Sleep: Healthline’s Erin Edge On Why You Should Make Getting A Good Night’s Sleep A Major Priority In Your Life, And How You Can Make That Happen

Follow a nighttime routine. I really enjoy simple rituals throughout the day; they give me a chance to slow down and be mindful no matter how busy my day is. A nighttime routine can ease the transition from day to night and help you decompress. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive or even take more than a few minutes. In fact, the simpler the better — that way it’s easier to do night after night. My husband and I have a very basic bedtime routine with our baby girl and it’s become a really sweet part of our day.

Getting a good night’s sleep has so many physical, emotional, and mental benefits. Yet with all of the distractions that demand our attention, going to sleep on time and getting enough rest has become extremely elusive to many of us. Why is sleep so important and how can we make it a priority?

In this interview series called “Sleep: Why You Should Make Getting A Good Night’s Sleep A Major Priority In Your Life, And How You Can Make That Happen” we are talking to medical and wellness professionals, sleep specialists, and business leaders who sell sleep accessories to share insights from their knowledge and experience about how to make getting a good night’s sleep a priority in your life.

As part of this interview series, we had the pleasure to interview Erin Edge.

Erin Edge is the Healthline.com Editor in Chief, where she leads a world-class team of writers and editors covering everything you’d ever want to know about your health (and maybe even a few things you didn’t). She’s a passionate advocate for health and wellness equity and is committed to creating trustworthy, accessible content and audience experiences that are as diverse and unique as Healthline Media’s 85MM+ monthly visitors. Erin recently relocated to the East Coast after more than a decade in the Bay Area and currently lives in Boston with her husband, infant daughter, and the sweetest senior pitbull you’ll ever meet.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your backstory?

I grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, which is a small-ish factory town that borders Lake Michigan and sits roughly halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago. I’m the middle child of three girls, and was raised in a very diverse, intergenerational religious community. It was a special experience to grow up in such a tight-knit community, but it wasn’t the most welcoming place for opinionated girls with too many questions. I learned very young that I was going to need to make my own way because there weren’t many opportunities within that environment, especially for women. I never stopped asking questions, and I think that sense of curiosity — however rebellious it was in my former life — has been an important asset along my career journey.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this particular career path?

I studied Journalism at UW-Milwaukee and finished my degree just before the 2008 economic recession, when most newspapers and print publications were laying off staff, going behind paywalls, or folding entirely. So, like a lot of people in my position I worked other jobs to pay the bills while I did freelancing or unpaid internships to keep my skills sharp and get my foot in the door somewhere.

Over the years, that led to very part-time gigs with small print magazines, a managing editor role at an online news and culture site, working as an assistant for an independent book publisher, and a handful of other freelance and volunteer positions (and one cross-country move) before I found my way to health media. Mostly, I have been incredibly privileged to learn on the job at different organizations and evolve my career as the industry itself has evolved.

Working in digital health media helped me to marry my love of storytelling with my interests in health and wellness. I struggled with some health issues in my 20s and those experiences really altered the way I think about my own health and wellbeing, but also revealed how disheartening it can be to find care or access the tools you need to feel better. I love that our work at Healthline can help people better understand their health and hopefully make them feel more empowered in their own wellness journeys by breaking down some of the barriers to seeking care.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the sleep and wellness fields? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

I am fortunate to work with an amazing team of writers, editors, and medical experts who are the foundation of everything we do at Healthline. Any of my expertise has been learned through years of working alongside these brilliant folks and mentors. Healthline’s authority in sleep and wellness stems not just from our clinical expertise and data-driven content, but also from our whole-person approach to everything we create. We understand how day-to-day life — family, community, lived experiences, work, socio-economic background — impacts your health and how it’s all interconnected. Each health and wellness journey is different, and we try to reflect that in the information and tools we provide to the readers who come to our site.

When it comes to sleep — a topic I’m especially passionate about as a new parent — data shows that, unsurprisingly, not many people are getting what they need right now. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only about 67 percent of adults get sufficient sleep each night, and that figure is significantly lower for teens. We launched Healthline Sleep because we believe that everyone deserves good sleep, and we want to help you get there. Sometimes the biggest obstacle is just knowing where to begin, so we try to focus on advice that feels straightforward to help take the guesswork out of taking that first step.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

The one that comes to mind right now is “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande, about how our healthcare system can provide better quality of life to people who are ill, elderly, or nearing the end of their lives.

There are a lot of really great books out there on death and dying, but I think this one gave me language to describe some of the feelings I hadn’t been able to articulate some of the grief and frustration I’d been carrying for years after my grandmother passed away.

My grandmother died very suddenly in 2010 — I think there was about a month between her cancer diagnosis and when she passed. She was someone who’d spent a lot of time (and money) on various supplements and pills and other health-focused products, but she never wrote a will or gave any thought to what she wanted her final days to look like. Not many people do. As a family I don’t think any of us were prepared to advocate for her and help her go with the peace and dignity that she deserved. She was such a force of nature, so it was devastating to see her decline so rapidly when her body couldn’t handle the impact of treatments that were meant to extend her life, but ultimately made her last days and weeks more painful.

