The Art of Better Sleep

Sleep is far more than just a period of rest. It is a foundation of physical and mental health. When sleep is limited, fragmented, or irregular, every biological system can be affected. For example, inadequate sleep can disrupt metabolism and digestion, compromise bone density and muscular health, weaken immune functioning, and interfere with the nervous system’s ability to function in an optimal manner. For children and adolescents, this may present as anxiety, low mood, impulsivity, inattention, challenges with memory, and academic difficulties (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2023; Public Health Ontario, 2024; Carmona et al., 2024; Paruthi et al., 2016). To support healthy development, the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, recommend 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night for children ages 5 to 13, 8 to 10 hours per night for adolescents ages 14 to 17, and 7 to 9 hours per night for young adults ages 18 and beyond (Paruthi et al., 2016). With these targets in mind, the following science-backed strategies can help young people sleep more consistently, improve the quality of their rest, and make each hour of sleep count.

Learn and observe.

Every human has a slightly different genetic make-up, biological clock, and ultimately, “user manual”. Familiarize yourself with yourself. Notice your natural sleep-wake cycle to understand your ideal sleep and wake times, as well as total sleep duration. This can be achieved by maintaining a daily sleep log for a period of about 2 weeks.

Start with the morning.

Using the baseline sleep data generated from the sleep log, choose a consistent wake-up time that you can maintain every day, including weekends. Your earliest required wake time should set the schedule for the entire week. For example, if you need to wake at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, aim to wake at 7:00 a.m. on weekends as well.

No snoozing.

The moment you wake, get out of bed, and start the day rather than snoozing and lingering under the cozy covers. Delaying wake up tends to train the system to experience a prolonged period of sleep inertia, that temporary state of grogginess, drowsiness, and low energy that immediately follows waking. There is nothing to it but to do it. A simple routine such as getting up, making your bed, and opening the curtains can help signal your body to begin the day. Over time, this consistency will likely make mornings feel easier and help you start the day feeling more alert and prepared.

Get morning sunlight.

Exposure to morning sunlight shortly after waking helps regulate the circadian rhythm. This signals the body to initiate a biochemical process that involves reducing levels of melatonin and raising levels of cortisol, thereby preparing all biological systems to face the day. Open the blinds, sit by a bright window, and ideally, step outside for a morning walk and soak in some morning rays.

Morning routine.

Ensure a streamlined morning routine that allows ample time for tasks to be completed without undue stress. Morning stress inevitably seeps into every element of the day, from our ability to concentrate on tasks, to our ability to fall asleep 16 hours later, it carries with it a serious set of non-sleeper effects.

Eat a solid breakfast.

This will ensure that your system is fueled and ready to go. It will help regulate your body’s internal clock, by waking the digestive system and preventing low blood sugar levels and a loss of energy, fatigue, and motivation within hours of starting the day. This will also prevent poor eating habits later in the day, such as consuming ultra processed foods and late-night bingeing, which ultimately impact quality of sleep.

Exercise, exercise, exercise.

This is one of those activities that positively impacts every area of life. Whether it is cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, immunological, or psychological, exercise is key to all areas of human functioning. And when it comes to sleep, physical exercise tends to regulate hormones and neurotransmitters that are critical to a healthy circadian rhythm. To this end, in keeping with the World Health Organization, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Canadian Paediatric Society, young people should engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily (with at least 3 of those days including vigorous intensity activities). And for young people with AD/HD or ASD, who on average, engage in significantly less physical exercise and more sedentary behaviour than their typically developing counterparts, targeting physical exercise when trying to regulate sleep might be especially important.

Eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Food is fuel, and the better the fuel, the more efficiently our entire system functions. When it comes to sleep, diets that are high in fiber, nutrient-rich, and contain healthy unsaturated fats, tend to improve sleep, while those that are low in these ingredients (e.g., ultra-processed foods), and high in caffeine, energy drinks, alcohol, nicotine, sugar, high-glycemic, and saturated fats tend to worsen sleep.

Eat melatonin-rich foods.

Research finds that various quantities of melatonin can be found in food. For example, in their analysis of melatonin content in selected foods, Kamfar and colleauges (2024) suggest that foods such as grapes, peppers, garlic, cauliflower, mushrooms, ginger, pistachios, eggs, cows milk, all contain fairly high levels of melatonin.

Eat at regular times.

It’s important to fuel the body at multiple and consistent times of the day. This will ensure that energy levels prevail into the evening, without the need for that sweet afternoon nap. But refrain from eating too much, too late in the day, as this can activate the body, delay sleep onset, and lead to middle-of-the-night awakenings.

Don’t nap!

Sleep restriction is important when a need for sleep arises during the day. Napping in the middle of the day may dysregulate the circadian rhythm further, so instead, stick it out, and go do something that will keep you awake until you’re ready for sleep at a time that will give a long enough sleep so that you can wake up at the required time.

Optimize the environment.

Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. The ideal room temperature for sleep ranges from 15 to 20C, with the average being 19C. The dark environment will ensure that light does not disrupt our physiology, while that quiet environment will ensure that noise does not disrupt our progression through various sleep phases or outright wake us.

Use the bed, for bed.

Our nervous system is an association making machine. Ensure to use the bed only for sleep to strengthen the mental association between your bed and rest. Avoid working, eating, or watching TV in bed, and ideally, have a bedroom that serves only as a bedroom, not also as an office, entertainment, or toy room.

No electronic devices in the bedroom.

No TVs computers, tablets, phones. These devises all emit a significant amount of blue light that is known to suppress melatonin production, but not only that, they also facilitate activities that generally maintain an aroused physiological system (e.g., doomscrolling, group chats with friends, and videogames), rather than helping the system slow down and get ready for rest.

Create darkness.

Dim room lights so to facilitate melatonin secretion by the pineal gland. To this end, avoid LED lights as these disrupt melatonin production.

Chill.

Good sleep hygiene also involves regulating our nervous system before bedtime, such as through mindfulness, breathing, or other calming routines (e.g., taking a bath, reading a book, journaling, drawing).

Listen.

Your body is consistently sending you clues about what it needs. So listen to it, and when it tells you are sleepy, rest your head down.

Consider development.
Adolescents have a biological shift toward later sleep and wake times during puberty (a phenomenon known as “delayed sleep phase”), so encouraging consistency and sufficient total sleep time is more beneficial than enforcing an unnaturally early bedtime.