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REST ASSURED

Regular, sound slumber isthe holy grail of good health. Here are 10 newwaysto achieve it.

Written by Leslie Goldman Photographs by Burcu Avsar

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SHORT ON SLEEP? Jointhe club. Oneinthreeadultsdoesn’tget theminimumsuggestedseven hoursanight, according toa2016 report from theCentersforDisease Controland Prevention. But simply recognizingtheproblem isn’tenough:OftheAmericans who admittedthattheydon’tcatch enough z’s, less than halfwere doinganything aboutit, as reported inarecent survey from theBetter SleepCouncil,a consumereducation group.

“Societyviews sleepassomethingthatcanbesacrificed,” says PatrickM. Fuller,Ph.D.,anassociate professorofneurologyatHarvard Medical School. “Consistent,good sleep is essentialforyourphysical, emotional,andneurocognitive health.Yetweprioritizework,social media,andTVtimeoverit.”Even whenwedopowerdown,lifestyle factorssuchasdiet,stress, and healthconditions,includingmenopause,canupendourplansfor peaceful slumber.

Theresult,Fullerbelieves,is a “modern-day health crisis.” Indeed,itseems thateverymonth, a newmaladyis beingblamedon poor sleep, includingheartdisease, inflammation,depression, and compromised immunefunction. Ourday-to-dayactivitiessuffer,too. “Researchshowsthatwemakethreetimesmore mentalerrorsafterafew nightsofless-thanoptimalsleep,” saysW.ChristopherWinter, M.D., themedicaldirectorof theSentaraMarthaJeffersonHospital SleepMedicineCenter,inCharlottesville,Virginia. “Maybethatlittlefender benderyougot incouldhave beenavoidedif youhadgonetobedanhourearlierlastnight.”

Inresponse toanincreasinglyexhaustedpopulation,innovatorsacrossallindustrieshavebeen developingadvancesthataimtohelp us zonk outquickly,snoozesoundly, andwake upenergized. Readonfor five research-backedstrategies toenhanceyoursleep,plusthe latest high-tech andlow-techwaysofputting eachtipinto effect.

Pause to reflect

A 2015 JAMA InternalMedicine studyfoundthat meditating5 to 20minutes aday canputyou tosleep fasterthanbasictechniques,such as establishingabedtimeroutine.“Mindfulness reducesstressandleadstoa calmer state, making it easierto fallasleep,”says MichaelR. Irwin, M.D., astudycoauthor andthedirectorof the MindfulAwarenessResearch Center at the UCLA Semel InstituteforNeuroscience.Trymeditating atbedtimebyfocusing onyourbreathtoclear yourmind ofany emotions (I’m sowoundup I’ll neverfall asleep!) andthought-drifting. (The numbersonthe clockarewhizzing by!). Ifyourmind doeswander,refocusonyour breathing and “observeyourthoughtswithout judgment,soyour brain doesn’tfeel soaroused,”says Irwin. LOW-TECH HELP: Meditateassuggested above, ordownload freeguided meditationpodcasts fromIrwin’s lab atmarc.ucla.edu. HIGH-TECH HELP: TheGlo to SleepTherapyMask ($30, soundoasis.com)isdesignedtoquietan overactivemind byhavingyou focus ongradually vanishing bluelights;theidea isthatyouwillfade out beforetheydo.Ortry theNightWaveSleep Assistant($49, nightwave.com),asmall black machine thatprojects an oscillating pattern of bright anddimlightontotheceilingorwall.The concept issimple:Asyou inhale and exhale in syncwiththelight,youentera meditative trance thatlullsyouintoslumber.

