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Sleep is a naturally recurring state of reduced consciousness and responsiveness, essential for physical and mental health. While you’re sleeping each night, you might experience cycles of light and deep sleep, with dreams occurring primarily during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage. Consistent, quality sleep supports cognitive function, emotional regulation, and overall health, reducing the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Lifestyle factors, such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule and creating a conducive sleep environment, can help you achieve optimal sleep.

FAQ

How much sleep do adults need every night?
Sleep needs can vary from person to person, but generally, adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
Certain foods and beverages can disrupt sleep, including caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, and foods high in sugar and saturated fat; large meals can also affect sleep. Conversely, eating a well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins can promote better sleep.
Steps you can take to improve sleep quality include maintaining a regular sleep schedule, creating a relaxing environment before bedtime, reducing light exposure in the evening, and shutting down all electronic devices an hour before bed.
Common sleep disorders include insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, night terrors, sleep paralysis, and sleepwalking.
Meet Our Experts In Sleep
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Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.
Abhinav Singh

Abhinav Singh, MD

Medical Reviewer

Abhinav Singh, MD, is a board-certified sleep medicine specialist and the medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center. He is also an associate clinical professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, where he developed and teaches a sleep medicine rotation.

Dr. Singh’s research and clinical practice focus on sleep disorders, including excessive daytime sleepiness, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, insomnia, and sleep education.

Singh is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Sleep Health (from the National Sleep Foundation) and the Journal of Sleep Disorders: Treatment and Care, and is coauthor of the book Sleep to Heal: 7 Simple Steps to Better Sleep. He has received several Top Doctor recognitions and is the sleep specialist for the Indiana Pacers NBA team.

He lives in the Indianapolis area and enjoys music production and racquet sports.

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Kacy Church, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor
Kacy Church, MD, practices as a clinical endocrinologist with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Burlingame, California. She balances both outpatient and inpatient responsibilities, seeing a variety of patients with diabetes, as well as thyroid and pituitary disorders.

Dr. Church always knew that she wanted to pursue endocrinology because the specialty allows for healthy change through patient empowerment. She completed her fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism in 2017 at Stanford University in California.

She loves running, dancing, and watching her sons play sports.
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Simran Malhotra, MD

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Simran Malhotra, MD, DipABLM, CHWC, is a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, hospice and palliative care, and lifestyle medicine, as well as a certified health and wellness coach. She is currently practicing part time as an inpatient palliative care physician at Medstar Health after serving as the palliative care medical director at Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore for a little over four years.

Dr. Malhotra completed her internal medicine residency at Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center, where she also served as chief resident in 2015. She completed her fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2016. She was named Top Doc in Palliative Medicine in 2019 and 2020 by Baltimore Magazine.

On a personal note, she is a BRCA1 previvor with a strong family history of breast and female reproductive cancers, and underwent a risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy and total hysterectomy in 2020 at 32 years old. After learning about her own genetic risk of cancer, and grounded in her professional experiences in palliative care, she founded Wellness By LifestyleMD, a platform where she works with and educates women at high risk for cancer with or without genetic mutations on the powerful impact that positive lifestyle changes can have on their quality of life and even longevity.

In addition to being a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, she completed the T. Colin Campbell plant-based nutrition certification in 2019, the CHEF culinary coaching certification in 2020, and the WellCoaches health and wellness coaching certification in 2022. She is a member of the ACLM women’s health member interest group and serves as the co-chair of the breast cancer subcommittee.

Malhotra has been featured on several blogs and podcasts, where she has shared her unique perspectives and experiences from palliative care as well as from being a genetic mutation carrier who is passionate about using lifestyle as medicine.
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Chester Wu, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Chester Wu, MD, is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. He cares for patients through his private practice in Houston, where he provides evaluations, medication management, and therapy for psychiatric and sleep medicine conditions.

After training at the Baylor College of Medicine and Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Wu established the first sleep medicine program within a psychiatric system in the United States while at the Menninger Clinic in Houston.

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Resources
  1. Sleep. Cleveland Clinic. June 19, 2023.

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