Quality Sleep
We spend about a third of our life sleeping, yet many of us struggle to get a good night’s sleep. Quality sleep makes us feel rested and energized and can improve our health.
Sometimes, it can be hard to get quality sleep. A stressful day can keep us awake at night. Really stressful experiences can even rewire our brains, keep us too alert, and get in the way of a good night’s sleep. The good news is that there are ways we can improve our sleep and lower stress.
Check out the Stress Buster sleep strategies and see which ones might work best for you and the people you care about.
Resources for Professionals
Looking for resources to help address Quality Sleep with patients and clients? See Professional Resources within the Stress Busters for Community-Based Organizations toolkit.
Resources for Everyone
Want tips and tools to help you get a better night’s sleep? The following articles, videos, and audio tools can help.
General
- DID YOU KNOW? Getting Better Sleep Can Prevent and Manage Stress (ACEs Aware)
- Quality Sleep Stress Buster Video (California Virtual Training Academy Resources)
- 12 Simple Tips to Improve Your Sleep (Harvard Medical School and WGBH Education Foundation)
- Sleeping Better (Kaiser Permanente)
- Sleep Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Sleep and Tobacco Use fact sheet (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs)
- Full Proof: Explaining How Alcohol Can Interfere with Sleep (Cleveland Clinic)
- “Oversleeping: What Is It, Why Is It Happening and How Do I Make It Stop?” (Cleveland Clinic)
Age-Specific
- Information on sleep for babies (Healthychildren.org)
- Helping Baby Sleep Through the Night (Cleveland Clinic)
- Stress Health: Sleep (Center for Youth Wellness)
- Good Sleep Habits English, Spanish, Portuguese (Center for Youth Wellness)
- How to Help Kids Who Have Trouble Sleeping (Child Mind Institute)
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation video for kids (GoZen!)
- Stressful Experiences: How to Help Your Child Heal (Healthychildren.org)
- Guatemalan worry doll tradition
- Live Beyond Campaign: Sleep and Rest (Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI))
- Teen’s Health: How Much Sleep Do I Need? (kidshealth.org)
- Free Medical Equipment Near Me, Directory of national and state programs (e.g., beds, mattresses, sleep apnea machines)
- Sleep and Older Adults (National Institute on Aging)
I Can’t Sleep Right Now. Help!
- Breathing exercises
- Qigong Breathing Exercises for Sleep and Relaxation Video (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
- Peaceful music
- 45-Minute Relaxing Sleep Music for Deep Sleep: Singing Pines Video (Headspace)
- Guided meditation
- Racing Thoughts While Trying to Sleep? Video (Headspace)
- 6-Minute Progressive Muscle Relaxation Video (American Lung Association)
- Practices to Help You Fall Asleep – scroll down for audio clips (Northwestern University Student Affairs)
- Container meditation: if you need a script, read this box meditation to your child or pre-record it for yourself.
- Free guided meditations and mobile app (UCLA Health)
- Write a to-do list or journal: If you’re not sure what to write, read more here: How Journaling Can Help You Sleep (Psychology Today)
Sleep Disorders
BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH TO SUPPORT QUALITY SLEEP
- Insomnia Coach: Free app providing a guided, weekly training plan to help track and improve sleep
- For 0-12-year-olds: BrightLife Kids provides expert coaching, including for sleep issues, via live, 1:1 video sessions, app, and secure chat
- For 13-25-year-olds: Soluna chat app to support mental health
- For youth and adults: CalHOPE Connect Chat provides multilingual peer support chat and support groups
Download the complete set of Stress Busters handouts. English and Spanish included.
