Summary.    Getting high-quality sleep is essential to one’s overall well-being. For four days, I tried four different techniques that would supposedly improve my sleep.

Meditating before bed can help clear your mind, but for me, it led to more overthinking and lower-quality...

I love sleep. And I can fall asleep just about anywhere: cars, airplanes, couches, floors. The only exception is potentially haunted houses.

It’s not just the action of sleeping that I love. I have always been fascinated by the study of sleep, because, get this — scientists still have no idea why we sleep. Of course, there are theories, like how sleep helps us organize our memories, flush out toxins, and restore our bodies. One thing scientists are sure about is that it’s bad when we don’t get enough sleep, especially high-quality sleep.

It’s the high-quality piece that has always been the problem for me. Like I said, I can fall asleep fairly easily. And I almost always get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Yet, there are still some days where I’ll wake up and feel like a literal zombie. And, to be honest, I’m kind of over it. (Also, I don’t have dreams anymore. I feel like that’s probably bad.)

I wanted to figure out what exactly was going on, so for four days I tried four different techniques that would supposedly improve my sleep. I wore a smart watch to bed throughout this project to get some cold, hard data on myself. I also journaled daily to keep track of my mood and overall well-being. Here’s what happened:

Friday-Saturday: No Technique

I wanted to see what kind of sleep I was getting on a normal night, before I tried any new tactics. According to the sleep app on my watch, I got a 74% quality rating last night — not bad (25% is considered terrible and 90% is great). I slept for six hours and 30 minutes, and apparently it took me 40 minutes to fall asleep, which was much longer than I expected. The app works by tracking my heart rate and movements to help estimate when I’m awake, in light sleep, deep sleep, or REM (Rapid Eye Movement).

According to “science,” or at least the FAQ page on my sleep app’s website, to achieve the best quality sleep, an adult should aim for the following values: 5% awake, 35% light, 35% deep, and 25% REM. Last night my values were: 17% awake, 30% light sleep, 34% deep sleep, and 19% REM. Things are getting pretty technical here, but basically, I have some room for improvement.

When it comes to how I actually feel today, I’d give it a solid “meh.” I don’t feel terrible but I also don’t feel like jumping on a couch or anything.

Sunday-Monday: Meditation

Meditation has never been my thing. Believe me, I’ve tried, but I always come up with an excuse to blow it off. So last night, I forced myself to try meditation for sleep. Meditating before bed is supposed to help you clear your mind and wind down, thereby creating a better environment for higher-quality sleep. I did a five-minute exercise called a “visualization,” where the guide basically tells you to imagine that each individual muscle in your body is “shutting down.”

I found myself sort of giggling and fidgeting through the first minute or so, but then it did start to feel pretty relaxing. It felt like I was sinking into the bed, and when it was over, I could barely open my eyes. Which was both good and bad. Although my brain had shut off during the actual meditation, it came back with a vengeance. My eyelids were heavy, but I wasn’t actually tired, so of course I started overthinking. My brain raced with thoughts about the pandemic, all the awkward things I said yesterday, and how I can’t believe [redacted for spoilers] was actually “Gossip Girl” the whole time.

Despite all of this, I was able to fall asleep fairly quickly, but it definitely felt like light sleep. According to my watch, it took me 20 minutes to fall asleep, but my quality rating was lower at 66%. I slept for about eight hours, but 49% of my sleep was “light sleep” (should be around 35%), and only 11% was REM (should be around 25%). And today, I do feel a bit groggy. (It’s also Monday, so read into that what you will).

My verdict on meditation for sleep: It’s nice for helping you fall asleep faster, but for me, it didn’t impact my quality of sleep. And pro tip: make sure you’re actually tired before doing it or you might end up like me, experiencing the opposite effect.

