Better Sleep Tips

This information is taken from the Better Sleep Council's Booklet, "The Better Sleep Guide."

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Create A Good Sleep Environment
Good sleep habits and a restful sleep environment play an important role in how well you sleep. You can sleep better by creating a comfortable place to sleep.

Is your bedroom a good place to sleep? Your sleep environment serves as the basis for a good night's sleep. Noise, light, an uncomfortable or worn-out mattress and foundation or a room that's too warm or too cold can set you up for poor sleep.

The four factors of the sleep environment You can make your sleep environment more conducive for restful sleep by checking these factors:

• MATTRESS AND FOUNDATION: Be sure your mattress and foundation meet your needs for ideal support and comfort. If you sleep with a partner, your mattress should allow you both enough space to move easily during the night.
• LIGHT: Light is one of our body's most powerful time cues. The rising sun can stimulate the brain into wakefulness long before the alarm goes off. A dark room is the most conducive for sleep, day or night.
• NOISE: Sudden, loud noises from inside or outside the home can disrupt sleep. Steady, low sounds like the whir of a fan or air conditioner are soothing because they help block out other noises.
• TEMPERATURE: The ideal bedroom temperature is 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 to 18 degrees Celsius. A room that's too hot or too cold can disturb your sleep.

10 TIPS For a Good Night's Sleep

1. KEEP REGULAR HOURS. Keep your biological clock in sync by going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning — even on weekends.
2. DEVELOP A SLEEP RITUAL. Doing the same things each night just before bed cues your body to settle down for the night.
3. SLEEP ON A COMFORTABLE, SUPPORTIVE MATTRESS AND FOUNDATION. It's difficult to get deep, restful sleep on a sleep set that's too small, too soft, too hard or too old.
4. EXERCISE REGULARLY. Regular exercise can help to relieve the day's tension — but not too close to bedtime or you may have a hard time falling asleep.
5. CUT DOWN ON STIMULANTS. Consuming stimulants, such as caffeine, in the evening interferes with falling asleep and prevents deep sleep.
6. DON'T SMOKE. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, awaken more often and experience disrupted, fragmented sleep.
7. DRINK ONLY IN MODERATION. Drinking alcohol shortly before bedtime interrupts and fragments sleep.
8. UNWIND EARLY IN THE EVENING. Try to deal with worries and distractions several hours before going to bed.
9. CREATE A RESTFUL SLEEP ENVIRONMENT. Sleep in a cool, quiet, dark room on a comfortable, supportive mattress and foundation.
10. MAKE SLEEP A PRIORITY. Say “yes”to sleep even when you're tempted to stay up late. You'll thank yourself in the morning.