12 Ways to Get Your Best Night of Sleep

The importance of sleep is know by most to effect ones quality of life as well as their health. Some have had trouble sleeping for years. If you’ve been getting decent sleep, there may be a tip or two that can help you make it much more restful.

It is very important to acknowledge that achieving a restful night’s sleep is an all-day task. How you wake, your events throughout the day and your nightly rituals all affect the quality and longevity of your sleep

Preparing For Good Sleep

1. Invest in a good mattress.
   Remember, you’ll spend over 20 years of your life sleeping. That makes your mattress a sound investment. Select a mattress that’s right for you and remember many manufacturers allow for a trial period which allows you to make sure it’s right for you.
2. Stick to a predictable and consistent schedule.
   Our bodies are created to sleep on a regular schedule. Naturally, our bodies schedule would sync up with the day and night cycle of the earth.  In the 21^st century world that schedule isn’t possible for most. Be consistent with a sleep schedule that works for your life and responsibilities. That means go to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Even if your weekends are your time to cut loose try and keep it to less than an hour later than your normal bedtime.
3. Lose the snooze button.
   When you hit that tempting little snooze button you might think you’re getting that extra little bit of sleep you’re craving, but you’re actually just creating a groggier state than if you’d just gotten out of bed. When the alarm awakens you your body is naturally in a lighter state of sleep. So, when you give in to the temptation of the snooze button when you awake again to that buzzing your body may be in a much deeper sleep state making it harder to get up and going or leading you straight to the coffee pot to spark your energy.
4. Get that bright light when you rise.
   Bright light, especially natural light, lets our brain know to stop releasing melatonin and release hormones to help wake us up.
5. Get some daily exercise.
   Today technology has most of us sitting behind a desk. Sleep was not an issue in the days of the past because manual labor was a great aid in natural sleep. Since people that regularly exercise sleep better than those who don’t consider exercising at least 3-5 times a week.
6. Nix the caffeine late in the day.
   Caffeine is a stimulant that will keep you awake if you take it too late in the day. Remember caffeine stays in your system for three to five hours. That means that the 5 o’clock cup of coffee can still have a stimulating effect on you at 10PM.
7. Dim the lights.
   When the sun goes down, your body will naturally start to get drowsy. Bright light, especially blue disrupts that process. Many of today’s digital items like phones, computers and televisions emit a bright blue light hindering our chances of dozing off. Be sure to dim the lights around the house so your body is signaled that it’s time for rest.
8. Supplement melatonin and/or ZMA before bed.
   Take melatonin supplements 30 minutes before going to bed to help you get to sleep faster. ZMA helps you get deeper, more restorative sleep so you get those testosterone and human growth hormone-boosting benefits.
9. Avoid alcohol.
   A nightly drink or two might seem like a great way to induce your snooze, but the quality of your sleep will be diminished. You’ll get less restorative sleep, and likely wake up feeling less rested.
10. Have a nighttime snack.
    Studies point to different reasons but most scientists agree that a carb filled snack before bed may help you get to sleep faster and stay asleep through the night. The insulin production of carb-laden foods as an aid in regulating our circadian rhythm. Another study notes that high carb foods  increase tryptophan in our blood, which induces sleep.
11. Keep it cool.
    Your core body temperature decreases as you get deeper and deeper into sleep. This explains why colder temps help you sleep faster and contributes to deeper sleep. A chilly 60-67 degrees seems to be the best temperature for a restful night.
12. Try some white noise. Some people simply sleep better when there’s the sound of a fan running or even radio static. That type of noise is called white noise. Why does it help us fall asleep? One theory is that white noise masks sudden noise changes that may wake you up or startled you.