For this reason, many experts have claimed that breakfast must be good for you.
However, these studies are so-called observational studies, which can not demonstrate causation.
These studies show that people who eat breakfast are more likely to be healthier, but they can not prove that the breakfast itself caused it.
Chances are that breakfast eaters have other healthy lifestyle habits that can explain this.
For example, people who eat breakfast also tend to eat a healthier diet, with more fiber and micronutrients (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
On the other hand, people who skip breakfast tend to smoke more, drink more alcohol and exercise less (7Trusted Source).
Perhaps these are the reasons that breakfast eaters are healthier, on average. It may not have anything to do with the breakfast itself.
In fact, higher quality studies called randomized controlled trials suggest that it doesn't really matter whether you eat or skip breakfast.
BOTTOM LINE:Breakfast eaters tend to be healthier and leaner than breakfast skippers. This may be due to the fact that breakfast eaters have other healthy lifestyle habits.
Some people claim that eating breakfast "kick-starts" the metabolism, but this is a myth.
These people are referring to the thermic effect of food, which is the increase in calories burned that occurs after you eat.
However, what matters for metabolism is the total amount of food consumed throughout the day. It makes no difference at which times, or how often, you eat.
Studies show that there is no difference in calories burned over 24 hours between people who eat or skip breakfast (8Trusted Source).
BOTTOM LINE:Whether you eat or skip breakfast has no effect on the amount of calories you burn throughout the day. This is a myth.
As mentioned above, people who skip breakfast tend to weigh more than people who eat breakfast.
This may seem paradoxical, because how can not eating make you gain more weight? Well, some claim that skipping breakfast causes you to become very hungry so that you overeat later in the day.
This seems to make sense, but isn't supported by the evidence.
It is true that skipping breakfast causes people to be more hungry and eat more at lunch, but this is not enough to overcompensate for the breakfast that was skipped.
This seems logical, because you are effectively removing an entire meal from your diet each day.
Interestingly, the eat/skip breakfast dilemma was recently tested in a high-quality randomized controlled trial.
This was a 4-month long study that compared recommendations to eat or skip breakfast in 309 overweight/obese men and women (12Trusted Source).
After 4 months, there was no difference in weight between groups. It simply didn't matter whether people ate or skipped breakfast.
These results are supported by other studies on the effects of breakfast habits on weight loss. Skipping breakfast had no visible effects (5Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).
BOTTOM LINE:Higher-quality studies show that it makes no difference whether people eat or skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast makes you eat more at lunch, but not enough to compensate for the breakfast you skipped.
However, it's important to mention that intermittent fasting and/or skipping breakfast does not suit everyone. The effects vary by individual (19Trusted Source).
Some people may experience positive effects, while others may develop headaches, drops in blood sugar, faintness and lack of concentration (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
BOTTOM LINE:Skipping breakfast is a part of many intermittent fasting protocols, such as the 16/8 method. Intermittent fasting can have numerous health benefits.
It helps you feel good and makes your body and brain function properly.
Some people have no problem falling asleep. However, many others have severe difficulty falling and staying asleep through the night.
Poor sleep can have negative effects on many parts of your body and brain, including learning, memory, mood, emotions and various biological functions (1Trusted Source).
Here are 20 simple ways to fall asleep as fast as possible.
Your body temperature changes as you fall asleep. Core temperature decreases, while the temperature of your hands and feet increases (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
If your room is too warm, you might have a hard time falling asleep. Setting your thermostat to a cool temperature between 60–75°F (15–23°C) could help (4Trusted Source).
Individual preferences will vary, so find the temperature that works best for you.
Taking a warm bath or shower could also help speed up the body's temperature changes. As your body cools down afterwards, this can help send a signal to your brain to go to sleep (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
Many people find that setting a sleep schedule helps them fall asleep easier.
Your body has its own regulatory system called the circadian rhythm. This internal clock cues your body to feel alert during the day but sleepy at night (7Trusted Source).
Waking up and going to bed at the same times each day can help your internal clock keep a regular schedule. Once your body adjusts to this schedule, it will be easier to fall asleep and wake up around the same time every day (8Trusted Source).
It is also important to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. This has been shown to be the optimal sleep duration for adults (7Trusted Source).
Lastly, give yourself 30 minutes to an hour to wind down in the evening before getting in bed. This allows your body and mind to relax and prepare for sleep (9Trusted Source).
