This Sunday will be the longest day of the year. With nights at their shortest, we thought we’d offer some simple life-hacks for maximizing that all-precious resource: Sleep. Here are a few expert-vetted tips to help you sleep more soundly.
- Cut caffeine seven hours before bed: Studies show that this is the amount of time that this substance can affect us. Also know that caffeine is present in many teas, sodas (even non-colas like orange flavored ones or root beer), and certain energy drinks. Additionally, chocolate is known to perk you up with caffeine-like effects, while alcohol is a recipe for restless sleep (most experts say to time your last drink about two hours before bed). What can make you sleepy? Cherries. They contain melatonin, the hormone that puts us to sleep.
- Avoid heavy meals and fatty foods at night: These can cause reflux, which can wake you up in the middle of the night. And even if you’re not prone to that, big meals divert large amounts of energy toward digestion, which can lead to less deep and restorative sleep.
- Keep your room at a chill 68 or below: Studies show that the cooler the temperature, the deeper our sleep. Somewhere between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit seems to be optimal for sleeping, while temperatures above 75 degrees tend to start to disrupt sleep. Another quick trick if you don’t have great air conditioning: Take a hot shower before going to bed; you’ll trick your body into experiencing your bedroom as cooler.
- Check your medicine cabinet for repeat offenders: Many medications have insomnia as a side effect: blood pressure medicines, cholesterol lowering medicine, “non-sedating” anti-histamines for allergies, anti-inflammatory steroids, and SSRI antidepressants. There are often alternatives for these medications, or in some cases just changing the time of day you take them can make a difference. Talk through your options with your doctor, or if you’re an Oscar member, ask us at 1-844-MD-OSCAR or help@hioscar.com.
- Ban blue light: Light suppresses the production of melatonin, so the brighter our environment, the less and lower-quality sleep we get (therefore, beware of tiny lights from modems, cable boxes, and chargers). But that’s not all, blue light—the kind that powers the screens on our TVs, smartphones, and computers, has been shown to be the worst offender of all. Your best solution is to power off an hour or two before bedtime, but if you’re stuck on your computer or phone, new software, like f.lux, will automatically lower the brightness of your screen according to the time of night.
- Be alert for symptoms of sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition in which breathing during sleep has a pattern of prolonged stopping and restarting. It’s often associated with loud snoring and daytime sleepiness or falling asleep. Fortunately, it is easy to diagnose (see here more information on symptoms), so if you believe OSA may be interfering with your sleep, consult your doctor.
If you have questions about sleep and how to get much, much more of it, reach out to us at 1-844-MD-OSCAR or help@hioscar.com. Our team of experts is ready to help, and can refer you to resources and in-network providers.