The Bedtime Rituals of the Best-Rested
We went to the people who really need their rest—a fitness guru, a pro athlete, and more—to get the best advice.
By Corrie Pikul
The Block Out
Who: David N. Neubauer, MD, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
His routine: As a psychiatrist who's been studying sleep for almost three decades, Neubauer has picked up a few tricks to ensure he gets at least seven to eight hours a night (sometimes closer to nine). Before turning in, he switches on a bedside fan—regardless of the temperature in the room. "There's plenty of anecdotal evidence that white noise can be soothing, because it blocks out sudden variations in sound—like a car alarm—that can wake us," he says. Neubauer even brings a small portable fan with him when traveling.
Make it work for you: A fan does double duty by creating ambient sound and increasing air circulation, but you can also be lulled to sleep by white noise from a
specialized machine, a CD or a
phone app like Relax Melodies.
Published 04/09/2013
