How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Are you one of the many millions of people who have a tough time sleeping? Your body says let’s go sleep but when you get there, your brain decides it’s good time to start thinking a million miles a minute. It can be tough to get to sleep at night but we have a few tips that may help:

1. Get a good number of hours of sleep:

– Everyone is different, but most people need at least 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. When your sleep deprived, you don’t focus and you will gain weight. Less sleep weakens your immune system which in turn will give a greater chance of feeling sick. If you already have trouble sleeping, don’t skip a night. Staying out late once in a while might not seem like a big deal but being overtired can actually make it even harder to sleep!

2. Keep your bedroom calm:

– Don’t clutter up your bedroom with books, work or anything to requires your intense focus. All this stuff will do is remind you of what you need to get done and haven’t done yet. Turn off your laptop, ipad or whatever and just lay back and relax.

3. Make your bed in the morning:

– This may seem like a chore, but you will find that a made up bed looks more inviting and relaxing.

4. Make a bedtime routine:

– Turn off your computer and cellphone at a certain time each night. Don’t answer calls after a certain time. Do things in the evening that are calming and don’t require intense focus. Creating a bedtime routine trains your body to learn to sleep when a certain set of tasks or activities have taken place.

5. Avoid caffeine after 6 pm:

– When you drink soda, coffee or tea, all that sugar and caffeine isn’t good for you and it will keep you up at night.

6. Keep a notebook and pen by your bedside at night:

– If you are one of those people who wake up in the middle of the night and your mind is racing with thoughts of things you didn’t get done during the day, write them down so your brain can rest and relax. This way, you get them off your mind and you can go back to sleep.

7. If you really just can’t sleep, get up:

– If you find yourself still awake after 30 minutes, get up and go read a book or sit and relax in the living room. You will find that lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to force yourself to sleep is actually counterproductive and may mean less sleep rather than more sleep! Don’t use your computer or watch tv as that will get your mind racing again so do something like read a book or newspaper and relax.