By Dr. Fowler, DCN - functional medicine- and Ayurveda-based Doctor of Clinical Nutrition

Why do we even need to sleep? We sleep for rest and recovery, healing of injuries, memory consolidation, cognitive and metabolic health, and neuroplasticity … to name a few. The amount and quality of sleep we get deeply affects how well we think, react, work, learn, communicate, focus, and get along with others. Poor sleep affects our whole body from our cardiovascular and circulatory systems to our immune, reproductive and metabolic systems, along with our brain and mental health.

Sleep and rest are non-negotiable, yet – even considering all of the above – we don’t treat them that way. Because, let’s be honest here: Life happens.

So if good quality sleep is really that important, how can you ensure that you make the most of the sleep you get? That’s exactly what we’ll explore in this article: how to sleep better by working with your body’s own rhythms instead of against them.

But first, let’s talk a little about the science of sleep.

Circadian Rhythm: Light-Dark, Cortisol-Melatonin Cycles

Our body runs on many biological clocks; one of the most well-known and important is our circadian rhythm. It manages the 24-hour cycle of physical, mental, and behavioral changes. It’s driven largely by light and dark, but is heavily influenced by food intake, stress, sleep patterns, physical activity, social environment, and temperature. Because the circadian rhythm is a cycle, it doesn’t just get influenced by these internal and external factors, it also influences important systems and processes in the body.

The hormones cortisol and melatonin are part of the light-dark cycle that sets the circadian rhythm. Melatonin works with the setting sun and darkness; it signals bedtime. Cortisol works with rising sun and light; it signals wake-time. Dysfunction in the cortisol-melatonin cycle is a big contributor to poor sleep. Why? Because these hormones create the foundation for sleep. Without the right amounts released at the right times, it can be extremely challenging to get enough good-quality sleep.

There are a few key moments in the cortisol-melatonin cycle each day that make a real difference in our ability to get good sleep:

• Cortisol will peak within 30-60 minutes of waking up, then should gently decrease throughout the rest of the day (Fries et al., 2009). It’s important to not raise this peak even higher (which can happen with caffeine, high-stress events, consuming foods that stress the body, etc.), so that it can decrease enough throughout the day.

• Cortisol should significantly drop-off in the later afternoon/early evening. This drop-off, or cliff, is needed to ensure that melatonin production not only starts on time but also reaches its peak.

• Melatonin levels increase 2-3 hours prior to bedtime and peak around 2-3 a.m. (Gooley et al., 2011).*

* These timeframes may vary person-to-person and are representative of a nocturnal sleep schedule (meaning, they don’t apply to individuals who may have inverted sleep schedules, like shift-workers).

So, knowing all of this: When does a good night’s sleep start?

Here’s a hint: It’s not at bedtime.

A good night’s sleep actually starts in the day. I hope you find that notion as comforting and empowering as I do, because it means there are so many more things we can try to help us get really good sleep that aren’t confined to the window between your head hitting the pillow and finally drifting off.

How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?

Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, though sleep needs shift across the lifespan (Hirshkowitz et al., 2015).

Our sleep needs change as we age. Babies and toddlers usually need between 12-16 hours per night, while teenagers need about 8-10 hours. Most adults likely know they should get 6-9 hours of sleep per night, with 7-8 hours being ideal; less than 5 hours and more than 10 per night can be equally detrimental for most people. As we get older, getting adequate amounts of sleep, especially deep sleep, becomes particularly challenging.

While 7-8 hours may be ideal, that isn’t always possible. I tend to believe that 5 hours of really great sleep is superior to 9 hours of interrupted, poor sleep. As with so many things in life, when it comes to sleep, it’s almost always quality over quantity.

Make the Most of the Sleep You Get

You are not doomed if you can’t manage that 6-9 hours. Here are five ways to make the most of the sleep you get.

1. Be Consistent

I know most people don’t love hearing me say this. BUT, being consistent really is one of the most important factors for getting good, restful sleep. Habits, large and small, add up. If the only thing you can add to your life right now is a consistent bedtime and wake-time, your body will love (and hopefully, reward) that consistency.

