Ultimate guide to getting more sleep

If you live to be 90 years old you’ll sleep for about 32 years of your life. “What that 32 years is telling us is that sleep, at some level, is important, and yet for most of us, we don’t give sleep a second thought,” says Russell Foster, a circadian neuroscientist, in his popular TED talk titled, “Why Do We Sleep?”

Most of us know that we should get more sleep but before we learn how, it’s important to learn why. We sleep everyday, but what actually is sleep?

What is sleep?

There are two stages of sleep: The first half of sleep, or the deep sleep stage, the one that makes you feel groggy if awoken during it, and the later half of REM. The latter half is particularly crucial because it plays a key role in encoding procedural memories—skills such as walking, talking, or riding a bike, according to Vincent Walsh, a professor of human brain research and Royal Society industry research fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience in London.

Earlier in the night, slow-wave deep sleep is important for consolidating explicit memories, such as facts, new vocabulary, and declarative memories, like daily events or information learned in class, according to Walsh. In contrast, REM sleep is essential for creative problem-solving and the development of motor skills.

REM sleep is also known as paradoxical sleep because, despite the brain being highly active, the body remains paralyzed.

“This is why you dream about flying and not being able to run and all of the bizarre stuff,” says Walsh in a Fast Company article about the purpose of sleep, because your body is inhibited.

Even so, the entire night of sleep is extremely important. “In fact, we know that varying brain-wave states occur in 90-minute cycles where your brain is constantly establishing new memories and learning,” explains writer Vivan Giang in the same Fast Company article about sleep.

Humans require a continuous six to eight hours of sleep to allow the brain to clear out neurotoxins via the brain’s glymphatic system, including harmful proteins like beta-amyloid, which form sticky plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. This system is most efficient during deep sleep, when brain cells shrink and create more space for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to flow through and clear waste.

If this sleep cycle is disrupted, the brain’s cleansing system can’t efficiently filter these toxins through the spinal cord. Worse still, the more beta-amyloid builds up, the harder it becomes to enter deep sleep, creating a harmful cycle that interferes with both slow-wave and REM sleep, and impairs the brain’s ability to form vital connections.

What is negatively impacting your sleep?

There are several factors that can interfere with your ability to get restful sleep. These include the following.

Stress

It might seem obvious but many of us do it anyway: sleeping with your phone nearby, or checking your phone close to sleep.

“According to SleepFoundation.org, blue light stimulates the brain, making you feel alert. It also can elevate your body temperature and heart rate, which make it harder to fall or stay asleep,” writes Fast Company writer Stephanie Vozza in an article about what impacts sleep.

Looking at your phone or any clock, can also trigger your brain to start doing math, counting how many more hours you have left to sleep. This activates your brain, making it harder to go back to sleep.

Along the same lines, doomscrolling before bed can disrupt sleep quality, increase anxiety, and heighten stress levels, especially when you are exposed to negative or distressing news late at night. The blue light emitted by phone screens can also interferes with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep.

But, doomscrolling can be avoided. Setting boundaries on your phone usage can help you have better sleep. For example, making your bedroom tech-free and considering leaving your phone outside when going to bed.

Using phone features such as Do Not Disturb or Night Mode settings can help to limit notifications and reduce blue light exposure as well. Replacing phone time with more relaxing activities, such as reading a physical book, meditating, or listening to calming music or podcasts, can also help you get more quality sleep.

Your bedtime routine

According to experts, brushing your teeth with peppermint toothpaste for example, especially right before bed, could make it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Toothpastes with ginger or cinnamon could be a better choice for bedtime teeth brushing. Or toothpastes mixed with lavender, chamomile, or jasmine would be better as well according to certified sleep consultant Khaliah Guillory, founder of Nap Bar in Houston.

The type of food you are consuming can also impact the quality of your sleep. In a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, they analyzed 38,570 adults who took part in the NutriNet-Santé project, where they provided information about their sleep patterns through questionnaires and submitted a 24-hour food diary every six months.

