Arianna Huffington's tips for sleeping and beating jet lag

In April 2007, entrepreneur Arianna Huffington collapsed from exhaustion, a fall that resulted in a broken cheekbone.

She was so determined to build her media empire, The Huffington Post, that she was hardly sleeping.

Huffington now calls it her wake-up call to get more sleep.

“We live under this collective delusion that sleep is optional and the people are busy and have important things to do, and that sleep is something that we can basically shortchange ourselves of,” she says.

Huffington went on a quest to prove that getting enough sleep not only makes people happier and healthier, but also more productive workers. Her new book, The Sleep Revolution, explores the medical benefits of getting enough sleep, which she says is generally between seven and nine hours a night.

“It’s a little bit like going back to the 1950s and people believing that smoking is glamorous, and you had doctors advertising cigarettes on television,” she says. “Sleep deprivation is the new smoking affecting our health, affecting our productivity, and affecting our happiness.”

Huffington is promoting her book through sleep fairs at universities. She also offered her tips to passengers on a JetBlue flight. At the Huffington Post, naps are encouraged. Huffington says she takes a power nap when she needs to recharge.

“I remember all of the times I’ve been jet-lagged and sleep-deprived, and it’s hard to bring joy to your life. It’s hard to be grateful. It’s hard to enjoy what you’re doing,” she says. “That on top of the health problems and the productivity problems means that we really need to course-correct both as individuals and as a culture.”

Huffington travels the world on a regular basis as editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Media Group and the author of 15 books. In her book, she shares many tips on beating jet lag.

“For me, it starts from before you get on the plane,” she says.

She keeps sleeping gear in her carry-on bag, including an eye mask.

“Even if you get an eye mask on the plane, it can be harsh,” she says. “If you travel a lot, it’s worth investing in a beautiful silk eye mask.”

Other gear she keeps in her bag: noise-canceling headphones, herbal teas and a favorite neck pillow.

She avoids drinking alcohol during flights because it is dehydrating. She also carries nourishing snacks such as carrot sticks that are low in sodium, again to avoid dehydration. And she buys extra water after she gets past security, “so I’m not depending on the kindness of (flight attendants),” she says.

She requests an aisle seat so she has easy access to the bathroom. And she wears comfortable clothing and shoes.

“I always see women who look super chic with high heels,” she says. “I never get this. I always wear flats, ideally tennis shoes.”

When she lands, she schedules time to rest before meetings. Even when she is on vacation, she builds in time for sleep before fun activities.

“There are so many variables when you fly that are out of your control,” she says. “You may have a crying baby. You may have turbulence. There are all these announcements. You don’t know how rested you will be when you land, even if you have the best intentions.”

Huffington also offers tips for getting a deep, restorative sleep.

“The key is creating a transition to sleep,” she says. “That’s where modern men and women have lost--a transition, which is what we do with our babies. We give them a bath and we sing them a lullaby. We have to do something similar to ourselves."

She turns off all her mobile devices and “gently escorts” them out of the bedroom, she says.

“There’s a real kind of demarcation line between the day, with all its business and problems, and the night, which is the time to recharge and wake up fully refreshed,” she says.

She takes a hot bath. If you’re not into baths, she recommends a hot shower as a type of ritual for washing away the day. She incorporates salts and candles into her bath time.

“I try to do everything to slow down my brain, to wind down everything,” she says.

She wears a night gown or special T-shirts that she never wears to the gym. Otherwise, she says, “it sends very mixed messages to the brain. Am I going to the gym or am I going to bed?”

She reads a book before bed—a physical book rather than one on an iPad or Kindle.

And she thinks positive thoughts. She ends the day by writing down three things for which she is grateful.

“What you give as the closing scene of the day is a big difference,” she says. “I feel it really sets the tone for how I feel when I turn off the lights.”