11 Tips to Sleep Well and Wake up Feeling Refreshed

Stepping outside to take in some fresh air and drinking a hot drink before you go to bed can be a great help for a good night’s sleep
11 Tips to Sleep Well and Wake up Feeling Refreshed
Leidy Mora Molina

Reviewed and approved by the nurse Leidy Mora Molina.

Written by Lorena González

Last update: 26 May, 2022

Sleeping well doesn’t just provide you with a good rest. It’s also great for staying active during the following day. If you follow these tips, you’ll wake up feeling refreshed and you’ll end up having a much happier day.

1. Sleep well

Each body is capable of regulating the amount of sleep needed. However, the average figure for an adult is 7 to 9 hours.

If you notice that you sleep less, this means a lack of sleep is building up. All of this causes a reduction in your efficiency at work and you’ll end up more tired during the day.

2. Coffee is not the solution

Coffee is not the solution

When you don’t sleep well, sometimes you feel that you need to resort to coffee in order to feel more awake. However, you must be careful. Having a cup of coffee is not the solution.

You need to bear in mind that caffeine prevents the absorption of adenosine. This makes you less calm and you will end up struggling to sleep even more.

3. Breathe fresh air

Stepping outside before sleeping can be a great help before going to bed. Even if it’s just for a half hour an hour, a walk will be enough for you to notice the difference.

4. Have a hot drink

Have a hot drink

After a short walk outside, have a hot drink (something that’s suitable just before going to bed). One of our recommendations is herbal tea with milk or honey.

5. Using pillows

Although you might not realize it, using pillows can have a positive impact on your quality of sleep.

  • If you sleep facing up, put a pillow under your knees and another under your waist.
  • On the other hand, if you sleep on one side, the best thing to do is put one between your legs.
  • If you prefer to sleep face down, put a pillow underneath the lower part of your abdomen. By using a pillow, you’ll be able to adapt your body to the correct position to reduce to load on your spine.

6. Don’t sleep with your pets

Don’t sleep with your pets

Sleeping with your pet can seem comforting, but in actual fact 64% of people who share their bedroom with a pet actually get worse sleep.

7. Put garlic under your pillow

Although this might not seem like something that would have any effect on your sleep, one of the best things you can do to sleep better is put some garlic under your pillow. It’s something that has been done since antiquity.

Why? The sulphur that is given off has a sedative effect and will improve your quality of sleep.

8. Turn off your mobile devices

Turn off your mobile devices

Mobile devicesThe light that they give off can be much more disruptive than you think.

Sleep is controlled through melatonin, a hormone that is produced when there is no light. If you look at your mobile device, you disrupt the production of this hormone and you will not be able to sleep as normal.

Even better, don’t have these devices in your bedroom. Your brain will perceive that they’re in the room.

9. Keep lavender close by

Lavender has calming properties. This is something that has been observed throughout history.

So keep a spring of lavender at the bedside or use some candles or lavenders oils. This way you’ll be able to fight insomnia.

10. Review the temperature of your bedroom

sleeping well

The temperature of your bedroom is fundamental in determining whether or not you sleep well, so this is something you should look at. Ideally, it should be somewhere between 16 and 20 °C.
Unbearable heat will give you a restless night’s sleep and cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.

11. Make sure you get your daily dose of magnesium

Our body needs a daily amount of magnesium in order to sleep properly all night. So, don’t forget to include food containing magnesium in your diet, or take supplements about 30 minutes before you go to sleep.



  • Buysse DJ. Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter?. Sleep. 2014;37(1):9–17. Published 2014 Jan 1. doi:10.5665/sleep.3298
  • Banno M, Harada Y, Taniguchi M, et al. Exercise can improve sleep quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PeerJ. 2018;6:e5172. Published 2018 Jul 11. doi:10.7717/peerj.5172
  • Howell, A. J., Digdon, N. L., Buro, K., & Sheptycki, A. R. (2008). Relations among mindfulness, well-being, and sleep. Personality and Individual Differences45(8), 773–777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.08.005
  • Steptoe, A., O’Donnell, K., Marmot, M., & Wardle, J. (2008). Positive affect, psychological well-being, and good sleep. Journal of Psychosomatic Research64(4), 409–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2007.11.008
  • Patel, SI, Miller, BW, Kosiorek, HE, Parish, JM, Lyng, PJ y Krahn, LE (2017). El efecto de los perros sobre el sueño humano en el entorno del sueño doméstico. Procedimientos de Mayo Clinic, 92 (9), 1368–1372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.06.014
  • Omiya, K., Akashi, YJ, Yoneyama, K., Osada, N., Tanabe, K. y Miyake, F. (2009). Respuesta de la frecuencia cardíaca a la estimulación nerviosa simpática, el ejercicio y la concentración de magnesio en diversas afecciones del sueño. Revista internacional de nutrición deportiva y metabolismo del ejercicio, 19 (2), 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.19.2.127
  • Roehrs, T. y Roth, T. (2008). Cafeína: sueño y somnolencia diurna. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 12 (2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2007.07.004
  • Milton Carlos Guevara Valtier, Juana Mercedes Gutiérrez Valverde, María de los Ángeles Paz Morales, Georgina Mayela Núñez Rocha, María Cristina Enríquez Reyna. Intervención no farmacológica para mejorar la calidad del sueño de adultos con sobrepeso y obesidad. NURE investigación: Revista Científica de enfermería, ISSN-e 1697-218X, Vol. 12, Nº. 79 (Noviembre – Diciembre), 2015. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6273190
  • Peñuela-Epalza, ME, Páez-Jiménez, DA, Castro-Cantillo, LDC, Harvey-Ortega, JC, Eljach-Cartagena, JA, y Banquett-Henao, LA (2015). Prevalencia de insomnio en adultos de 18-60 años y exposición a campos electromagnéticos en hogares de la ciudad de Barranquilla, Colombia. Biomédica, 35 (0). https://doi.org/10.7705/biomedica.v35i0.2459

The contents of this publication are for informational purposes only. At no time can they serve to facilitate or replace the diagnoses, treatments, or recommendations of a professional. Consult with your trusted specialist if you have any doubts and seek their approval before beginning any procedure.