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Here are ten tips to create a better sleeping environment and improve the restfulness of a night's sleep.
Maintain Consistency Maintain a consistent sleep schedule, even on the weekends.
Make sure to go to bed and get up at roughly the same times.
This kind of consistent schedule helps to reinforce the body's natural sleep-wake cycle.
It can especially help those who have trouble falling asleep.
Avoid Late Eating and Drinking Troubled sleepers shouldn't eat or drink too much too late.
Eat dinner at least 2 hours before going to sleep.
Those with heartburn should avoid fatty and spicy foods.
Also be sure not to drink too much - this will reduce waking for restroom trips.
Avoid Stimulants Alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine are stimulants that may keep people awake.
Troubled sleepers should avoid them in the evenings.
Caffeine should be avoided for 8 hours before bedtime; it takes hours to get rid of it and its effects.
And while it's usually thought of as a way to sedate people, alcohol actually disturbs sleep, so people should steer clear of it.
Exercise People need some regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise.
It can help people fall asleep more quickly and the sleep will also be more restful.
Try not to exercise right before bed, however; it may keep some people awake.
Create a Soothing Bedroom Environment Bedrooms should be dark, cool, and quiet.
Make changes to humidity, temperature, light level, and any other characteristics that affect one's ability to sleep.
Earplugs, blackout curtains, an eye mask, or a white noise generator are other options available to tweak one's bedroom environment.
Sleep at Night While naps can be helpful, for troubled sleepers daytime naps may actually decrease the hours they sleep at night.
Daytime naps should be at most thirty minutes in the mid-afternoon.
For people who work nights, they should keep their curtains and shades closed so the sunlight doesn't affect their sleep.
The presence of sunlight changes the body's internal clock, so this is important; nighttime workers may benefit from blackout curtains, especially.
Get a Good Pillow and Mattress Troubled sleepers should make sure to have a comfortable bed and pillow.
Comfort is subjective, but beds and pillows should not be causing people discomfort or pain.
Pets may need to sleep on the floor.
People should also consider an organic mattress and pillow; traditional mattresses are often made of petroleum byproducts that can release small amounts of gas for long periods of time; this may interfere with sleeping or cause other health concerns.
100% organic options do not release such gases.
Create a Bedtime Routine Following the same routine before bed every night indicates to the body that it's time for sleep.
The routine can be anything that helps people to relax - taking a warm bath, reading, listening to music, and so on.
Lowering the lights can also help transition people from wakefulness to rest.
Go to Bed When Tired Many people stay awake even though they're tired.
Instead, people should go to bed when they feel tired, making sure to turn the lights off.
If still awake after 15 or 20 minutes, do something else for a while and return to bed when tired again.
Stressing out over not sleeping can be harmful, so try to avoid it.
If people often have trouble sleeping, they may want to go see their doctors; there may be another condition interfering with sleep patterns.
For most, it's quite common to have trouble sleeping once in a while.
Following these nine steps will help alleviate such troubles.
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