Last week was all about sleep awareness. We now understand how important sleep is to our bodies due to the need to repair and reset. While it’s easy to understand that we need sleep, it sometimes is more difficult to actually make ourselves shut down for the day and go to bed. Here are a few tips to help you get a good night’s sleep.

1. Set a sleep schedule. Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. This regulates your body and eliminates sleep deprivation.

2. Exercise. Try to exercise 20-30 minutes a day. Exercise helps people sleep especially when it is done 5-6 hours before going to bed.

3. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Caffeine acts as a stimulant and can keep you awake at night. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and do not receive their full sleep benefit because they are often awoken due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep and REM sleep and also keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep.

4. Relax before bed. A warm bath, reading, or other relaxing activity can help wind your body down and make it easier to fall asleep.

5. Sleep until sunlight. If possible, wake up in the sun. Sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day.

6. Don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t get to sleep, try doing something else such as reading or watching television until you feel tired. The anxiety of trying to fall asleep can actually make falling asleep more difficult.

7. Control your room temperature. Maintain a comfortable room temperature in the bedroom. Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.

See a doctor if sleeping problems continue. If you have difficulties falling asleep or are always feeling tired during the day, then there may be something else going on in your body. Always see a physician when there is something that is not right with your body.

Source: www.ninds.nih.gov