary patterns that may contribute to sleep issues.

Seeking Medical Advice

If your quality of sleep continues to trouble you (especially if you think you may have sleep apnea or any other sleeping disorder), speaking with a medical professional may be in order.

Something as simple as snoring can be a symptom of a much more serious condition with much more serious consequences (like hearth disease or stroke), so seeing a doctor could potentially save your life.

Specifically, if you stop breathing at night, wake up with headaches, or fall asleep doing daily tasks, it may be time to book an appointment.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Sleep/