Wake up happy and healthy

Ah, sweet dreamland! Those deep phases of REM sleep help you process information, so you wake up happy, sharp and ready for the day! Get there by…

Breathing in this scent

The lovely smell of red rose essential oil lowers brain activity, cuts tension and boosts your ability to dream, according to a study in the Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. Japanese researchers found simply sniffing rose oil reduced participants’ “fight or flight” stress response by 40%, slowing heart rates and lowering blood pressure. What’s more, in a German study, 100% of folks who inhaled the scent while they slept reported sweet dreams. To do: Mist your pillow with rose water before bed. Try: S.W. Basics Rosewater Spray (Target.com).

Reading with these!

You know you should avoid the bright “blue” light of your phone or tablet before bed. That’s because stimulating blue light suppresses the sleep-enhancing hormone melatonin, explains Lisa Billars, M.D., chief of neurology and sleep medicine at Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta. One easy fix: Reading glasses with a built-in filter like Gamma Ray Professional Readers ($13, Amazon.com), designed to block the stimulating effects of blue light. Scientists at the University of Houston found that wearing them boosts melatonin levels by 58%! Or simply set your smartphone to night-shift mode, which warms the display’s colors, reducing levels of sleep-disrupting blue light.

Sipping before dinner!

Swapping your glass of wine with dinner for a “happy hour” cocktail will help you sleep significantly more soundly, suggests a recent review of 27 studies on the effects of alcohol on sleep. “Alcohol causes us to fall asleep, but we wake up when it wears off,” says Shelby Harris, Psy.d., a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine. Her easy Rx: Have your last sip three hours before bed. —Katherine Kluznik