Retirement Life
6 May 2026
How to get a good night’s sleep
Sleep is the ultimate performance enhancer - yet in much of the Western world, chronic sleep deprivation has reached pandemic levels. The consequences are far from trivial, with poor sleep linked to serious physical and mental health consequences. Sleep expert Dr Sumit Samant shares 10 practical tips to help you improve your sleep and reclaim your nights.
We’re so focused on being the best version of ourselves during the day that sleep often pays the price at night, Dr Samant says. Modern life has forgotten the value of rest and rejuvenation, and as we age, sleep can become even more elusive. That’s why addressing sleep issues early is one of the most important health priorities to address.
Why sleep is so important
Dr Samant is an ear, nose, and throat specialist, a sleep surgeon and founder of sleep health clinic Auckland Sleep. He explains that sleep isn’t just rest; it’s important maintenance for the body and brain. Chronic sleep disruption can lead to issues such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart rate issues and cognitive problems like memory loss and dementia.
That’s because the brain’s “cleaning system”, as Dr Samant describes it, only operates during deep sleep. So the quality of that sleep really matters.
So how can we get better sleep?
One of the keys, Dr Samant says, is consistency.
“The brain seeks nothing more than consistency… the same thing every day, every night.”
So go for predictable bedtimes and sleep-friendly evening environments. But it’s more than sleep - what you eat, the amount of light and exercise you get, as well as stress levels, all play a role too. Auckland Sleep has recently launched a paid 16-week holistic wellbeing programme called Sleep Strong, aimed at addressing the lifestyle factors that influence sleep quality, energy levels and long-term health. It combines sleep medicine, clinical nutrition, movement and stress management.
Here are Dr Samant’s top ten tips to help you get a better night’s sleep.
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1. Morning sunlight
Twenty minutes of light therapy (sunlight or a bright white lamp) can help with insomnia. It resets and calibrates the circadian rhythm (your body clock).
2. Control caffeine and reflux
More than two cups of coffee, especially after 12 pm, can interfere with your circadian rhythm, so give that a miss. Meanwhile, simple measures to control reflux (if you experience it) are important to reduce ‘silent reflux’ that interrupts sleep. (Silent reflux often doesn’t have heartburn or indigestion symptoms).
3. Talk and reflect at dinner
Try discussing the highs and lows of your day with someone else at dinner time. Talking and sharing declutters the brain.
4. Post-dinner walk/exercise
Get the body moving for ten minutes after dinner. This reduces insulin spikes (and later crashes) and improves your metabolism. It helps boost your mood in the evening, too. So head out for a walk around the block or a dance around the dining room.
5. Try ‘constructive worry’
Take ten minutes after dinner to write down all your worries on the left-hand side of a piece of paper. On the right-hand side, write the corresponding solutions (or lack of). This offloads worries from the mind onto the paper, reducing the chance of the brain ruminating on them overnight.
6. Manage allergies with a nose spray and rinsing
Dr Samant says nasal stuffiness and congestion are an under-recognised cause of sleep disruption. Simple measures like nasal washes and over-the-counter allergy sprays or tablets (but not the decongestant sprays) can help optimise nasal breathing.
7. Use mindfulness for stress, anxiety and insomnia
Justathought.co.nz offers simple, free tools and strategies for adults to manage stress and anxiety, as well as tackle insomnia.
8. Breathing exercises
Deep diaphragmatic breathing helps with stress, anxiety and airway instability at night. The Breathe2relax app is a free tool that can be used if needed.
9. Create a sustainable, fun and consistent evening routine
Incorporate some or all of these tips into a simple, easy evening routine that everyone in the house takes part in. This makes it sustainable and reduces the isolating feeling that sleep issues can create. It also introduces an element of mutual external accountability in a kind and gentle way.
10. Brief and debrief, and fake it until you make it
Keep reviewing your progress regularly. And instead of saying, ‘I’m a bad sleeper/snorer’, say, ‘I’m having bad sleep/I am snoring’. This trains the brain to believe that the sleep issues are temporary and don’t have to define you as a person.
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Written by:
Sonia Speedy
Sonia Speedy has been a journalist for over 20 years, working in newspapers, magazines and radio. She also runs an online platform for parents at familytimes.co.nz. She lives on the Kāpiti Coast with her young family and loves writing stories that help make people's lives easier.
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