3 Rituals To Do Every Morning For Better Sleep At Night, From A Functional MD

When the author of the new book Better Sleep, Better You joined a recent episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, he reminded us that since sleep is dictated by the body's natural rhythms, there's plenty we can do earlier in the day to set the stage for more restful evenings.

So in addition to maintaining a tech-free wind-down ritual, keeping a comfortable sleep environment, and if necessary taking a relaxing supplement (he's a fan of mbg's sleep support+) come bedtime, Lipman has some tips for setting yourself up for a deeper slumber the moment you roll out of bed.*

In short, "exercise is one of the best things you can do for sleep," Lipman says. Research continues to find that any type of physical exercise will support deeper sleep1 (and vice versa2).

However, the timing of exercise is important: "Most people should exercise in the morning or the afternoon at the latest," Lipman says, since exercising too close to bed could prove more stimulating than relaxing for some folks.

Lipman recommends pairing your exercise with meditation to further prepare your body for a peaceful day and night. Meditating can improve heart rate variability3, a key marker of sleep quality4, by helping to activate the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.

In addition to being a good low-intensity exercise, walking in the morning promotes sleep by keeping our body's circadian clocks ticking along smoothly.

Getting some sun shortly after waking will tell your body that it's time to wake up and start the day. It's especially important for people who spend most of their time inside in front of screens: The body thrives when it's exposed to sunlight during the day and darkness at night, and it's difficult for us to know when to sleep if we always think it's Zoom o'clock.