How did you sleep last night? I’ve been having a tough time with it lately. My evening ritual currently involves scrolling through TikTok videos until my eyelids drop, or listening to my favorite ASMR influencer clean her mic with a soft makeup brush — at least until my anxieties fade and I’m able to partially doze off. While these strategies work from time to time, I do recognize there are healthier ways to manage the circling thoughts that bubble up before bed. (Fun fact: Our brains amplify fear when we’re tired — that’s why our problems seem more overwhelming in the middle of the night.) There’s plenty of sleep advice out there: Beware of the blue light, exercise, engage in mindful meditation. Some people suggest setting the room temperature to a cool 60 degrees. But do these strategies actually work? Fed up with groggy morning meetings and caffeine addictions, we wanted to investigate. We dug into the HBR archives, and reached out to a few experts on sleep for their insights. And to make sure their suggestions are failsafe, we even conducted a few experiments of our own. Recommended Reads I Was Diagnosed with Insomnia. Here’s How I Get More Sleep by Apurva Purohit Most adults need at least seven to nine hours of sleep to function properly, but few of us are hitting those numbers. In this educational essay, author Apurva Purohit walks us through how she overcame insomnia after way too many nights of sleep deprivation. I Tried Four Tactics to Get a Better Night’s Sleep by Kelsey Alpaio Our editor, Kelsey Alpaio, tested out some of the most common “sleep hacks.” You might be surprised by what she found. Why You Should Choose Sleep Over Work by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic More sleep is good for our health — we all know this. But do you know what happens to your brain when you don’t sleep? We asked psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic to tell us what a lack of sleep does to our bodies, our minds, and our work. Learn How to Beat Your Body Clock and Get an Early Start by Alice Gregory and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Whereas some of us are “morning people,” functioning best early in the day, others are “night people” and do our best work in the evenings — though most people fall somewhere in between. You can use zeitgebers (environmental cues) to help adjust your body clock. You Need More Sleep. What Should You Do If You Can’t Get It? by Christopher M. Barnes What if you’ve tried it all, but nothing seems to be working? For those of us tossing and turning in our sheets, sleep researcher Christopher M. Barnes has a few hacks highlighting how we can stay productive, even when we’re not well-rested. How Working Parents Can Prioritize Sleep by Amie M. Gordon and Christopher M. Barnes Instead of sleeping, parents often use those precious few moments they have at the end of the day to catch up on work or take some much needed me-time. But the problems that come with not getting enough sleep won’t simply step aside and wait until retirement. So… try out these tips instead. Sleep Songs Still can’t get those Zzzzzzs? We’ve asked our editors to suggest some chill vibes music to help you out. Visit our Spotify page to view the entire playlist. Like what you see? This article is adapted from our weekly newsletter.
