The Sleep Tips You Haven’t Already Heard Of

We all know about having a regular sleep schedule in a cool dark room and clean bedding and, shockingly, not taking stimulants before bedtime. Hopefully we all know alcohol is bad, too. So, what else?

Sweet dreams

Dr. Michael Breus, sleep specialist, advises:

1. Do an eye relaxation exercise (“cupping” or “palming”) by placing warm palms over your open eyes to relieve eye strain and promote relaxation before bed.
2. Apply a warm compress to your eyes for 3–5 minutes to reduce eye strain, boost circulation, and support relaxation.
3. Wear socks to bed or warm your feet with a heating pad or foot bath to improve circulation and help regulate body temperature for better sleep.
4. Sleep on your back (if comfortable) or your left side to reduce pressure on joints, aid digestion, and support heart health*.
5. Avoid long daytime naps—keep them under 30 minutes and before 14:00, to maintain a healthy sleep drive at night.
6. Review all medications and supplements with your doctor or pharmacist to identify anything that may be interfering with sleep.
7. Invest in a high-quality, supportive pillow tailored to your sleep position to improve comfort, spinal alignment, and sleep quality (this writer has one like this example product on Amazon, and loves it!).

*Here we remember that Dr. Breus is a PhD (specifically: a sleep scientist), not an MD, and his advice in the case of #4 is the opposite of what is generally considered best for heart health and brain health (the latter in the context of the glymphatic system and the brain’s natural defenses against neurodegeneration). As for digestion, that will work the same any way around because of the peristaltic motion of the intestines, so he’s wrong about that too, but he was correct about one thing: left-side sleeping will ease the symptoms of acid reflux, if you have acid reflux. For everything else, right-side sleeping is better, and you can read about it in our link in the “Want to know more?” section.

For more on each of these, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

• Sleeping Positions & Your Heart & Brain ← for the science on this
• And as for that about reducing pressure on joints, what we’d suggest is making sure you have the right mattress: What Mattress Is Best, By Science?

Take care!