At night, darkness promotes feelings of sleepiness. In fact, research shows that darkness boosts the production of melatonin, an essential hormone for sleep (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
Get out and expose your body to sunlight or artificial bright light throughout the day. If possible, use blackout curtains to make your room dark at night.
It is normal to wake up in the middle of the night. However, the inability to fall back asleep can ruin a good night’s rest (18Trusted Source).
People who wake up in the middle of the night often tend to watch the clock and obsess about the fact that they cannot fall back asleep.
"Clock-watching" is common among people suffering from insomnia. This behavior may cause anxiety about sleeplessness (19Trusted Source).
To make matters worse, waking on a regular basis without falling back asleep may cause your body to develop a routine. As a result, you might find yourself waking up in the middle of the night every night.
If possible, it is best to remove the clock from your room. If you need an alarm in the room, you can turn your clock and avoid watching it when you wake up in the middle of the night.
Due to poor sleep at night, people with insomnia tend to be sleepy during the day. This often leads to daytime napping.
While naps of short duration have been linked to improvements in alertness and wellbeing, there are mixed opinions about the effects of napping on nighttime sleep.
Some studies have shown that regular, long (two hours or more) and late naps may lead to poor nighttime sleep quality and even sleep deprivation (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
One study showed that among 440 college students, those who reported taking three or more naps per week, those who napped more than two hours and those who napped late (between 6 and 9 p.m.) had the poorest nighttime sleep quality (20Trusted Source).
Another study found that older adults who napped frequently had lower quality nighttime sleep, more depressive symptoms, more limited physical activity and were more likely to be overweight than those who rarely took a nap (21Trusted Source).
Other studies have revealed that naps do not affect nighttime sleep (22Trusted Source).
To find out if naps are affecting your sleep, try either eliminating naps altogether or limiting yourself to a short nap (30 minutes or less) early in the day.
It seems that the food you eat before bed may affect your sleep. For example, research has shown that high-carb meals may be detrimental to a good night's rest.
A review of studies concluded that even though a high-carb diet can get you to fall asleep faster, it will not be restful sleep. Instead, high-fat meals could promote a deeper and more restful sleep (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source).
In fact, several studies agree that a high-carb/low-fat diet significantly decreased the quality of sleep compared to a low-carb/high-fat diet with the same amount of calories for both diets (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source).
If you still want to eat a high-carb meal for dinner, you should eat it at least four hours before bed, so you have enough time to digest it.
Music can significantly improve quality of sleep. It can even be used to improve chronic sleep disorders like insomnia (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).
A study of 24 young adults demonstrated that sedative music promoted deeper sleep (29Trusted Source).
Buddhist music is a kind of music created from different Buddhist chants and used for meditation. Listening to it may be a great tool for better sleep (30Trusted Source).
Another study revealed that 25 participants had a more restful and deeper sleep when they were exposed to soothing music for 45 minutes at bedtime, compared to those not listening to music (31Trusted Source).
Lastly, if relaxing music is not available, blocking all noise could also help you fall asleep faster and promote uninterrupted sleep (32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source).
Physical activity is often considered beneficial to healthy sleep.
Exercise can increase the duration and quality of sleep by boosting the production of serotonin in the brain and decreasing levels of cortisol, the stress hormone (34Trusted Source).
However, it is important to maintain a moderate-intensity exercise routine and not overdo it. Excessive training has been linked to poor sleep (35Trusted Source).
The time of the day when you exercise is also critical. To promote better quality sleep, working out early in the morning appears to be better than working out later in the day (36Trusted Source, 37Trusted Source).
Therefore, moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the morning could significantly improve the quality and quantity of your sleep.
It has been shown that having a comfortable mattress and bedding can have a remarkable effect on the depth and quality of sleep.
A medium-firm mattress has been shown to positively affect sleep quality and prevent sleep disturbances and muscular discomfort (38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).
The quality of your pillow is also crucial. It can affect your neck curve, temperature and comfort. A study determined that orthopedic pillows may be better than feather or memory foam pillows (40Trusted Source).
Additionally, the use of a weighted blanket could reduce body stress and help improve your sleep (41Trusted Source).
Lastly, the fabric of the clothes you wear to bed can affect how well you sleep. It is crucial you choose comfortable clothing made of fabric that help you keep a pleasant temperature throughout the night (42Trusted Source).
Using electronic devices late at night is terrible for sleep.
