For years, the focus of health debates has been on diet and exercise. But now, the world is finally recognizing sleep as the third pillar of personal health. Poor sleep affects everything from productivity to long-term health risks, and science is helping us understand just how essential good sleep really is.

With this growing awareness, advice on how to sleep better has flooded in—from expert recommendations to quick-fix solutions. But with so much information out there, how do you know what actually works? What are the scientifically proven ways to improve sleep, and why do they work?

A great place to start is by understanding the five key factors that influence sleep quality:

• Genetics
• Circadian rhythms
• Sleep environment
• Behaviors
• Health conditions

Some of these factors are within your control, while others aren't. By learning how they interact, you can make meaningful changes where possible and find strategies to manage the ones you can't.

 

1. Genetics

 

Even with increasing interest in sleep, it remains one of the least understood areas of biology. However, scientists do know that sleep is strongly influenced by genetics. Your genes help determine whether you’re naturally a morning person or a night owl, and they’re also linked to specific sleep patterns, including insomnia.

While you can’t change your genetics, understanding your natural tendencies can help you make better lifestyle choices to improve your sleep.

 

2. Circadian rhythms

What is circadian rhythm?

If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we’ve been talking about circadian rhythm since the beginning—both because it’s at the core of Lumos and because it’s the foundation of good sleep.

Your circadian rhythm is your body’s internal 24-hour clock, controlling changes that happen daily, often independent of external cues. While it’s best known for regulating sleep and wakefulness, it also influences the function of vital organs like your lungs, liver, and ovaries. Disrupting this rhythm has been linked to health issues, including metabolic changes and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

 

Circadian rhythm misalignment and sleep

In an ideal world, you’d always sleep when your body wants to—but life doesn’t always work that way. Circadian rhythm misalignment happens when your body clock and your schedule don’t match up. This can leave you wide awake when you’re supposed to be sleeping or exhausted when you need to stay alert.

This misalignment is common in situations like working night shifts, traveling across time zones with jet lag, staying up late for social events, or even adjusting to a new school or work schedule. When your body’s internal clock is out of sync with your lifestyle, it can lead to poor sleep and low energy during the day.

A healthy circadian rhythm is the foundation of good sleep. Trying to sleep well with a misaligned rhythm is like building a skyscraper on sand—it just doesn’t work.

The key to keeping your circadian rhythm in sync is consistency. Sticking to a regular sleep schedule—going to bed and waking up at the same time every day—helps your body make the most of the hours you actually sleep.

Ironically, sleeping in on weekends can do more harm than good. While it might feel like you’re catching up on rest, it actually disrupts your body’s internal clock, making it harder to fall asleep on time the next night. Study also showed that sleeping in during the weekend may increase your waistline, who would have known!

 

What to do if you can't keep a consistent sleep schedule?

If you know your schedule will be disrupted—whether due to jet lag, night shifts, staying up late for fun, getting up early for a road trip, or even hormonal changes like puberty—you may use light therapy to help realign your circadian rhythm to match your needs. 

Light is the most powerful regulator of circadian rhythm, signaling to your body when to be awake and when to sleep. Traditionally, resetting your rhythm meant spending hours each week in front of bright light boxes. However, Stanford research has shown that brief light pulses, like those used in the Lumos Sleep Mask, can effectively shift circadian rhythms while you sleep.

This breakthrough technology helps your body adjust to your ideal schedule effortlessly, creating a strong foundation for better sleep. Watch this video from Dr. Jamie Zeitzer at Stanford University to learn more about the science behind it.

 

3. Sleep environment

Even if your circadian rhythm is in sync with your schedule, there are still ways to enhance your sleep quality. If you have struggled to sleep on an airplane knows, your probably know your environment plays a crucial role in how deeply and comfortably you rest. Small adjustments to your surroundings can make a big difference in getting the restorative sleep you need.

 

Ambient Light

Just as the lights in the Lumos Smart Sleep Mask can convince your circadian rhythm that it’s time to start your day earlier, darkness helps our bodies commit to sleeping more deeply than they could with some form of ambient light on all night. Luckily, total darkness can be easily achieved with thick blackout curtains, wearing an eye mask, or even putting a piece of cloth over your eyes. Most sleep improvement practices are long-term battles with various levels of efficacy, but creating total darkness in your bedroom is probably the simplest investment with the fastest return. Just be sure to let the light back in when you get up in the morning.

Studies have shown that exposure to room light before bedtime compared to dim light could cause:

• Greater than 50% lower melatonin secretion
• 90 minutes shorter melatonin duration
• Delayed sleep onset (time to fall sleep) by nearly an hour
• Increased fatigue the next morning

Exposure to even low-intensity light during nighttime sleep can disrupt sleep quality and elevate the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. 

Reducing light exposure in the evening and at night is the key to deep, uninterrupted sleep. Fortunately, achieving total darkness is simple—use blackout curtains, wear an eye mask, or even drape a soft cloth over your eyes. Indicator lights on electronics in the bedroom can be a hidden culprit. To minimize their impact, scan your room in the dark for glowing lights from devices like chargers, fans, or alarm clocks, and either turn them off, cover them with black tape, or use light-blocking stickers to keep your sleep space as dark as possible.

