Three habits matter most for better sleep: keep a consistent bedtime and get seven hours nightly, make your room dark by avoiding screens before bed, and keep it cool. Temperature strongly predicts deeper sleep.
If sleep is that key, the real key to longevity, what are some natural tools people can do to support their sleep?
First and foremost, you just gotta have a routine. There's almost no one that can survive and thrive off less than 7 hours of sleep for a long period of time. Try to go to bed at that same time every single night, even on the weekends for the most part. Number 2, you gotta have darkness. We literally have evolved to have this ability to sleep at night because of a hormone called melatonin, which can only be released if there's no light. We stare into our phones or tablets or screens, TVs, whatever it may be, till the moment that we're ready to go to bed. And so melatonin hasn't had a chance to build up because it can only build up in darkness. Number 3, it's got to be cool. There's tons of data on that, especially the temperature is one of the most predictive of how well you sleep, how deep you'll sleep, how long you'll sleep. If it's warm, you're not going to be able to get quality sleep. Sleep. So cool, dark. If you are sensitive to noise, wear earplugs. But I would say routine plus the sleep environment is the most critical.
