Healthy Habits: 5 Proven Tips to Better Sleep (Science-Backed, Sources Included)

The average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night, but nearly half of Americans aren’t getting that amount. Poor or not-enough sleep has immediate negative effects on your hormones, exercise performance and brain function (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Over the past few decades, both sleep quality and quantity have declined to alarming levels despite how essential it is. (6, 7) No wonder the “U.S. sleep market” was worth an estimated $28.6 billion in 2017. (8)

Getting better, quality sleep is possible when we follow science’s advice:

• Go caffeine-free late in the day. - Sure, we all love our morning cup of coffee, but consuming caffeine up to six hours before bed can significantly worsen sleep quality (9), so it’s best to have a cut-off time every afternoon for caffeinated beverages including black teas and soda.
• Turn to natural sleep solutions with essential oils. - Relaxing essential oils such as lavender can induce a calming and sedentary effect to improve sleep when inhaled. (10) Sleep-promoting lavender can be found in Plant Therapy's new sleep sets that contain essential oils to diffuse, body cream, bubble bath and a spritz that’s safe for skin and linens. Their sleep sets for adults and kids were created to promote a deeper sleep at night, naturally. PRODUCT INFO BELOW.
• Increase exposure to daylight & decrease exposure to blue light. - Natural sunlight or bright light during the day helps keep your circadian rhythm healthy, which improves daytime energy as well as nighttime sleep quality and duration (11, 12, 13). So, it’s good to have daily sun exposure. On the contrary, blue light from electronic devices (i..e our smartphones and computers) reduces the body’s natural signals to produce hormones like melatonin, known to promote deep sleep (14, 15). Limiting exposure to blue light is possible by wearing glasses designed to block blue blight, installing a blue light blocking app on smartphones, and by turning off the TV or any bright lights and screens at least two hours before bedtime.
• Create a better sleeping environment. - Factors such as temperature, noise, external lights and even how the furniture is arranged can impede or, on the flip side, encourage better sleep. (16). External noise is a huge factor, so it’s good to invest in a sleep machine or ear plugs. Other tips: Upgrade windows and doors, choosing those that are thick enough to block out noise. If walls or ceilings aren’t insulated, tackle that too. Also be sure your mattress is comfortable because bed quality can certainly affect sleep quality. (17, 18). Also, it may also be worth trying the popular trend of a weighted blanket.
• Exercise and prioritize relaxation techniques. - One of the best science-backed ways to improve sleep is to exercise (but never before bedtime because exercise increase alertness and hormones like adrenaline and epinephrine.) What’s more, relaxation techniques such as hot baths, meditation, yin yoga or reading before bed have been shown to improve sleep quality and are another common technique used to treat insomnia (19, 20, 21).

Often we de-prioritize sleep to pursue other pleasures like binge-watching TV shows, because we’re only human (and those shows are sooooo good). That’s why Plant Therapy’s new sleep sets are so great. Their Sleep Sets are a convenient yet effective way to leverage essential oils to promote better sleep, immediately, with a few spritzes around the bedroom or by adding a few drops of Plant Therapy’s Sleep Synergy blend into the diffuser during commercial breaks. It only takes a minute to use and only minutes to feel the natural effects of relaxation.