Monday-Tuesday: No Screens

Last night, I went after what I suspect is my biggest problem: My addiction to watching “The Office” until I fall asleep. As comforting as it is to have some familiar background noise, I’d be lying if I said I’m not frequently woken up in the middle of the night by the loudest theme music of all time. Plus, apparently all the blue light from television and phone screens is really bad for your circadian rhythm (basically the thing that helps regulate your sleep and lets you know when it’s time to wake up).

So I tried out the technique of not using any screens (phone, e-reader, television, laptop) for two hours before bed. Instead of playing video games or watching some terrible show on Netflix (Re: “Gossip Girl”), I listened to a podcast, did some arts and crafts, and read a few chapters in the latest sci-fi book I’m into. It was super relaxing.

And the best part is, it WORKED. First of all, I woke up feeling actually refreshed. I didn’t even feel the immediate need for coffee. (Who am I?) As for the data, my sleep quality score went way up to 84%. I slept for a little more than eight hours, and it only took me 10 minutes to fall asleep. My REM sleep was right on target at 25%, as was my awake time at 6%. I even had a dream! (I was a football coach or something, it was super weird.)

I’m actually shocked that this worked, and a little sad that it means I should probably stop watching TV in bed.

Tuesday-Wednesday: Exercise

Yesterday, I took all of that extra energy and put it towards an intense workout. I’m pretty good at regularly fitting in 30 minutes or so of exercise, but nothing too crazy. And I know getting exercise is really important to helping you get a good night’s sleep. What I didn’t know is that the time of day you exercise actually matters a lot. I am very much not a morning person, so I normally workout right after work, if not later. Apparently, working out too late at night can negatively impact your sleep, and it’s better to workout first thing in the morning. I compromised with a 60-minute, early-afternoon workout.

As for how I slept last night, it wasn’t great. I feel kind of hungover this morning (one of those no-alcohol hangovers that means I’m dehydrated from something else). Even though the workout felt great, I definitely didn’t drink enough water after, and I think that made the workout tactic backfire. Lack of proper hydration can also negatively impact your sleep quality, and I felt that for sure.

I would like to try this tactic again because I think it has its merits. But, there are ways it could have the reverse impact if you don’t hydrate properly or if you exercise too closely to bedtime.

Wednesday-Thursday: No Afternoon Caffeine

I’m writing this entry on Wednesday in the midst of missing my afternoon jolt. Consuming large amounts of caffeine has been proven to negatively impact sleep quality. I had coffee this morning because I was afraid of getting caffeine withdrawal, but I’m cutting out my usual afternoon cup to see what will happen.

I’m mad at myself for this one. Mostly because I’m one of those people that considers being highly caffeinated to be a personality trait. Believe me, I’ve cut back from the double espressos I used to down in college. But I’m still on pretty strict orders (from myself and definitely not a medical professional) to drink at least two caffeinated beverages a day. Well, not today. (What’s the caffeine version of hangry? Because that’s how I feel right now.)

*18 hours later*: Okay, it wasn’t that bad. After my morning coffee today, I can admit that I was being a little dramatic yesterday. And I actually slept really well last night. It took me a bit longer to fall asleep, around 30 minutes, and I only slept for seven hours. But my sleep quality went back up to 82%, and my awake, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM values were all the closest they’ve been to the optimal combination.

In terms of how I feel, I’m definitely ready for the day. I don’t feel like superwoman, but maybe I would if I kept this up. Or chugged more coffee … either one will work right?

Reflection:

When I find something that’s comfortable for me, I tend to just stick to it. So this experiment has given me a nudge to push against some not-so-great habits.

I realize that a few of these tactics will likely take more than one try to show a significant impact on my sleep quality. But even going through the motions and trying out the different methods for better sleep was insightful. If I had to suggest you try one of these tactics, it would definitely be the “no screens” one. It takes the opposite of effort and had the biggest positive impact on how I actually felt the next day. I’ve tried it a few more times since my formal experimentation period ended, and I’ve always ended up feeling more rested.

Let me know if you found this experiment insightful in the comments (or you can also just tweet at us), and maybe next time I’ll try out your favorite tactic for a whole month and report back.