Strategic naps can help you recover from sleep deprivation
Jean Gaumi/Magnum Photo
Sleep researchers devote their careers to understanding how and why we sleep. So what do they do to get a better night’s rest?
It may be comforting to know that even experts don’t always practice what they preach. “I think you’ll find that a lot of sleep researchers are terrible at sleep,” says Malcolm von Schantz of Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
This article is part of a special series exploring important questions about sleep. Click here for details.
But what many of them agree on is that consistency is key. Here’s what else they had to say:
make a plan
“It’s all about prioritization and planning. For example, I’m a night owl and like to go to bed late and wake up late, so I try not to have meetings before 10am. I’m thinking ahead about the timing of what’s best for me and how I can adjust my schedule to support that.”
Stephen Lockley, Time Shifter
control the lighting
“We keep the lights in our house pretty dim when the sun goes down, turn on as many indoor lights as possible in the morning, and make sure to open the blinds to let sunlight into the house as soon as the sun goes down. I think it’s really important to minimize night light and maximize morning light.
Christopher Depner, University of Utah
keep cool
“Sleep science shows that your body (body temperature) should drop completely…
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