Sleep qual­ity plays a huge role in one’s mental and phys­i­cal health, however, both teens and adults tend to strug­gle with getting a good night’s rest. This can result in nega­tive effects on hormones, brain func­tion, weight, and can also increase the risk of disease. The bene­fits of getting qual­ity sleep include reduc­ing stress, a more posi­tive mood, think­ing clearer, and can even improve memory.

Setting a nightly routine can help to set a healthy sleep sched­ule, even if it includes just one or two small adjust­ments. “I turn off my phone an hour before bed so that I’m not tempted to go on it later at night,” said junior Susanna Lampros. A rising issue with insuf­fi­cient sleep is tech­nol­ogy in the bedroom. Accord­ing to Sleep Foun­da­tion, 75% of chil­dren and 70% of adults use elec­tronic devices before they go to bed. It is best to try and keep your room tech­nol­ogy-free, but that can be a diffi­cult habit to change.

Tips to improve the qual­ity of sleep:

1. Create a space dedi­cated to your elec­tron­ics: Whether it be in your room, or some­where else in your house, having a space made to put all your elec­tron­ics away can help you refrain from being distracted by them.
2. Try and set a limit on your screen time: Plenty of phones and comput­ers already have ways to set a timer for your phones. It would be best to try and set a limit in which you can’t use your phone 30–45 minutes before bed.
3. Do not work right before bed: “I always do my home­work right before bed,” said sopho­more Aidan Cruz Salang. However, work­ing right before bed, espe­cially when work­ing on your laptop, can reduce the amount of mela­tonin you need to fall asleep.
4. Get a basic alarm clock, rather than using your phone: Using your cell phone as an alarm clock will mean that you’re getting exposed to radi­a­tion and EMF (elec­tro­mo­tive force) fields all night long, which can affect your memory and how well you learn.
5. Grab a book and read before bed: Senior Evie Garces-Foley said that “read­ing for before bed really helps me because I get to calm down my mind a bit.” Even just 10 minutes of read­ing before bed can reduce stress by over 50%. Other bene­fits of read­ing before bed can include an improve­ment in creativ­ity, brain power, and concentration.

The tips listed above are to help qual­ity of sleep, but like fresh­man Parker Rice said, “When I do sleep, I sleep great, it just takes a bit to fall asleep,” which can be a real strug­gle. While some people have no prob­lem falling asleep, others may have severe diffi­culty when doing so.

Tips to help fall asleep:

1. Get on a sched­ule: Your body has its own regu­la­tory system, like an inter­nal clock. Waking up and going to bed at the same time can help that inter­nal clock keep a regu­lar sched­ule, and once your body adjusts to this it’ll be easier to fall asleep and wake up.
2. Lower the temper­a­ture: Your body temper­a­ture changes as you fall asleep, you cool down when you lie down, and warms up when you get up. If your room is too hot you may have trou­ble falling asleep, so setting the ther­mo­stat to 60–67°F could help.
3. Visu­al­ize things that make you happy: Pictur­ing and concen­trat­ing on an envi­ron­ment that makes you feel peace­ful and relaxed can take your mind away from the thoughts that keep you up at night.