Doctors from Mass Eye and Ear’s Sleep Medicine and Surgery Division offer their advice on how to achieve a New Year’s resolution to improve sleep.
Sleep is a critical component of physical and mental well-being, yet it is often overlooked due to life’s busy demands. While any time of year is a good time to take stock of your sleep habits, the New Year offers a great opportunity to focus your resolutions on better sleep health.
For the New Year, Focus asked Mass Eye and Ear’s leading sleep experts for a tip to ensure better sleep in 2025:

“One should do their best to avoid behaviors and substances late in the day that are known to disrupt sleep. These include caffeine, alcohol, bright light, heavy meals and strenuous exercise. Furthermore, regular use of sleeping pills are potentially associated with significant risks.”
Noah S. Siegel, MD
Director, Division of Sleep Medicine and Surgery, Mass Eye and Ear
Medical Director, Mass Eye and Ear, Longwood

“Oftentimes individuals that have trouble falling asleep need to carve out time to ‘power down’ before getting in bed and expecting to fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time. Based on how long it takes you to transition from the activities and emotions of a busy day, ensure you dedicate anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime as a buffer zone. During this time, you can dim the lights, avoid screen time or technology where light shines directly into your eyes, and engage in only relaxing activities.”
Karen Lee, MD
Sleep Neurologist, Mass Eye and Ear

“Middle of the night awakenings are extremely common but if they are happening more than once or twice per night and/or taking longer than 15 minutes to fall back asleep, they are potentially not normal. Most people find it much easier to fall back asleep if you are oblivious to the time. Therefore, you should remove clocks from view and never check your phone. That way you avoid the added pressure of feeling like you need to fall back asleep faster/sooner given the time of night.”
Phillip A. Huyett, MD
Director, Sleep Surgery, Mass Eye and Ear
Video: Dr. Phil Huyett explains newer options for sleep apnea treatment.

“Put away your backlight devices at least an hour before sleep. Try reading a physical book or using a non-backlit reading device like a Kindle. Light triggers our sense of being awake, especially light from screens. You may fall asleep easier and sleep better if you avoid such light in the evening.”
Donald G. Keamy, Jr., MD, MPH
Director, Pediatric Sleep Medicine and Surgery, Mass Eye and Ear

“Sleep hygiene is essential for overall well-being. Establish a consistent wake-up time every morning, even on weekends and vacations, to regulate your body’s internal clock. Allow yourself enough time to sleep so you don’t feel pressured to fall asleep quickly. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night by going to bed early enough to meet this goal.”
John M. Dobrowski, MD, FACS
Associate Director, Division of Sleep Medicine and Surgery, Mass Eye and Ear
Director, Adult Sleep Medicine and Surgery, Mass Eye and Ear
To promote optimal sleep, the Sleep Medicine and Surgery Division at Mass Eye and Ear provides comprehensive care that includes diagnostics, therapeutic approaches and surgical options.
The division is uniquely staffed with board-certified otolaryngologists, sleep medicine specialists and neurologists dedicated to addressing and treating sleep disorders. The program serves patients of all ages, from pediatric to adult, and treats a wide range of conditions, including snoring, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome, nasal obstruction and more. The multidisciplinary team also provides tailored surgical treatments for sleep disorders, including nasal obstruction surgery, tonsil and adenoid removal, palate surgery, and placement of the Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (Inspire Medical Systems©) device. Learn more or call 617-573-3954 to schedule an appointment.