If one of your New Year's resolutions is to get more sleep in 2023, sleep specialists say there are things you can do to make that easier to accomplish.
Sometimes falling asleep can be difficult. So just how long should it take after your head hits the pillow for you to start snoozing?
"Most people, if they don't have any sleep difficulties, probably fall asleep within 10 to 20 minutes. It varies as well. If it takes someone 45 minutes to fall asleep and that's normal for them and they allow enough time, it's not necessarily a problem," Dr. Michelle Drerup, a sleep specialist at Cleveland Clinic, said.
She said what you eat and how often you exercise can play a big role in sleep. Eating foods high in sugar, saturated fat and processed carbs can disrupt your sleep, but eating healthy foods can help. Dr. Drerup also said to avoid caffeine after noon.
She said regular exercise can improve the quality of your sleep, and cut down on the time it takes to actually fall asleep.
In addition to those lifestyle changes, Dr. Drerup said white noise — like from a fan or sound machine — can help you wind down. It blocks out other noises that can keep you up.
She said the most important thing is to stop yourself from overthinking when you're trying to sleep.
"If you think about someone who sleeps well, they probably don't think about sleep at all. They just listen to their body when they feel sleepy, and that's when they go to bed. They don't have these rules or they don't have any real thoughts about sleep. It's just, this is what I do. When someone has sleep difficulties, they get anxious about sleep. They start to dread going to bed. The more pressure you put, the harder you try to sleep, the least successful you're going to be," Dr. Drerup said.
If you're consistently having issues getting to sleep, she said to take notes about your sleeping patterns and talk to your doctor.