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Keep yourcool

“Ifyour partner likesthe bedroomhotandyou likeitcold,youwin,”saysWinter.Here’syour argument:Our bodytemperature naturallydips beforebedtime.(Scientists aren’t surewhy;one theoryisthatthis isthebody’swaytoconserve energy.) “Sleepingina too-warmenvironment forcesyour bodytoworktoregulateyourtemperature,”saysWinter,“leadingtomorefrequent awakeningsand lighter,morefitfulsleep.”Abedroomtemperatureof60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit isoptimalforsleep.Ifthat feelstoocoldatbedtime,programthe thermostattodropovernight andgoback up rightbeforeyouawake. LOW-TECH HELP: Try performancesleepwear and bedding,whichusemoisture-wicking fabrics to keepyou cool.Try Cool-jams’ Moisture-Wicking ShortyPajamaSet($69,cool-jams.com)and Sheex’sOriginal Performancesheetsandpillowcases ($199for aqueenset,sheex.com).Avoiding eveningworkoutshelps,too, sinceexerciseelevates your corebodytemperatureforuptosixhours. HIGH-TECH HELP: ChilloutontheChiliPad($999 for queen, chilitechnology.com), a mattresstopperthat containstinytubesthatarefilledwith temperature-regulatedwater.Aremotecontrol setsthetemperature, anddualzoningmeansthat youcan sleeplikeyou’re inAlaskawhileyour partnerenjoys amore tropicalclime. FRIENDLY BED BUGS

The bacteria in your intestines—a.k.a. your gut microbiome—may influence your sleep quality, helping produce serotonin and other sleep-regulating neurotransmitters. And, like you, these gut bacteria function on a circadian rhythm, says Shawn Stevenson, the author of Sleep Smarter. “At night, a changing of the guard happens, where the good bacteria reclaim control from the bad bacteria that build up during the day,” he says. Poor sleep can allow the opportunistic bacteria to take over, potentially paving the way for many ills. (In one small study published in the journal Cell, jetlagged people had elevated levels of types of bacteria that are more prevalent in people with obesity and diabetes.)

Getting a good night’s sleep is ideal, but you can also fuel the good bacteria: Eat probiotic foods (such as kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, miso, and kombucha) along with high-fiber prebiotic foods (such as beans, dried fruits, oats, onions, raw garlic, and asparagus), which act as sustenance for the probiotics.

Rise and shine on time

Fuller’stoptip forqualitysleep: Get up atthe sametimeevery day, 16hoursbeforeyournextbedtime. “After about16hoursof being awake, a phenomenoncalled sleeppressure takesover,”hesays. Duringwaking hours,the sleep-promoting chemicaladenosine buildsupin thebrain. Afterabout 16 hours,the pressure ofall that adenosinebecomes hard toresist,andyou’ll starttonod off. Fuller says a 5:30or6A.M.wake-up, around sunrise,tendstoworkwell for most people, especiallyifyou startatthistimeofyear,whenthere isstillplentyofdaylight.Then,when you getdrowsyataround10P.M., hitthe sackwithoutdelay. LOW-TECH HELP: Anold-school alarm clock.

HIGH-TECH HELP: TheSenseby Hello smart-alarmsystem($129, hello.is)clipstoyourpillowtotrack your movementsandwakesyou during a lightphase of sleep, up to 30minutesbeforeyour set time. “Youshouldhave lesssleepinertia [thatgroggyfeeling], sowakingup willfeeleasier,”saysFuller.

Use smell to your advantage

Lavender and sleep domake lovely bedfellows.“Lavenderessential oilhascalming, sleep-inducing chemical properties that are thought toimpactneurotransmittersinthe brain,”saysAngelaLillehei,Ph.D., anintegrativehealthexpert and theleadauthor of a2015 Journalof Alternativeand Complementary Medicine studyinwhich subjects whosleptwitha lavender-essentialoilchestpatch forfivenightshad bettersleep qualitycomparedwith thosewearingblank patches.And thesleepbenefitsremained after twoweeksofsleeping patch-free. TheNationalSleep Foundation recommendslavender becauseit lowers both theheartrateand blood pressure,which mayhelpyouto fall asleep faster.

Comemorning,ifyou’reacoffee drinker,thesmellofthebrewmight giveyou ashort-lived bright-eyed buzz.“Itcan perkyou up almost immediately,”saysAlan Hirsch,M.D., theneurological directorofthe

YOU NEED MORE SLEEP Find out why at realsimple.com/snooze.

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