The things we do everyday create the rhythm for our body and mind; our habits set the tone, pace, and internal physiological expectations for the body. You reinforce what your body can expect with the things you consistently do (or don’t do).

Try This: Keep track of your daily habits for a few days (a week, if possible) in a note or journal. At the end of the week do an inventory and identify which habits you’ve chosen and which ones sort of just happened (this includes mindless scroll time). You may be surprised at what you find. The more intentional you can be with choosing your habits, the higher likelihood that you can establish consistent sleep habits that lead to feeling well-rested.

2. Sleep Hygiene is Queen

Sleep hygiene refers to the practices, habits, and routines that help you get a good night’s sleep. There are SO many sleep hygiene practices; it’s a great area to experiment with to figure out what works for you. Here are some of the most useful ones to choose from:

• Keep a consistent bedtime and wake-time - weekends included.
  
• Get 10 minutes of natural light within an hour of waking.
  
• Wait about an hour after waking for your first caffeine, and stop caffeine by early afternoon.
  
• Move your body in the first half of the day.
  
• Start with a protein-forward breakfast, and finish larger meals 2-3 hours before bed.
  
• Dim the lights and screens in the last hour before bed.
  
• Keep the bedroom dark, quiet, and on the cool side.
  
• Keep digital devices out of the bedroom.
  
• Save the bed for sleep, rest, and sex.
  
• Wind down with something analog - reading, gentle stretching, a warm shower.
  
• If you’ve been lying awake for more than about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm until you feel sleepy.

Try This: Choose 1-3 sleep hygiene practices to try for two weeks. The goal is not to do everything on this list; the goal is to find the practices that fit into your life with relative ease (because if it’s easy, we’re more likely to keep doing it) and that actually work for you. Remember: It’s not one size fits all. What works for your significant other, friend, or family member may not work for you. Consider this a two-week test-and-learn; test it out, see if it works, learn from your findings; keep what works, move on from what doesn’t.

3. Start in the Day

As previously mentioned, there’s a lot of opportunity to work on a great night’s sleep during the day. Here are a few things to consider:

• Get your cortisol working for you first thing in the morning by getting some early morning sunshine – just 10 minutes, even by a window, can help regulate the cortisol-melatonin cycle. Bonus: With sunshine comes Vitamin D, which can help support your mood.

• Wait an hour after waking to have caffeine. This helps ensure you're not raising your cortisol and starting the day off with higher levels, which may interfere with the gradual decrease throughout the day.

• Be physically active in the first half of the day. This can help ensure your body has recovered adequately by the time you go to sleep. It also can help tire you out, so you’re more ready for bed by bedtime. Physical activity and exercise are also a great way to manage stress and mood, which can help keep that cortisol moving in the right direction.

• Start the day with a protein-forward breakfast. This can help stabilize blood glucose, which in turn can help reduce physiological stress by minimizing blood glucose spikes and dips, which – you guessed it – can help keep your cortisol on that nice gentle decline. There also is an insulin-melatonin connection, making metabolic health an important factor for sleep, but that’s an article for another time.

4. Recalibrate Your Body’s Connection with Bed

Think about all the things you do in bed. Do you read? Watch TV? Doom scroll? Eat? The things you do in bed teach your body what to expect when you go to bed.

Your bed is for three things: sleep, rest, and sex.

Maybe you’ve had a different experience: You can fall asleep on the couch, but then can’t sleep in bed. One reason may be that you’ve taught your body that couch = sleep. This may not be the case for everyone, of course, but I have certainly seen it play a factor.

Try This: Leave digital devices outside of the bedroom. If you need the sound from a TV, limit the impact from the light by covering the screen for the night (do this safely) or try white/brown/pink noise, instead.

5. Make Your Bedroom Your Haven

Finally, your bed and bedroom should be a place you want to be; it should feel like a refuge. When you think of some of the best sleep you’ve ever gotten, what did that environment include? Are there ways to replicate that in your own bed and bedroom?

