A sleep scientist reveals his 7 secrets to getting a good night's sleep

June 30, 2017

A sleep scientist reveals his 7 secrets to getting a good night's sleep

woman sleeping bed asleep resting peaceful shutterstock_468688070

Sleep is one of the most fundamental and basic things humans do.

If we don't get enough, terrible things begin happening to our minds and bodies. And if we don't get any sleep after too long, we'll literally die.

But many find it extremely challenging to not only get an adequate and consistent amount of sleep every night, but to do it well.

Business Insider previously turned to an expert — sleep scientist Patrick Fuller, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School — to get some answers.

He gave us the lowdown on what he does to ensure a good night's sleep every single night.

While this routine works for Fuller, it may not be feasible for everyone's lifestyle and schedule. But Fuller says that this schedule leaves him feeling happy and rested.

Here are seven things he does to ensure a great sleep every night.

Julia Calderone wrote a previous version of this post.

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He wakes up at the same time every morning

The problem many people have when trying fall asleep is that their sleep schedule isn't a schedule at all, but a free-for-all.

If you wake up at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning and then try to fall asleep later that night to be up for work by 7 a.m. Monday, you're not going to have enough "sleep drive" — or the desire to fall asleep — to hit the hay early enough.

"When people get up later and later, they have less sleep drive and they think, I can't sleep I have insomnia," Fuller said. "Well, no, actually your sleep drive isn't that high."

Waking up at the same time every morning is one of the most important things you can do to get a good night's sleep, Fuller said.

He avoids stimulants past mid-day

At the end of a long workday, it's tempting to turn to that late afternoon latte to power you through. But avoid that espresso machine at all costs.

Caffeine has a long half-life, meaning that it takes up to six hours to wear off, so resist the urge to slurp sodas, coffees, and teas later in the day.

Fuller skips coffee altogether and goes with a much less jolting green tea in the morning, which can have about half as much caffeine as a cup of drip coffee.

"I just prefer tea," Fuller said. "I love the smell of coffee, it just has too much caffeine for me."

He only drinks a little bit at around mid-morning, and never drinks it after noon.

He gets at least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise during the day

Exercise is like a magical tonic that can help prevent a variety of ills such as stress, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain types of cancer, dementia, and more.

It's also great for sleep. Studies have shown that morning and afternoon workouts can increase a person's quality and amount of sleep at night.

But try not to do strenuous exercise right before bedtime, as it can boost your body temperature and activate your muscles, making it harder to fall asleep shortly after.

Fuller said that he tries to get in some form of activity every day, even if it's just running stairs or taking a quick jog for 20 to 30 minutes.

"Maintaining some level of physical activity is really important," Fuller said.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider