People Are Revealing The Hacks That Actually Improved Their Sleep

Sleep is EVERYTHING as you get older, so being able to get a good night's rest is important.

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to share hacks that improved their sleep habits for the better. Here are the tips you'll want to keep in mind next time you catch some ZZZs:

1."I'm happily married, but my husband and I sleep under separate blankets. No middle of the night fighting with the blanket hog (me)!"

2."If you can afford to get checked for disorders like sleep apnea it will change your life. I didn't know I had sleep apnea but once I got checked for it and got my machine, boom! Best sleep I've ever had."

—rivers82

3."I don't eat anything in the hour before I intend to go to bed and go to bed at the same time every night. I have an alarm on my smart watch when it's time to start my bedtime routine so I'm in bed by my goal. I also noticed recently that since I've been consistently going to the gym a few days a week for a while, it's easier to fall asleep and stay asleep."

4."I started spending 45 minutes to an hour chilling outside on the patio every morning to reset my circadian rhythm. All natural!"

—bubblylion10

5."Blacking out my bedroom. Dark sheets over the windows, plus a regular bedtime. Green noise (hello, Headspace app) plus a book helps shut my brain off."

6."Bedtime is a no-screen time for me. If I'm not tired I'll read a book for a bit. I removed devices in my room or its vicinity (like the bathroom) that have blue lights or indicator lights. I put the devices I need on the lower shelf below the bed level so I don't see them when I'm lying down. The bathroom also has no nightlight. It was amazing how much my sleep improved. I get natural light in the hallway (so it's not completely dark) but with the door closed it doesn't bug me."

—mollyhovan

7."I made the bed ONLY for sleep. No work, playing, or TV in the room which helped a lot. My body knows as soon as it's horizontal that it's time for sleep."

8."An obvious 'hack' but wake up early consistently every day. I had chronic insomnia for years and never considered myself a morning person. However, after I started waking up around 6 a.m. due to a changed work schedule, I noticed that I had no choice but to fall asleep between 8 and 9 p.m. Now I don't need to wake up early for work anymore but I continue to do so anyway!"

—terrible_yam13

9."A cold bedroom with extra blankets, even in summer!"

10."White noise helps a lot of people. I recommend trying a variety because each sound has a different effect. Several phone apps will let you mix a blend of sounds to get the environment that works best for you. I typically use a blend based primarily on the sound of an old-fashioned train clacking on the tracks with heavy rain, crickets, a rural creek, a touch of occasional thunder, and a smidgen of pure white noise to fill any gaps. I grew up near a train track so I got used to sleeping to that sound. Mixing multiple samples of different lengths means it doesn't repeat as frequently. I found most white noise samples repeat after less than five minutes."

—toothlessfeline

11."I listen to a podcast. I set the timer on my phone to turn off the podcast after a certain amount of time. I rarely listen to the entire thing."

12."Edibles. You get the best sleep ever and wake up feeling refreshed."

—julie___

13."After many years of dealing with problems falling and staying asleep, these steps have become part of my getting ready for bed routine. Write out a to-do list or use a dump journal for the things and stresses you might ruminate about when trying to get to sleep. Get it out of your head. No electronics at least 45 minutes before bed. I found having a shower before bed helps because it lowers your body temperature. I use a lavender and magnesium soap to increase calmness and it has helped with my restless leg syndrome, which used to keep me up most nights."

14."I pick up a personal growth or educational book with a small amber LED light clip. As a bonus, I'm learning and often the content is boring enough to doze me off."

—Chaz, Georgia

15."Get an alarm clock or use a watch and sleep with all technology outside the room. It keeps screens out of sight and out of mind. I truly find myself sleeping better without a phone in the room."

16."I have soft headband headphones and put on an old TV show I like that has light, calm, and soothing voices. It's enough background noise to keep my mind from racing and lull me to sleep. I play the videos on my face-down phone so I don't have light from a TV either, just the calming dialogue."

—Anonyous

17."Don't eat or drink anything except water for three hours before you go to bed. Start with an hour and work your way up. It really does make it easier."

18."One thing that helped me enormously was getting a sunrise/sunset alarm clock. You can set the timer for sunset light anywhere between one and 60 minutes. The intensity of the light will gradually decrease. I usually set it for about 30 to 40 minutes and read a physical book while there's still enough light to see. After that, I'm usually asleep within five to 10 minutes. Before, I was one of those people who needed at least an hour of tossing and turning and a sacrifice to the gods to sleep, but now it’s like magic! The only downside is that when I'm on vacation and don't have the light with me, I have trouble falling asleep again."

—Anonymous, Germany

19."Get a weighted blanket. I can't sleep without it anymore!"

20."Set your phone up so that messages and calls don't come through once you're trying to go to bed. Most phones have the 'Do Not Disturb' option, which lets the second call from the same number through, in case it's an emergency. Without messages and calls coming through to distract you from going to bed, it's easier to commit to going to sleep."

—Anonymous

What's your best sleep hack? Share it in the comments!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.