There is no better feeling than waking up in the morning refreshed and ready to conquer the day. Alternatively, there's nothing worse than waking up groggy and exhausted with an entire day ahead of you. If you know someone who tends to wake up with the latter experience and often complains about not sleeping well, they might need to make some changes to their routine.
What impacts your sleep quality?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, common factors that impact sleep are age, health, stress, light, and lifestyle. Sleep scientist Dr. Rebecca Robbins says other factors that can hinder sleep include consuming too much caffeine, eating dinner too late, and living in a loud environment. Dr. Maja Schaedel, director of The Good Sleep Clinic, adds hormonal changes, pressure people put on themselves to get a good night of sleep, drinking alcohol before going to sleep, and falling asleep on the couch to the list of things that impact sleep quality. Dr. Janet Kennedy, a clinical psychologist and the founder of NYC Sleep Doctor, also says the cause of a bad night of sleep might be one you don’t want to hear: your phone. Kennedy says not only does a phone emit harmful blue light that can disrupt your circadian rhythm, but it doesn’t let your brain turn off after a long day.
How to get better sleep
Kennedy’s main advice for getting better sleep is waking up at the same time every day. She says waking up at the same time every day will allow your body to start naturally telling you when you need to go to sleep every night and therefore how many hours of rest your body needs. You are even supposed to wake up at the same time on the weekends, but she says if you really want to sleep in, try to only do so on Saturday. If you make sure to wake up on time Sunday morning, you will be back in your routine to go to sleep on Sunday night and start Monday right. Robbins agrees, adding, “The best sleep comes when we can start and stick to a routine, including setting times for sleep and wake that you can reasonably keep as many days of the week as possible.” Schaedel and Kennedy recommend having a wind-down routine to make yourself sleepy before bedtime. Kennedy says it doesn’t need to be an elaborate routine that will stress you out if you can't recreate it away from home, but just a few simple steps that'll help you become tired.
Sleep gifts under $35
LED Rechargeable Book Light
For those who prefer hard copy books, Kennedy recommends an amber book light as the perfect gift to keep them reading in bed but with a warm light to help wind down. This one has an adjustable arm, adjustable brightness levels, three color temperature modes and up to 80 hours of runtime on a full charge. Lip Sleeping Mask
This lip sleeping mask comes highly recommended by several Shop TODAY editors. Touting key ingredients like vitamin C, shea butter and other antioxidants, this is the perfect thing to keep on their nightstand so they can wake up with a hydrated and refreshed pout. Editorial assistant Erica Marrison and associate editor Lauren Witonsky are both fans of it.
The Satin Pillowcase
A satin pillowcase is luxurious (yet budget-friendly) gift to give any pillow a glow up. The brand claims this pillowcase will help tame frizz and reduce breakage by decreasing friction with its smooth satin. Associate editor Sierra Hoeger says she will never go back to sleeping with a cotton or fleece pillowcase again.
Sleep gifts under $100
Side Cube
For the side sleeper in your life, gift them this pillow that is catered to their positional preference. The brand says the cube shape improves circulation and provides better REM sleep for side sleepers. Associate editor Kamari Stewart says this pillow is her “ride or die" and can't sleep without it.
Fitbit Luxe
Robbins recommends a sleep tracker and says she is “known to give my friends and families sleep-friendly gifts for every main event!” In additional to tracking your fitness and activity levels, this smartwatch even has a feature to track and score your sleep to help you understand what’s happening while you catch some zzz’s.
Splurge sleep gifts
Eucalyptus Bed Blanket
For the hot sleeper in your life, this is the best gift you can give them. The brand says this blanket is cooling, breathable, moisture-wicking and allergy friendly. Senior editor Jess Bender loves this blanket because she and her boyfriend tend to sleep hot and even wake up sweating some nights.
Hotel Bath Robe
Is there anything better than a hotel bathrobe? This is the perfect gift to make someone feel like they are on vacation every night before they hop into bed for a relaxing and cozy night of sleep.
Restore 2 Sunrise Alarm Clock
Schaedel recommends a sunrise alarm clock as a way to help your circadian rhythm which she says, "often relies on light to understand what is daytime and nighttime." Though it's a splurge, Stewart says it's well worth it.
Frequently asked questions
According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults on average should get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. However, Kennedy says the amount of sleep people should get at night is a range that depends on your age. For example, teenagers on average need more sleep and seniors need less sleep. Schaedel recommends you ask yourself these questions during the day to see how every night of rest makes you feel: Are you able to get out of bed in the morning without too much trouble? Can you get through the day without falling asleep at your desk? Do you feel well and rested during the day?
MYTH #1: You need eight hours of sleep.
Experts say this isn't true across the board. The amount of sleep a person needs depends on a lot of factors and it is a range depending on your age.
MYTH #2: You can "optimize your sleep."
Kennedy says people try to "optimize or hack their sleep" with tonics and tech because they want to improve certain qualities of their sleep but most often, she says this just ends up creating problems that didn't exist before.
MYTH #3: Getting into bed early will protect your sleep.
Schaedel says getting into bed too early can actually have the opposite effect a lot of the time because it increases the stress on yourself to sleep. She also says your "sleep pressure" can be reduced if you are in bed too long before you are actually tired. This pressure builds up during the time we are awake during the day and when messed with, can impact your ability to fall asleep at night and the quality of your sleep, she explains. "In many cases, we often recommend people going to bed later for short periods of time as this will increase the sleep pressure and hopefully lead to a more consolidated, more refreshing sleep." Waking up at the same time every day, not going to bed until you are tired and reading until you cannot stay awake are the core things Kennedy recommends for people struggling to sleep. The most important part of all of this is to let sleep come to you, she says, and trust that you will eventually go to sleep.