Watching TV, playing video games, using a mobile phone and social networking can make it significantly harder for you to fall and stay asleep (43Trusted Source, 44Trusted Source).
It is recommended that you disconnect all electronics and put away computers and mobile phones so you can ensure a quiet place, free of distractions. You will be able to fall asleep much faster.
Some people have difficulty falling asleep because their thoughts keep running in circles. Research has shown that this can produce anxiety and stress, which can generate negative emotions and disturb sleep (48).
Research has shown that journaling and focusing on positive thoughts can calm the mind and help you sleep better.
Writing down the positive events that happened during the day can create a state of gratitude and happiness, downgrade stressful events and promote more relaxation at bedtime.
In fact, a study of 41 college students found that journaling resulted in reduced bedtime worry and stress, increased sleep time and improved sleep quality (48).
Try practicing this technique by setting aside 15 minutes every night to write about your day. It is important to focus not only on the positive events of the day but also on how you feel at the time.
Caffeine is widely used among people to fight fatigue and stimulate alertness. It can be found in foods and beverages like chocolate, coffee, sodas and energy drinks.
Although the effects of caffeine vary from person to person, it is recommended that you refrain from consuming caffeine at least six hours before bedtime.
Instead, you could drink a soothing tea like chamomile tea, which has been shown to promote sleep and relaxation (51Trusted Source).
You can find a list of bedtime teas that help sleep in this article.
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Good quality sleep may depend on your body position during the night.
There are three main sleeping positions: back, stomach or side. Traditionally, it was believed that back sleepers had a better quality of sleep.
However, research has shown that this might not be the best position to sleep in, as it could lead to blocked airways, sleep apnea and snoring (52Trusted Source).
In fact, a study done on 16 people determined that the participants who reported consistent poor sleep spent more time on their back (53Trusted Source).
Although individual preferences play an important role in choosing sleep position, the side position seems to be linked to high-quality sleep (54).
Reading could be a good activity to help you wind down before bed. At least for kids, it seems that bedtime reading may promote longer sleep (55Trusted Source).
However, it is important to understand the difference between reading from an electronic book and a traditional paper book.
Electronic books emit a kind of light that can reduce melatonin secretion, making it harder for you to fall asleep and causing you to feel tired the next day (56Trusted Source, 57Trusted Source).
Therefore, it is recommended to read from a physical book in order to relax and improve your sleep.
It is believed that if you go to bed and try to force yourself to fall asleep, your chances of succeeding drop dramatically.
Instead, you can try "paradoxical intention." This technique recommends trying to stay awake instead of forcing yourself to sleep (58Trusted Source).
This technique is based on the idea that the stress and anxiety produced by forcing yourself to fall asleep can prevent you from relaxing and snoozing off.
A study showed that people who try this technique paradoxically tend to fall asleep faster (59).
Instead of lying in bed worrying and thinking about stressful things, visualize a place that makes you feel happy and calm.
41 participants suffering from insomnia were able to fall asleep faster after they were instructed to use an "imaginary distraction" (60Trusted Source).
This technique helped them occupy their mind with good thoughts instead of engaging with worries and concerns during the pre-sleep time.
Picturing and concentrating on an environment that makes you feel peaceful and relaxed can take your mind away from the thoughts that keep you up at night.
Certain supplements can help you fall asleep faster.
They have been shown to encourage sleep either by boosting the production of sleep-promoting hormones or by calming brain activity.
Supplements that can help you fall asleep include:
Magnesium.Magnesium helps activate the neurotransmitters responsible for sleep. Doses of 200–400 mg per day, taken with food, have been shown to improve sleep (61Trusted Source, 62Trusted Source).
5 HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan). 5-HTP boosts the production of serotonin, which has been linked to the regulation of sleep. Doses of 300–500 mg per day, taken either once daily or in divided doses, seem to be effective in treating insomnia (63Trusted Source, 64Trusted Source).
Melatonin.Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the body, but it can also be taken as a supplement to help regulate your sleep. Doses of 0.5–5 mg taken 30 minutes before bed seem to improve sleep quality (65Trusted Source).
Theanine. Theanine is an amino acid with sedative properties. Although it has not been shown to induce sleep, it could help with relaxation. Doses of 200 mg per day seem to be useful (66Trusted Source).
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA is a compound produced in the brain that inhibits certain transmitters and may help the central nervous system relax. Doses of 250–500 mg and no more than 1,000 mg are recommended (67Trusted Source).
