Sleep is a crucial part of our mental and physical well-being.
MORE: 24 wellness finds that will enhance your life in 2024If the new year is bringing up some new health goals around sleep routines and habits, we are here to help!
"Good Morning America" tapped sleep expert Jade Wu, a board-certified sleep psychologist, to help share some tips and products that can completely change how you sleep.
"When we don't sleep enough or don't sleep well, we physically are not as strong or quick, and our muscles get more fatigued more easily," Wu said. "Our cognitive function also suffers, so that we're less able to sustain focus, learn and remember things, react quickly and accurately, restrain our impulses, and make good decisions like forgoing instant gratification to get more long-term gain."
For those looking for the biggest result with a small change, Wu suggests a consistent sleep-wake schedule.
"This keeps your circadian rhythm stable, which helps you to feel and/or do better during the day and sleep better at night," Wu said. "Only when our body clocks are on track can we reach our potential during either the day or night."
A close second, in terms of importance, according to Wu, "is the substances we ingest -- food, supplements, alcohol, caffeine, medications, recreational drugs, etc. -- that affect sleep, some in negative ways."
Finally, she added a friendly reminder to get outside and get some natural light first thing in the morning.
"This helps to set your body clocks and mitigates the circadian-disrupting effects of blue light exposure in the evenings. If there's a big contrast between how much daytime light exposure you get and how much evening light exposure you get, your brain will still know the difference and keep your body clocks on track."
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"Automate your bedtime and rise time reminders. For example, you can use a Hatch to program wind-down music and lighting to start half an hour before your regular bedtime, and a sunrise alarm for the morning. This makes it easier to stay consistent with your sleep-wake routine, and teaches your brain to recognize light and sound cues."
"This keeps things dark at night, and is an easy way to bring a piece of your regular home sleep environment with you when you travel. When you get used to having the sensation of an eye mask on, the sensation itself can help to cue sleep."
"This is especially helpful for people who run hot, and those going through perimenopause -- if you really have trouble with heat, you can go a step further and get cooling pads like the Chilly Pad."
"This is a great way to do a "brain dump" before bedtime so your mind is less drawn to unhelpful monologuing during the night."