Tips for getting better sleep, according to sleep experts

Getting a good night's sleep is more challenging than ever. The pandemic has made our lives more stressful, and with remote learning and working from home becoming the norm, it's increasingly difficult to distinguish business hours from downtime.

Add in the increased reliance on electronics for entertainment and communication, and our body's natural rhythms can easily be disturbed. Luckily, sleep experts say you can take action to get a better night's sleep.

Dr. Singar Jagadeesan, medical director at Parkway SleepHealth Center in Cary, said reducing blue light from electronics before bed can help you sleep.

"Blue light can directly block the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, which helps you fall asleep," said Jagadeesan. "It's one of the powerful inhibitors of melatonin, so I think with modern life and electronics everywhere, that's one of the biggest reasons for our overall poor sleep in the general population."

For many individuals, the pandemic has made it harder to practice healthy sleep habits. Since people are quarantining indoors, they've been exposed to more blue light and less natural light — which is a bad combination for developing and cultivating healthy sleeping habits.

"Lack of outdoor activity, lack of sunlight and since we're just sitting at home, we're exposed to too much blue light," said Jagadeesan. "So it's a double whammy."

Jagadeesan said maintaining a routine that focuses on good sleep is the best way to see results—this starts from the moment you get up in the morning.

"When you wake up in the morning, exposing yourself to nice, bright light, at least for a few minutes, will help you sleep better that night," said Jagadeesan. "Then, throughout the day, we're involved in many stressful activities, mental and physical. You have to have a break. Do a slow breathing exercise, go for a walk, or do a stretching routine, just to break the stress hormone."

In addition to getting outside and being more mentally and physically active when possible, unplugging earlier in the evening is also essential. Jagadeesan recommends making this part of your nightly routine.

"You should have a nice setup where you're winding down two or three hours before sleep," said Jagadeesan. "It may involve a little bit of exercise, a nice dinner and then some relaxing activities like breathing exercises or reading a book. And then, when you're ready to sleep, reduce the light as much as possible. Keep your bedroom dark and cool, and use your bedroom only to sleep. Don't do any television watching or playing on the computer in the bedroom, as much as possible."

Instead of changing routines, many people may turn to over-the-counter products such as CBD or melatonin to help aid their sleep. While these products might help you fall asleep, they may not guarantee a restful night of sleep. Instead, improving your sleep hygiene is the surest path to getting the amount and quality of sleep that your body needs.

"We always reach for a quick shortcut like CBD, melatonin, Benadryl, all of these things are shortcuts," said Jagadeesan. "We should improve our sleep hygiene and reduce the stresses overall, so we become less dependent on these shortcuts. When you've done all that, and if you still have issues, anything like over-the-counter antihistamines, melatonin, or CBD can be helpful, but I would not rely on them solely without fixing the underlying habits that are contributing to or perpetuating the problem."

More than anything, staying mindful about sleep hygiene takes effort, and changing the way you prioritize your sleep habits is critical.

"It's important to know that we have to prioritize sleep," said Jagadeesan. "People put sleep last because it's the last thing they do, so they'd rather do other things. If you make sleep your priority—at least six, seven, or eight hours—then the sleep hygiene part will come naturally."