To reduce light exposure before sleep, one of the most effective strategies is dimming overhead lights and switching to warm, low-intensity lighting in the evening. If dimming lights or switching to warm lighting isn’t practical, or if screen use is unavoidable, using blue light-blocking glasses can be a great alternative. For more strategies on reducing evening light exposure, check out this blog.

 

Temperature

Core body temperature refers to the temperature of your internal organs, mainly in the chest and abdomen. It plays a key role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. As part of your circadian rhythm, your core temperature naturally drops when you sleep, reaching its lowest point in the early morning. This cooling process helps you fall and stay asleep.

Warming up your hands or feet before bed—such as by taking a warm bath or using a foot spa—can help lower core body temperature. This works by dilating blood vessels in the limbs, allowing heat to move away from the core and dissipate, signaling your body that it's time to sleep. 

The ideal temperature for sleep is what sleep doctors call “not too cold, not too hot”. Research suggests that temperatures too far from 72° Fahrenheit (22-23° Celsius) seem to interfere with both slow wave and REM sleep cycles. However, the ideal bedroom temperature is also influenced by bedding and clothing, as well as the amount of heat someone generates through blood flow to the skin. Even if you set a certain bedroom temperature, sleeping by yourself or with a partner makes a huge difference in your skin temperature. It requires experimenting for a few times to get to the optimal setting. Now we are seeing products that enable separate temperature regulation, making it easier for partners with different sleep preferences to find their ideal setup. 

 

Noise

When it comes to noise, sleep preferences vary—some people need complete silence, while others sleep better with background sound. Research suggests that consistent, low-level noise can actually improve sleep by masking sudden disruptions. This may explain why babies are often soothed by the hum of a vacuum or fan, as it mimics the constant noise of the womb. Even as adults, white noise or pink noise (similar to white noise, but with equal intensity sound across the five main octave frequencies) can create a calming environment, helping to block out distractions and promote deeper sleep.

 

4. Behaviors

 

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits and routines that help improve sleep quality and keep you energized during the day. Both daytime and evening activities can impact sleep, but because everyone is different, finding the best approach often requires some trial and error. Rather than trying every tip out there, focus on two key goals:

• increasing sleep drive
• winding down before bed.

 

Increasing sleep drive

Sleep drive is like your body's "hunger" for sleep—the longer you're awake, the stronger it gets. Napping can temporarily relieve sleep drive, but just like snacking can affect your appetite, napping too long or too late can make it harder to sleep at night. If you need a nap, keep it under 30 minutes and avoid napping too late in the day to prevent it from disrupting your nighttime rest.

 

Winding down before bed

In today’s fast-paced world, work and family demands keep us constantly busy, often leaving our minds and bodies tense—even if we don’t realize it. Unwinding before bed is essential for quality sleep.

Here are some simple ways to help your body and mind relax before sleep:

• Avoid working or intense exercise too close to bedtime.
• Steer clear of emotionally stimulating activities, like watching horror movies, arguing, or even texting a friend.
• Limit caffeine intake in the afternoon and evening.
• Engage in calming activities like meditation, reading, or spending quiet time with family.
• Reduce screen time before bed, as the blue light from phones, tablets, and TVs can interfere with your circadian rhythm and keep you awake.

Everyone reacts differently to these habits, so experiment to find what works best for you. The key is to reduce cortisol levels, the hormone that keeps you alert, so your body can ease into restful sleep.

 

5. Health conditions

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a common but serious sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep. Many people have it without knowing or getting treatment. Diagnosis usually involves a sleep study, where doctors monitor your sleep, breathing, and oxygen levels overnight in a sleep lab. The most common treatment is a CPAP machine, which keeps your airway open while you sleep. Leading brands like Philips and ResMed provide these devices.

 

Snoring

Chronic snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, but not everyone who snores has it. Even if snoring doesn’t bother the person doing it, it can still disrupt their partner’s sleep. Instead of just handing your bedmate earplugs, there can be anti-snoring solutions that not only helps reduce snoring but also shows you care about your partner’s sleep quality.

 

Other conditions

Poor sleep can be a problem on its own or a symptom of other conditions like chronic pain, depression, or cancer treatment. If you're struggling with sleep, it's important to talk to a doctor about possible solutions.

There are many resources available to help. Therapists can provide emotional support, while psychiatrists may prescribe medication for short-term relief from severe sleep issues. If you have chronic insomnia, a sleep doctor can guide you through CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia), a proven treatment. You can also connect with others experiencing similar challenges in online communities for sleep and health discussions.

 

You are not alone

Struggling with sleep can be frustrating and isolating, but you’re not alone—millions of people face the same challenge, including me. If you’re wondering why I know so much about sleep, it’s because my interest comes from personal experience.

A few years ago, I went through a difficult period where I was awake day and night, completely unable to rest. Thankfully, I found help when I needed it. I worked with a psychiatrist for sleep medication, saw therapists for emotional support, and eventually sought treatment from a sleep doctor who guided me through CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia). Even after overcoming that phase, I still rely on blackout curtains and the Lumos Smart Sleep Mask to keep my circadian rhythm on track, especially when traveling.

I can’t say I’ve been through your exact struggles—everyone’s sleep challenges are different. But I do believe that there is always a way to improve, or even solve, sleep issues. The key is creating a personalized sleep environment that works for you.

If I made it through my sleepless nights, you can too.

Dr. Biquan Luo

Founder and CEO of Lumos Sleep