This book helped me understand that the experience of her death was unfortunately common, but also that there are better ways to approach end-of-life care. As someone who works in health and wellness, it’s also helped me to reframe how I think about what “living well” looks like.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

So, this is sort of embarrassing because I feel like you’re supposed to share a quote from a philosopher or revered author but honestly the message I come back to when I’m feeling stuck or in need of inspiration is from the (amazing, 9-minute-long psychedelic) song “Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts” by Funkadelic. The entire song is truly perfect but I think about this line when I need inspiration:

You can find the answer

The solution lies within the problem

The answer is in every question

For me it’s a reminder to lean into the tricky, messy stuff instead of running away from it, whatever it is. It’s a reminder to stay curious and to trust myself and my path.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Let’s start with the basics. How much sleep should an adult get? Is there a difference between people who are young, middle-aged, or elderly?

There’s really no one size fits all when it comes to sleep — or anything in health, really — but there are helpful guidelines that we can use. Currently, the CDC recommends about 7 to 9 hours a night for adults, but the exact “sweet spot” is different for everyone.

Your sleep needs do change as you age, and you generally need a bit less sleep the older you get. That said, the amount of change depends on the person, their lifestyle, job, health concerns, and other factors.

Is the amount of hours the main criteria, or the time that you go to bed? For example, if there was a hypothetical choice between getting to bed at 10PM and getting up at 4AM, for a total of 6 hours, or going to bed at 2AM and getting up at 10AM for a total of 8 hours, is one a better choice for your health? Can you explain?

Ideally, a routine that matches the sun’s schedule — getting up with the sun and going to sleep not long after sundown — is best for balancing your circadian rhythm and supporting better sleep in general. But that schedule may not be possible or even realistic for everyone, especially if you work late hours or have other responsibilities that might prevent you from getting into bed at an earlier hour. A good tip for figuring out the right bedtime for you is to take the time you need to wake up and subtract by 7 — what you come up with is generally the time you should be in bed. But the “best bedtime” is somewhat relative — it’s going to look different from person to person.

I would say that the amount and quality of sleep — and especially deep sleep — is what makes a big difference. Deep sleep is where a lot of the good stuff happens.

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for our readers. Let’s imagine a hypothetical 35-year-old adult who was not getting enough sleep. After working diligently at it for 6 months he or she began to sleep well and got the requisite hours of sleep. How will this person’s life improve? Can you help articulate some of the benefits this person will see after starting to get enough sleep? Can you explain?

Rest is super productive — when we get the sleep we need at night and take breaks throughout the day, it helps our bodies and minds reset and regenerate. It helps our cells repair, helps our muscles and tissues heal faster, balances hormones, and improves mental well-being and even the way our brain functions and stores memory.

Anecdotally, I can attest to the benefits of getting good sleep on a more regular basis — and the impact of chronic sleep deprivation. My husband and I welcomed our daughter late last summer, and like most new parents we found ourselves operating in a serious sleep deficit pretty quickly. With babies, that’s just how it goes — their sleep cycles and needs are very different from adults, and the sleeplessness is sort of a rite of passage for parents. Those lost hours caught up with me, though. I was having trouble carrying on conversations, my anxiety was louder than ever, and my moods were all over the place. We realized that we needed to try something new and were able to work with a sleep coach to help us make some changes to our sleep habits and routines (for our baby and for ourselves). It didn’t happen overnight, but within a few weeks I could feel what a major difference getting some extra hours of uninterrupted sleep made. I was more alert, my moods felt lighter, and the usual stresses of being a new mom just felt a bit more manageable. I felt like my old self again.

I’m a firm believer that good sleep helps us to be better versions of ourselves and gives us more energy to invest in the things and the people we love.

Many things provide benefits but they aren’t necessarily a priority. Should we make getting a good night’s sleep a major priority in our life? Can you explain what you mean?

I think the last few years have made a lot of people think differently about their health, and to prioritize the things that help them feel better. There’s so much in life that we can’t control, which makes it even more urgent to take good care of ourselves. In a busy world, sleep can feel like a luxury, but the cost of sleep deprivation is much higher.

But I think it’s important to remember that healthy behaviors have a sort of ripple effect on each other — sleep is just one part of that ecosystem, and good sleep is about more than what happens when your head hits the pillow each night. Exercising, managing stress, tending to your mental health, when and what you eat — all of those things impact your sleep each night, and how you sleep at night impacts all of those things. It’s all connected.

The truth is that most of us know that it’s important to get better sleep. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives? How should we remove those obstacles?

Work/life imbalance and societal views on sleep/rest: Our culture has sort of been fixated on a hustle mentality that treats rest as a reward, or something we might indulge in only once we’ve accomplished enough. This has come to a head as the separation between work and our personal lives became even more blurry (or non-existent) as many people began working from home. In some ways, the events of the last few years have forced a cultural shift in the way we think about rest as it relates to our health and well-being, and this conversation has become more front-and-center thanks to the trailblazing work of social justice and disability rights advocates. It’s important for organizations as well as individuals to recognize the need for better work/life balance, and to change the narrative on how we think about rest as it relates to productivity.

