How Sleep Experts Sleep

And what you can learn from their strategies to improve your sleep

Scientists who study sleep and its challenges are no different from you and me when it comes to successful slumber. Some sleep well, some not so great, and they all have bad nights now and then. One advantage they share, however, is an intimate knowledge of how to fall asleep more easily and — most important — get the vital minutes of high-quality deep sleep necessary to truly rejuvenate the mind and body each night.

You’re probably aware of several common and helpful sleep tips they all advise: exercise regularly, eat well, avoid or limit alcohol, curb caffeine intake.

But when I interviewed sleep experts and other scientists for my book, Make Sleep Your Superpower, I found that each of them draws from certain specific tactics to create their own personalized sleep strategy. These are simple, helpful approaches anyone can consider, along with the solid suggestions above and many more, to dramatically improve sleep and, therefore, health and happiness. As I write in the book’s intro:

Like breathing and eating, sleep is necessary for survival. It’s also the most underrated and ignored activity that affects physical well-being, energy level, mood, memory and thinking skills, your immune system, and how long you’ll live. Better sleep will put you in charge of your emotions, your actions and reactions, your productivity, your entire day.