The researchers found that individuals who consumed more ultra-processed foods experienced a harder time falling asleep and poorer sleep quality. These processed foods might disrupt sleep through various mechanisms, including inflammation, gut microbiome imbalances, and fluctuations in blood sugar, all of which can impact the body’s ability to regulate sleep effectively. The negative effects on sleep were also linked to increased levels of stress hormones, which can interfere with restful sleep.

In contrast, diets rich in whole, unprocessed foods—such as fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins—are associated with better sleep quality and a lower risk of insomnia. The study suggests that a nutrient-dense diet may help regulate the sleep-wake cycle and promote healthier sleep patterns.

How you wake up

Your alarm clock could be one of the things causing your daytime fatigue. “An alarm that sounds at a bad moment for our brain will give you a bad start to the day,” says Jules Goldberg, creator of the sleep app Sleepwave, to Fast Company contributor Stephanie Vozza. “Having an alarm go off during a deep sleep cycle can trigger sleep inertia. It’s that feeling of difficulty to move when you’re in a moment of deepest sleep or in the midst of the dream.

Alternatively, you can opt for a gentler alarm that doesn’t startle you into waking, avoiding the sudden release of stress hormones. You could select an alarm that gradually increases in volume or pick a tone that’s more pleasant and calming, rather than harsh and jarring.

An alarm clock like Loftie for example, is designed to avoid the common pitfalls of smartphone-based alarms, which can encourage late-night screen time and disrupt sleep patterns. The Loftie clock features a soothing, progressive alarm sound, a display with no blue light, and a focus on promoting a calming bedtime routine.

How bad quality sleep impacts your life

Consistently poor sleep affects various aspects of your well-being, from mental clarity to emotional balance. Here are some of the ways inadequate rest can influence your daily life.

Impact on focus and creativity

Lack of sleep can impact your focus. When you don’t get enough sleep, it impairs your cognitive function, making it harder to form mental connections and affecting working memory.

Sleep specialist and psychotherapist Heather Turgeonthat told Fast Company contributor, Diana Shi, that insufficient sleep not only disrupts memory formation but also leads to a buildup of brain toxins. “Not getting enough restorative sleep [can] interrupt the formation of memories,” said Turgeon. “During the day, we might not feel as sharp, and we may not have as clear a grasp on the information we learned.”

Adequate sleep not only helps us feel more alert, but it also boosts creativity. Research from Cardiff University suggests that both non-REM and REM sleep are essential for making connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, which enhances creative thinking. A good night’s sleep can help us see things in a new light. Additionally, lucid dreaming, a phenomenon studied by Stanford’s Stephen LaBerge, plays a key role in fostering creativity. Lucid dreaming—dreaming while conscious—allows for exploration in a judgment-free, limitless space that can inspire innovative ideas.

Impact on mental health and productivity

Insufficient sleep has significant economic consequences, with studies showing a major impact on productivity. A 2017 study estimated that poor sleep cost the U.S. economy $411 billion in 2015 (about 2.28% of GDP) due to reduced productivity. Similar economic losses were observed in other developed countries like Japan and the U.K., which highlights the global impact of sleep deprivation on work performance.

Lack of sleep can also negatively affect mental health, creating a cycle of stress and worry about not getting enough rest. A Gallup and Casper survey found that women and young people are particularly prone to anxiety about sleep, which can exacerbate stress. The study also noted that poor sleep can lead to increased absenteeism in the workplace, further impacting productivity.

“There is a bi-directional relationship between sleep and mental health,” Rebecca Robbins, PhD, an instructor at Harvard Medical School’s sleep medicine division explains to Shi. “After a night of poor quality or insufficient sleep, we are at risk for mental health symptoms the following day, which can in turn hinder our sleep the following night, creating a vicious downward spiral.”

Lack of sleep can lead to impulsive behavior and reduce sociability and optimism, both of which are crucial for mental well-being. According to Robbins, insufficient sleep can impair decision-making, causing us to act without thinking.