The mindset you bring to bed, which can be influenced and reinforced by your physical environment, can affect your ability to sleep. The physical environment, itself, can affect your ability to sleep, too. For example, lack of a dark room may interfere with melatonin production. Interestingly, individuals who sleep in brighter rooms are at a higher risk of developing diabetes (Salomon et al., 2025) - it’s that circadian rhythm and metabolic health connection again.

One area we don’t always consider is how our space smells. Bad smells can certainly keep us from focusing on anything else, but good smells can do more than just create a relaxing tone for the room: The presence of certain essential oil scents overnight may help improve memory and cognition (Woo et al., 2023); essential oils are not for everyone and may offer other health tradeoffs to consider. Don’t forget to consider temperature, both the temperature of the room and whether you’re a hot or cold sleeper. The right sheets, mattress topper, and comforter or duvet can go a long way to helping you stay cool or warm enough. Finally, proper head and neck support from the right pillow can also impact sleep quality.

The Bottom Line

Good, restful sleep isn’t something that usually happens by chance once you climb into bed; it’s built throughout the day, through your morning light exposure, caffeine timing, movement, and meals, and reinforced through consistency, sleep hygiene, and a bedroom environment that actually supports rest.

You don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Pick one or two strategies from this article, give them a genuine two-week trial, and pay attention to what your body tells you. Sleep is foundational to nearly every system in the body. Poor sleep can be the thing that undermines a great day and big efforts, it can also be the thing that exacerbates a hard moment. Small, consistent shifts in how you approach sleep and rest can make a meaningful difference in how you think, feel, and perform.

If the bedroom is the piece you’d like to work on, you can explore our organic pillows, mattress toppers, and bedding online, or visit one of our Bay Area showrooms to compare them in person. Our sleep advisors are always happy to talk through what suits your sleep style.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep

1. What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is the set of daily practices, habits, and routines that support good sleep, things like a consistent bedtime and wake-time, morning light exposure, cutting off caffeine early, keeping devices out of the bedroom, and a dark, quiet, cool room. It is not a single fix. Most people do best choosing one to three practices that fit easily into their life and testing them for two weeks.

2. How much sleep do I really need?

Most adults need 7 to 9 hours per night, teenagers need about 8 to 10, and babies and toddlers need 12 to 16. Consistently sleeping less than 5 hours or more than 10 can be equally detrimental for most adults. That said, quality matters as much as quantity, 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep can leave you feeling better than 9 broken ones.

3. Why am I still tired after 8 hours of sleep?

Hours in bed and hours asleep are not the same thing, and fragmented sleep does not deliver the same recovery as continuous sleep. Common causes include a disrupted cortisol-melatonin cycle from late caffeine, evening light, or irregular timing; a room that is too warm, too bright, or too noisy; and an unsupportive mattress or pillow that causes micro-awakenings you never consciously register. Start with consistent timing and morning light, then look at the sleep environment.

4. How can I get more deep and REM sleep?

Deep and REM sleep are largely governed by timing rather than effort. A consistent bedtime and wake-time, morning light exposure, physical activity in the first half of the day, no alcohol close to bedtime, and a genuinely dark room give your body the best chance to complete full sleep cycles. Deep sleep naturally declines with age, which makes protecting sleep continuity more important as you get older.

5. Does my bedroom environment really affect sleep quality?

Yes. Light is the strongest signal, a room that is not dark enough can interfere with melatonin production, and people who sleep in brighter rooms have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Temperature, noise, scent, and the support of your mattress, topper, and pillow all measurably affect how easily you fall asleep and how often you wake.

Dr. Fowler, DCN is a functional medicine- and Ayurveda-based Doctor of Clinical Nutrition, who addresses stress at the intersections of gut health, hormonal health, sleep, and mood. *Disclaimer: Dr. Fowler, DCN is not a medical doctor. This information is educational and informational only; it is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease. Always check with your licensed medical provider before making changes to your health.*