Many of us suffer from a lack of sleep. Aside from causing extreme grogginess, insufficient sleep is known to cut our life span short. When you’re sleep deprived, your brain becomes just as impaired as it does after drinking a few beers. That means that everyday tasks like driving become increasingly dangerous if you didn’t get enough rest the night before. Military personnel face many challenges with achieving quality sleep, especially when faced with the stress and challenges associated with such a high-stakes work environment. It’s not surprising, then, that different branches of the military around the world have developed military sleep systems and hacks to help personnel fall and stay asleep. From “The Military Method,” which claims to induce sleep within two minutes, to unique acupressure points, we’ve rounded up sleep hacks tested and approved by the armed forces that you can implement into your daily life to achieve your most restful sleep yet.

Athletes stretch before competing to improve performance, enhance flexibility, and place their bodies and minds in a relaxed, prepared state. Why don’t we take the same approach to bedtime? Quality sleep is only possible with a solid nighttime routine that helps us wind down, ground ourselves, and relieve tension and pain that may otherwise keep us up at night. Plus, stretching is just plain good for you! Meditative movements are not only known to enhance sleep quality – but they’re also proven to relieve stress, prevent injury, boost mobility, and increase circulation. Furthermore, simple stretches may even help prevent sleep disorders or lessen symptoms of existing ones. Yoga for sleep apnea, for example, is thought to tone, open, and strengthen upper airway muscles to prevent them from obstructing our breathing at night. In summary, you can stretch your way toward a better night’s rest all while enjoying additional benefits associated with taking a few minutes to hold relaxing poses each evening. That’s why we’ve gathered the most effective stretches to try before bed for boosted sleep quality.

Vitamin D deficiency plagues many adults across the globe. In fact, approximately 42 percent of US adults suffer from vitamin D deficiencies known to cause fatigue, muscle aches, and even depression. Low vitamin D and insomnia are also closely linked, meaning that most of us might struggle with getting quality rest due to low levels. As you may know, vitamin D is derived from both sunlight exposure and supplementation. But is one better than the other? While vitamin D supplements may not elevate levels at as steady of a pace or for as long of a duration as sunlight-derived vitamin D, many people prefer supplements out of concern for their skin. Even just minutes of sun exposure when the UV index is high can cause sunburns, which are known for increasing the risk of skin cancer. That said, sunlight exposure offers other benefits aside from vitamin D production. Sitting out in the sun in the morning is known to help regulate our sleep-wake cycles by keeping levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone, in check. If you’re unsure about whether you should supplement vitamin D or sit out in the sun to boost your levels, we’ve broken down the benefits of both sources.

Have you ever been unable to sleep, only to lay in bed for hours restless? Even worse, have you ever laid awake for so long that you begin to hear chirping birds outside? Although the sound of morning bird song is beautiful, there’s nothing more daunting than insomnia that lasts all night long. Sometimes, anxiety about insomnia and being unable to sleep only worsens the issue. Other times, medication or a pre-existing condition may be to blame for your sleepless nights. Half of all adults struggle with insomnia, and identifying which kind you’re dealing with is half the battle. Once you uncover whether or not your anxiety is based on short-term environmental factors or a long-term, serious condition, you can seek the proper lifestyle changes and treatment to finally achieve the quality sleep you’ve been dreaming of.

Have you ever felt paralyzed upon waking up in the middle of the night? Maybe you want to speak but can’t, or even worse, you feel a presence in your bedroom but you’re unable to do anything about it. Did someone break in? You feel unsafe, completely unable to move. Finally, you fully wake and look around, feeling immediate relief that the experience may have just been a bad dream. But what if it wasn’t a nightmare? These episodes are known as sleep paralysis, caused by REM sleep sensations and wakefulness overlapping as you rest. These terrifying experiences can feel like they last for a lifetime. If you’re wondering, “how long does sleep paralysis last?” the answer is just minutes. However, it feels longer due to the in-between state of consciousness your brain experiences during these episodes. So why does sleep paralysis occur? While we still have much to learn, it could be due to sleeping position, a sleep disorder, severe sleep deprivation, or certain mental conditions like panic disorder.

Have you ever told someone to have “sweet dreams” before bed? We all would prefer to have blissful, enjoyable dreams over terrifying, peculiar nightmares. If you want to have a nice dream over a bad one, research suggests that a couple of lifestyle changes just might do the trick. While we still have a lot to learn about the science of dreams, bad dreams are linked to our brains either preparing for stressful situations in our waking lives or trying to process traumatic memories we’ve already experienced. Moreover, the more relaxed and calm we are before bed, the greater our chances of experiencing soothing dreams that match our mood. That’s why it’s vital to avoid distressing media or conversations before sleep, along with stimulants like caffeine or food that boost metabolism and brain activity. Alcohol is known to fragment sleep and induce bad dreams, too, so opting for your evening cocktail with any early dinner rather than drinking into the night is best. More research may be needed to reveal the true science of dreaming, but bad dreams don’t have to be a nightly occurrence.

Snoring is infamous for disrupting and fragmenting both your sleep and your partner’s sleep. It’s even known to be a top cause of relationship issues and breakups. If you want to stop snoring for good, you have to first track your snoring and sleep habits. Thanks to modern technology, many snoring trackers allow you to record sleep disturbances, track daily habits, and try out anti-snoring solutions to see what works well for you. Many of the best snoring apps come at no cost as a free smartphone app. We’ve rounded up our top three best snoring trackers to help you monitor and examine sleep and snoring patterns, improve sleep habits, and most importantly, save your relationship from total destruction due to snoring. Once you choose a snoring tracker that offers sleep insights and actionable suggestions, you’ll be able to examine what to avoid before bed to prevent snoring, what to add to your daily routine to help your sleep quality, and you can even play back recordings to understand what noises are pulling you out of deep sleep phases.

Some days you wake up ready to conquer the world, while other days your feet drag the floor and you just can’t seem to get going. Your choices from the day and night before directly influence how you feel upon waking.The world of sleep tracking can feel overwhelming, though, as so many options are available. From expensive, sophisticated wearable devices to free smartphone apps to a simple, DIY bullet journal sleep tracker, there is an option available for your lifestyle and sleep tracking needs.

Like many, you may think that oversleeping is “healthier” than undersleeping. Nonetheless, science suggests otherwise: oversleeping is just as harmful as not getting enough rest. Hitting snooze in the morning often feels euphoric, relaxing, and blissful. However, getting an extra few winks of harmless shut-eye can quickly turn into an extra few hours of sleep. This throws off our sleep patterns and is even thought to cause a handful of health problems that can quickly become life-threatening. Too much REM sleep is known to cause obesity, heart disease, and more. You’re likely wondering, “How much REM sleep should you get, then?” Or: “How much deep sleep do I need?” Research suggests that between 7 and 8 hours every night is the sweet spot. Any more than 9 hours, though, and you’re doing more harm than good.