Millions know the pain of throwing and turning at night, especially when the hot summer months start.
But a world -famous sleep expert has shared his ultimate five -step plan to help you finally get some quality.
One of the most important steps is to turn your bed into a holy place.
“Only use your bed for sleep and intimacy,” says Dr. Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California and author of the bestseller Book Why We Sleep.
That means absolutely no telephones, no laptops and certainly no binge watching from under the duvet.
It is a concept that is known as ‘stimulus control’, and it works by training your brain to associate the bed with peace – not tap or e -mails.
“The bed may never be used as a workstation,” warns Dr. Walker.
And it is not the only tweak of the lifestyle he recommends. Here are the five science -supported habits that he says they can help you reset your sleep.
1. Turn your bed into a tech-free zone
It may feel nice to scroll or stream in bed, but Dr. Walker says it is one of the worst things you can do for your sleep.
Blue light that is broadcast out of screens can disturb the natural sleep-wake cycle, making it more difficult to fall asleep and influence the quality of your slumber.
This light disrupts the production of melatonin of your body, the hormone that makes you sleepy.
Asked about how much sleep people should get, sleep expert Dr. orders Matthew Walker (photo) 7 to 9 hours a night
But it’s not just about light. When you use technology under the blankets, your bed will mentally become a place of stimulation instead of relaxation.
Dr. Walker recently helped designing the ultimate bedroom for a quiet night of sleep, which can be found in the Equinox Hotel in New York.
So worried about the damage caused by light pollution, he even removed small blue lights from the smoke detectors for a complete black -out experience.
2. Stay with a schedule, even during the weekend
It is the last thing you want to do after a long week, but waking up during the weekend at the same time that you would do for work is the key.
If you tend to sleep in the weekend and go late nights during the week, says Dr. Walker that you throw your internal clock out of synchronization.
Regimented sleep helps to regulate your circadian rhythm so that your body knows when it should end and when you have to wake up.
Your goal: hit the same bedtime and wake -up time every day. Not only will you fall asleep faster, but you will also wake up more.
3. Avoid caffeine after lunch
Caffeine lingers in your system long after that pick -M – up – up to 10 hours – so that means you don’t even have to surrender to that 3 p.m. latte, sorry.
One study found that it searched the sleep time by 45 minutes, what, what Dr. Walker says that over time the risk of almost every large chronic illness increases.
That is why his golden rule is to cut caffeine early. “The sooner you can limit your intake, the less impact it will have,” he says.
A good rule of thumb is to reduce caffeine intake after noon, which means that it should have been completely taken from your system at 10 p.m.
Alcohol is also in the no-go zone before bedtime. Although a glass of wine may make you sleepy, Dr. Walker that it must ‘certainly not be used as a calming agent’.
Regular time before going to sleep, sleep can even make more fragmented and increase the risk of long -term insomnia.
4. Practice a winddown ritual for the bed
Forget Doomscrolling or racing through chores until you faint. Dr. Walker recommends building in a quiet, tech-free hour to let your body rest.
Try the relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or mindfulness meditation, “he says.
In the hotel rooms he developed, meditation and breathing programs have been installed on the TVs, which he says they have ‘an immediate calming effect’.
In this case, screens are ok if you just use them to give Zen Out, he explains. And he recommends practicing these relaxation techniques one hour or more before bedtime, so that you can then throw away your devices and really switch off.
He also recommends a slightly -diminging routine to imitate the gradual effects of sunset and sunrise.
This is another design function that he has included in the Equinox hotel rooms, with an automated lighting system that is designed to bring guests to bed and gently wake them up in the morning.
“In the last hour before bedtime, put half of the lights in your house off for two weeks,” he said and recommends a trial period. ‘Then go back to full lights and ask yourself what you prefer.
“If possible, use dimmer switches or lamps with lower wattage for evening lighting.”
5. Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep
Dr. Walker, a professor in neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, told The Daily Mail that some of the biggest factors behind people to sleep are ‘chronic stress, irregular diagrams and the rise of tech gadgets’ are’
None of the above -mentioned hacks is important if you just don’t sleep enough, says Dr. Walker.
The magical reach lies between ‘7 and 9 hours a night, as supported by robust evidence that shows that this range offers maximum benefits for brain health, emotional stability, immune function and physical recovery, “he said.
Less than six hours? That is when things become dangerous.
The doctor says that a lack of sleep “is directly linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction and reduced cognitive performance.”
Not to mention, it increases stress hormone levels, lowers immunity and can even increase the risk of early death.
Insomnia is not only annoying, it’s expensive. Sleep disorders get an estimated $ 94.9 billion in the US every year, from doctor’s visits and regulations to lost productivity.
But according to Dr. Walker doesn’t have to be the case – yes, you can take yourself to a place where you can skip the Melatonin gummies.
Start by recovering your bed as a place for sleeping alone (and sex) and see what happens.
Dr. Walker has designed the Sleep Experience program in the Equinox Hotel New York. Visit for more information Equinox-hotels.com
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