Lastly, insufficient sleep can impair physical tasks, including driving, making it as dangerous as driving under the influence. A study in the British Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that staying awake for more than 17 hours is equivalent to having a 0.05% blood alcohol level.

Products to help you get better sleep

Taking care of your hygiene and health are good methods to getting more sleep, but there are also a variety of different products that could also enhance your bedtime routine and sleep.

Improving your sleep environment

One helpful product is, The Well’s Relax self-care bundle. It is a soothing aromatherapy product designed to help you unwind. Staff editor Lara Sorokanich tells Fast Company contributor, Rachel Kim Raczka: “Before I get into bed, I spray this all over my pillows and sheets. It feels so luxurious and relaxing to get into a lavender-scented bed. Clinically backed or not, the smell definitely makes me feel happy as I’m dozing off.”

Another product is the Oura Ring. It is a discreet smart ring that tracks your health, including sleep quality and daily activities like step count. By syncing with the Oura app, it helps you understand how your daytime habits, such as afternoon coffee, may be affecting your sleep. While it doesn’t directly induce sleep, it provides valuable insights to improve sleep patterns.

White noise is a helpful tool for city dwellers, masking disruptive sounds like construction or noisy neighbors. Dohm sound machines provide a gentle, sleep-inducing hum that creates a consistent noise baseline, preventing sudden jarring noises from startling you.

The Nue Co. Sleep Suite is a plant-based supplement collection designed to improve sleep. It includes a tincture, capsules, and a magnesium spray that absorbs through the skin, all of which can be used individually or together depending on your level of restlessness.

Blackout curtains are great but the Brooklinen Mulberry Silk Eye Mask helps create a pitch-black sleeping environment by blocking out light, minimizing disruptions like your phone glow or noise. Made of luxurious silk, it’s gentle on the skin and lashes, making it comfortable to wear throughout the night.

Improving your bed

The type of mattress you sleep on can also impact your quality and length of sleep. Sleep Number has smart beds that are equipped with sensors that track a range of sleep metrics, including heart rate, breathing, and movement. These beds use data from the sensors to adjust firmness automatically, based on sleeping position and body pressure, helping personalize the sleep experience based on individual needs.

The beds are powered by SleepIQ, Sleep Number’s proprietary technology, which analyzes sleep patterns and provides customized feedback through an app. SleepIQ gives users insights into their sleep quality and suggests ways to improve it, such as adjusting the bed’s settings or changing habits.

Another mattress option is Eight Sleep’s smart mattress. It uses active temperature regulation to adjust the bed’s warmth, cooling it down or heating it up throughout the night to ensure the sleeper stays at an ideal temperature for restful sleep. It also allows for temperature customization on each side of the bed.

Along with having a great mattress it is important to have a great pillow as well. Fast Company contributor, Rachel Kim Raczka, talks about how how Purple’s Luxury Pillow Line has improved her sleep experience.

The Purple Pillow is designed with a unique grid-like structure, offering support and cooling benefits. Unlike traditional pillows, it adapts to the user’s head and neck, providing tailored comfort. The pillow’s breathable materials help prevent overheating during the night, contributing to a better, more restful sleep.

Weighted blankets are also great sleep aids. The Bearaby Cotton Napper is a chunky, weighted blanket that provides deep comfort through its thick woven cord. Unlike traditional weighted blankets, Bearaby’s design uses sustainable materials to create pressure that can help boost serotonin and reduce cortisol levels. Its breathable construction prevents overheating, making it a more comfortable option for sleep without the sweating often associated with heavy blankets.

Bedding you can pair with your weighted blanket is the Riley Reversible Flannel Sheet Set. It is made from thick yet breathable cotton flannel, offering warmth without overheating. Ideal for cooler months, these sheets provide a lightweight layer of warmth that keeps you comfortable throughout the night, even for those who tend to sleep hot.

Regardless of what is causing your lack of quality sleep there is something you can take from this list to help you get a little more sleep at night, even if it is just a better understanding of the importance of sleep.