Five steps to a better sleep

Today, I will reveal five steps that you can take to get better sleep. After reading the article "Five Reasons to Get Better Sleep" you should be convinced on the benefits of getting better sleep. Even if you aren't convinced, I encourage you to just try them out for a week or two. You'll be surprised at the results - less chronic pain, aches are gone, feeling more alert....

Ready? Here's five tips on how to get better sleep.

1. Beds are for sleeping. Just because it's comfortable or convenient to carry out your daytime activities on your bed doesn't mean you should. This includes eating, watching TV or doing your work. Not only do such activities bring unwanted pencil shavings and bread crumbs, they also cause you to associate the bed with these activities, something that can be very distracting when you want to sleep. In fact, if you're reading this article with your laptop on your bed now, consider moving to the desk before you continue.

2. Don't leave work hanging when you go to sleep. I'm not saying that you finish all your work before you go to bed - that would be difficult at best and impossible for some. Instead, you should have peace in your mind before sleeping. What I mean is that you should stop your work, write down all the things that you have left to do or want to take note of on a piece of paper or a notebook. For instance, if you're waiting for a reply email from your colleague, just write it down so you won't forget it and then don't bother about it until you wake up the next morning. Or if you're halfway arranging the bookshelf, write down the place where you stopped and continue the next day. Worried about something? Write it down to get it off your mind. In this way your mind will be worry-free when you go to bed ensuring a good night's sleep.

3. Maintain a daily routine before you sleep. A good way to get better sleep is to follow a set of rituals before you go to bed. As much as possible, aim to sleep around the same time every day. Consider your ideal amount of sleep, the time you have to wake up, and then plan your bedtime. Try to follow through as much and as often as possible to keep your body clock in sync. About 20 minutes before you sleep, stop your work and start winding down. If you like you could do a little quiet reading of your favorite book or drink some warm milk before you sleep. Try to avoid caffeinated beverages as they tend to keep you alert and make it harder to fall asleep. Warm milk is good as it calms the body.

4. Make your bedroom comfortable. Doing so will improve the quality of sleep. This is a very important factor that tends to be overlooked. The place where you sleep is very important as you will be spending quite a few hours there. Make sure that the room is properly ventilated and not too warm or cold. A good temperature to keep your room at is around 25 degrees Celsius. Again, make sure your bed is free of clutter and the bedsheets are well laid. Change your bedsheets and pillowcases regularly. Doing so will provide a more comfortable and hygienic sleeping environment.

5. Don't stimulate your mind before sleeping. Plan your activities of the day such that you do less stimulating activities before you sleep. This doesn't mean that you just idle your evening away, rather, do activities like folding the clothes or playing the piano. DON'T watch horror movies before you go to bed. Avoid watching action films or playing action games before you sleep, as your mind will be too active to fall asleep.

I hope that with these five tips on how to get better sleep, you will be able to get better sleep and wake up feeling more refreshed. Thank you for stopping by. In the next few articles, I will discuss more on other sleep related topics that can help you improve your quality of sleep.