Stimulation overload: We spend hours every day on smartphones and computers. Both are sources of a constant stream of information and lots of blue light, which can suppress melatonin production and disrupt your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to fall and stay asleep. Most experts recommend gradually reducing screen time during the day and avoiding screens entirely for at least an hour before bedtime. You can also use things like Nighttime mode on your phone or blue-light blocking apps or glasses, or set limits on screen time to help reduce exposure (and maybe your stress levels, too).

Lack of awareness/ accessibility: Wellness innovations or technology can often feel out of reach, due to cost, complexity, or because people don’t really feel like those tools are designed with them in mind. At Healthline Sleep, we focus on practical advice that feels easy and accessible to help people take steps towards their goals and make it easier to connect with expert resources.

Do you think getting “good sleep” is more difficult today than it was in the past?

I’m not sure if it’s actually more difficult or if we just pay more attention to sleep now because we have better research and data. Either way, what we do know is that roughly one-third of adults in the U.S. don’t get enough sleep. We also surveyed Healthline readers and 3 out of 5 said that they get only light sleep, and more than half experience pain or discomfort that interferes with their ability to fall or stay asleep.

When we think about this in the context of the present day, it’s not surprising why so many people are feeling restless. We’ve all been living under a state of heightened stress for more than two years as a result of a pandemic, rising inequality, political unrest, grief, and loss. We exist in a 24/7 news cycle and are consuming media through devices for most of the day, so it’s really easy to get overwhelmed.

In general, health goals tend to fall to the bottom of the priority list behind work and the other responsibilities and challenges of daily life because we often don’t feel like we have enough time, energy, or money to invest in them. I hope that Healthline Sleep can help make it easier for people to take steps towards those goals, even if it’s just one minor change at a time.

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. Can you please share “5 things you need to know to get the sleep you need and wake up refreshed and energized”? If you can, kindly share a story or example for each.

Follow a nighttime routine. I really enjoy simple rituals throughout the day; they give me a chance to slow down and be mindful no matter how busy my day is. A nighttime routine can ease the transition from day to night and help you decompress. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive or even take more than a few minutes. In fact, the simpler the better — that way it’s easier to do night after night. My husband and I have a very basic bedtime routine with our baby girl and it’s become a really sweet part of our day.

Get outside and move your body. Natural light helps regulate your circadian rhythm and regular exercise can help you relax (but avoid intense workouts at least two hours before your bedtime, otherwise it can have the opposite effect). Try a short morning walk or focus on some low-impact stretching before bed to signal to your brain and body that it’s time to wind down.

Think about your sleep environment. Again, don’t overthink it! You don’t have to spend a ton of money or time renovating your bedroom, but a few basic changes might make all the difference in the quality of your sleep. Little things like adjusting the temperature, adding white noise, or getting a set of blackout curtains (fellow parents might agree!) might help you get better, deeper sleep.

Nurture your mental health. Sleep and mental health have a symbiotic relationship; when one part flourishes, so does the other. The inverse is also true. As much as getting good rest can boost your mood, being intentional about self-care as it relates to your mental health can also improve the quality of your sleep.

Ask for help. What may work for someone else may not work for you. For many people, small lifestyle or behavior changes may be enough but others may need more help, and that’s okay. Talk to a healthcare provider to explore other options if you’re not getting the sleep you need and deserve.

What would you advise someone who wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep?

I’d say to listen to your body and consider if there are other factors at play. Are you doomscrolling right up until bedtime? Is your bedroom too hot? When was your last meal? Are you experiencing a lot of stress right now? Once you can narrow in on the culprit(s), you’ll have a better idea of how to address it. We have a lot of great resources on Healthline Sleep (like this sleep-style quiz) that might be able to help identify what’s causing sleep disturbances.

What are your thoughts about taking a nap during the day? Is that a good idea, or can it affect the ability to sleep well at night?

Becoming a parent has helped me to appreciate naps on a whole new level! A daytime nap can be a good idea, but like many things, it’s about moderation. The timing and length of a nap makes all the difference — napping too long or too late in the day can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep. The key to feeling refreshed is limiting your naps to about 20 minutes a day. That might seem laughably short, but it’s enough to help you hit the reset button without dropping into deep sleep, which can leave you feeling groggy for the rest of the day.

Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Oh god, I can never answer these types of questions. Who can pick just one?! This might be cheating, but if time were irrelevant I would say the late, great bell hooks. Her work has touched so many people; she helped connect the dots on ideas and concepts that seemed too big to comprehend and put words to feelings that were hard to articulate. I’ve read and re-read “All About Love: New Visions” at different stages in my life and her words are always right on time.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can check out Healthline.com , sign up for our newsletters and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all things health and wellness. You can find me on LinkedIn and Instagram @errrnlee.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!