How to Get Your Best Night’s Sleep

There are two undeniable truths about sleep: that quality rest is essential for your overall health, and finding a bedtime routine that works is unique to each person. There are, however, a plethora of resources available for those who struggle with sleep—especially here at REAL SIMPLE, where we try to make everyday habits a little easier. Whether you’re in need of some effective sleep methods, a guide to your sleep chronotype, or are simply curious how long your daily nap should be, we’ve got all your sleep-related concerns covered.

First things first: toss out bad habits that will prevent you from achieving the best sleep possible. Along with habits that sleep experts say are keeping you up, we’ve offered actionable replacements so you can swap those bad habits for some sleep-promoting activities. Whether it’s reading a book or taking a warm, candle-lit bath, there are relaxing yet engaging practices you can add to your pre-bedtime routine.

Proven sleep methods are an excellent way to promote relaxation and calm, and the 3-2-1 method reigns supreme. The practice involves setting hard and fast rules every hour before bed, starting three hours before your head meets the pillow. This includes no heavy meals or alcohol consumption, no overly stimulating tasks, and no screentime or exposure to blue light. While these may sound hard to eliminate from your pre-bedtime routine, participants find it to be incredibly effective—it just depends on how far you’re willing to go for the perfect night’s sleep.

Getting some exercise is a popular way to improve the quality of your sleep—but no one ever tells you how or when to work out for more shut-eye. Thankfully, we’ve created a comprehensive guide, including the best time to exercise for better sleep, the top sleep-promoting exercises to try, and more. Endorphin seekers, this one’s for you.

Sharing a bed with someone might force you to compromise on your sleep preferences, which can lead to feelings of resentment (or just plain old annoyance). If that sounds like you and your partner, don’t worry—there are multiple ways for two people to share the same bed while achieving uninterrupted, high-quality sleep. To help you address the problem at hand, while ensuring nobody gets their feelings hurt, we’ve collected five actionable ways to put your shared sleep concerns to rest.

Ever wonder about the ideal number of pillows? If so, look no further. To understand whether one or two pillows is right for you, you’ll want to consider multiple factors, including your sleep position. We tapped a physical therapist to learn how to tell whether you should be sleeping with just one pillow or piling two together.

We’re all guilty of it: you’re lying in bed for some much-needed R&R before falling asleep, and you’ve fallen into a cycle of endless phone scrolling. Oftentimes, it feels like there’s no way out of it—but thanks to multiple sleep experts, we have five simple replacements for your nightly doomscroll. Goodbye, blue light!

In a perfect world, we’d all achieve the right amount of deep, restorative sleep. Deep sleep—aka, the third and final stage of sleep—is vital for multiple cognitive functions, like processing emotions and storing skill-based memories. Achieving it, however, is no easy feat. That’s why we asked sleep scientists to break down what deep sleep really is, along with five simple ways to help you achieve it.

Did you know that everyone falls into a sleep chronotype? Between lions, bears, wolves, and dolphins, it’s not just you who has unique sleep habits or prefers to work and rest at specific times of the day. Understanding your sleep chronotype can help you adjust your sleep schedule accordingly, resulting in faster and more restful sleep. If you didn’t know about sleep chronotypes until now, you’re in for a treat.

It’s not easy to let go of familiar habits, like scrolling through your phone right before hitting the sack. To help you identify and improve these habits, we’ve created a list of all-too-common habits to avoid doing at night. While it might be difficult to say goodbye to your old routine, you’ll be glad you did—and so will your brain. Start by letting go of just one habit and noticing how you feel, then work on another one.

Your ideal wake-up time may have more to do with genetics than habits. Once you can identify certain predispositions, you can better identify the best time to wake up, along with the ideal number of hours you should be sleeping. Then, you can pick the best time to set your alarm clock. Late risers, don’t worry—this still leaves room for sleeping in.

Are you someone who checks if the thermostat is just right before going to bed? If you do, there’s actually an ideal, science-backed temperature for sleep—and it really does matter. Cooler rooms are typically more sleep-promoting, whereas warmer rooms can throw off the body’s natural temperature. With this actionable guide, you can make sure your thermostat is set at the right temperature.

Many of us can’t function without our daily nap, but daily naps can sometimes turn into oversleeping. If you don’t want to ruin your nightly sleep—but still want to fit a nap into your busy schedule—follow this expert advice on the ideal amount of time to nap. Then, set your timer and start snoozing.