If you’re reading this through tired, bleary eyes, we get it. You know you need better sleep habits and it might be that you need to go to sleep earlier. But it’s much easier to tell someone to do that than to actually stop scrolling on a phone, reading on a device, or watching a series on a streaming platform at night. For many of us, evening hours are the only time we get to ourselves.
A 2024 Gallup poll found that 36% of women versus 48% of men say they get the sleep they need. That means there are a lot of us walking around feeling like we could use more sleep. One way to do that is to hit the hay earlier. It has a number of physical benefits, too. “Getting sufficient sleep supports a person's health because it helps them recover and function well with one's biological processes,” says Michael Chichak, M.D., Medical Director at MEDvidi.
We're going to find out exactly how to go to sleep earlier, with actionable steps from the experts, before looking into some of the health benefits. If you think an old, unsupportive mattress could be causing some of your sleep problems, check our list of this year's best mattresses for all sleep styles.
