10 Easy Ways to Get a Better Sleep

Everybody wants to get better sleeps, especially since we are not getting enough sleep. But just what can you do to improve your sleep everynight to get all the benefits you can from it? Well, there are many things from daily activities, diet, exercise as well as specific material things like bed, room and location specifications. Here is a list of 10 things you can do that don't involve a change in lifestyle but will still help you get some premium shut eye.

1. Make sure you get as much light as you can during the day and darkness at night. You don't need to go for a long walk in the sun to get the benefits of light (although, the walk would help too). Just open up all the blinds you can in your house during the day, and turn on lights in darker areas. The light changes your brain state to help you maintain a sleep cycle. All people are effected by light, however some more severe than others. The winter blues is a relatively common problem for people during the winter when the sun is out less. Keep the lights down in your house prior to going to bed and make sure your room is as dark as possible during sleeping hours.
   
2. Avoid napping! Although an occasional nap after a heavy night of drinking or when you stayed up all night is okay, regular napping will throw a stick in your sleep cycle making it harder to fall asleep and stay in a deep sleep.
3. Avoid inebriates before bed. While the common thought is that a nightcap, cigarette or other drug helps you to sleep, this is simply not true. Although you might be able to fall asleep faster, the quality of your sleep is greatly reduced as it bogs down your brain sleep cycles.
4. Analyze the quality of your bed. If you are waking up with a sore back chances are the mattress needs replacement. Sags and hills in your mattress will cause problems throughout the night and reduce the quality of your sleep. Finding the best mattress for your body type can be a huge benefit in producing quality sleeps.
5. Take a look at your pillow. Is the pillow providing enough support for your neck. The spine should continue in a straight line until it connects with your skull. If this is not the case, you should think about finding a pillow that provides proper support. Increased blood flow will result.
6. Check out your sleep environment. How much noise is present around your room, what is the temperature like? If you have an aversion to ear plugs, try setting up a CD player with some calming music at a low volume. It will act as a white noise producer and drown out the irregular noises like a dog barking in the distance, or your roommate watching TV in the next room. It has the added benefit of providing a Pavlov trigger so when you turn it on, your brain knows what to do. Most people also sleep better in a slightly cooler room, provided enough covers are present. If you can control the thermostat, aim for 17-18^o C or (62-65^oF).
7. Eat a baked potato before bed. There are several dietary "power foods" you can eat to help with sleep. For example, tryptophan containing foods like meats and dairy (which helps to process tryptophan) you will end up with a good mix to calm your brain. A baked potato will clear your body of acids that block tryptophan processing.
8. Read before bed. This is a great way to get your mind off of your day and reset your brain. Now, try staying awake later when you pick up that book during the day... not so easy!
9. Paint your room a different color. Psychology of furniture with respect to color, textures and shapes are an interesting area that is often not thought of. Albeit causing subtle changes, painting your room a color like pink will actually calm you down (perhaps a kickback from being a baby and sucking a nipple). Calming indeed!
10. Try counting sheep. No, this is not a joke. Some of you may have tried this, but the best thing to do is imagine the sheep actually jumping over the fence. Otherwise you are just counting, which is too easy and you will begin to wonder in thought. Stay focused on the sheep; they will put you to sleep!

Good luck falling to sleep!