Ask HN: How did you improve your sleep quality?

I started working out, and I read before bed. I used to have so much trouble sleeping, but now I hit the bed, and within 15 minutes I'm out.

Every day, I wake up, I walk the dog (10-15 minute walk, slow pace). Then I do one of the following: walk (1 hour, moderate-to-fast pace), run (5 kilometers, ~28 minutes), lift weights (60-70 minutes). I've done this for 3 years straight.

Every night, I brush my teeth, get in bed, and read at least 1 chapter. Sometimes I read for an hour, sometimes it's 15 minutes, but I enjoy reading the books and when I get to a stopping point, I can easily put the book down, close my eyes, and pass the eff out. I've slept like a baby almost every night, with exceptions being external circumstances, such as my wife waking me up or the dog barking.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my other stats, because there are a lot of reasons that one might have trouble sleeping, any of which could be problematic for you:

I'm relatively skinny at 6'3" 195lbs. I'm 40/m. I'm profoundly deaf (so noises don't _usually_ wake me up -- I can sleep through a storm, no problem.)

I don't have any other major conditions: no heartburn, no asthma, no sleep apnea, married but no kids. My job is stressful (VP Eng), but relatively rewarding. I try to eat relatively healthily, but lunch is often a burger and fries, and we do pizza nights every Friday night, just about. In other words, I watch my calorie intake, but I don't obsess over it. I don't drink alcohol or smoke.

Not sure if that's what you wanted, but that's my answer. Hope you figure out how to sleep better. I might suggest doing a sleep study with specialists, in case it's a physical issue that can be remedied.

Try the Android app "Sleep as Android". It is free and it works very well to track your sleep, which can be the basis of making changes. It can use a phones accelerometer to track breathing rate, use the microphone to record snoring (and make noises when you snore to stop you from snoring), can integrate with a variety of fitness trackers or works with just the phone, and has a lot of other useful features:

https://sleep.urbandroid.org/

If you want totally automated sleep tracking (instead of having to start/stop an app) the Oura ring works quite well, even in detecting naps, though it has trouble detecting sleep intervals that are not connected (like sleep 4hrs, up for an hour, then sleep 4hrs):

https://ouraring.com/

Some other things that are useful are: An eyeshade to block light. A bed you find comfortable. Physical activity during the day that tires you so you want to sleep later. Some people find a cooler room more conducive to sleep. A white noise machine can mask sounds that keep you awake. Take naps to augment your sleep. Don't drink/take caffeine for four hours before sleeping. Sex can help you sleep.

Sleep at the same time every night (this builds a routine).

Eat dinner at least 3 hours before you sleep, no later.

Shower before you sleep (cools you down and helps you sleep).

Keep your room temp at around 18-19C.

Buy blackout curtains and keep light in your room to an absolute minimum.

No caffeine or stimulants 6-7 hours before you sleep.

No phone/iPad/tablet/laptop screens before you sleep.

Use your bed for sleep and sex only. Nothing else.

Buy a good mattress and pillows.

"It is an antidote to stress, the most powerful relaxation mineral available, and it can help improve your sleep." I use it myself just before going to bed. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/magnesium-the-most-powerf_b_4...