how to sleep better

Use your bedroom for bedtime. If your body is used to doing all sorts of things in the room besides sleep it may not make a smooth transition to sleep when it is time.Your mind should associate your bedroom with sleep and perhaps soothing, relaxing activities.

Avoid: stressful work or homework, using the computer, watching TV, talking on the phone, eating, exercising, and generally anything that is stressful, energizing, very exciting, or keeps you from going to sleep on time.
Probably OK: reading, a relaxing project, cuddling with spouse, writing in journal.
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  Make your bedroom a haven. The more comfortable your bed and bedroom are, the more conducive they are to a restful sleep.
  - Tidy up your room. A cluttered, disorganized room tends to be distracting and does not promote restful, relaxed, calm feelings.
  - Clean your room. Get rid of the cobwebs, dust the shelves, vacuum the floor. Empty the wastepaper basket. Remove dirty plates, cups, and water-bottles. A clean room sets the emotional stage for your room being a safe, healthy place, not a neglected dumping-ground to wallow in. Also, regular cleaning can alleviate allergies which can disrupt sleep. It also keeps pests like mice, rats, and cockroaches from invading your space.
  - Beautify your room. An aesthetically pleasing room will make you happier than one that's displeasing. You do not necessarily have to have your room be a page from the Ikea catalog. But simple changes, such getting rid of an ugly bedspread or repainting your walls can subtly shift your mood.
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  Darken your room. Blackout drapes, shades, or blinds can avoid you awakening early.
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  Make sure your sleep temperature is restful. If you are sweating or freezing, you will not sleep well.
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  Maintain your mattress. Replace it after five to seven years of regular use. If you feel springs or ridges beneath the surface when you're lying on the bed, or you and your partner tend roll over a lot at night (unintentionally), it's time to go mattress shopping!
  - You may also find that the mattress is to blame if you find yourself sleeping better in another bed.
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  Check out the new mattress technology. The newer types of mattresses that allow for adjustment or that mold around you may help you get a better night's sleep.
  - One type of mattress lets you adjust the firmness of your bed, individually, for both you and your partner. This is ideal if you can never agree on which mattress feels right. You may both have different needs, and trying to find one you will both like generally means finding a mattress that neither of you will get a good night's sleep on.
  - Another type of mattress uses memory foam, which molds to the contours of your body as it warms up. This leaves no pressure points to cause numbness, irritation or other physical issues. This is especially useful for those with bad hips or other joints.
Method 2 of 5: Moderating your Diet
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  A full stomach may interrupt your sleep, and, the heavier the meal, the longer it takes for your stomach to settle. Eat dinner at least three hours before bed time.
  - Avoid greasy foods, as not only are they not good for you but tend to inhibit sleep.
  - Avoid spicy foods. Some people thrive on heavily spiced foods, but if you find your aunt's curry gives you a tummy-ache at night, rethink your dinner plans.
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  Avoid going to bed on an empty stomach. A completely empty stomach may interfere with your sleeping patterns just as much as going to bed with a full stomach.
  - If you find that your stomach is grumbling for food and is keeping you awake, eat a light snack about an hour before bedtime.
  - Avoid foods high in carbohydrates or sugar.
  - High protein foods like turkey, yogurt, soy beans, tuna, and peanuts contain tryptophan, which can help the body produce serotonin in order to relax. They also have natural, complex fats that can satiate your hunger. ^[1]
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  Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening. This includes coffee, black teas, cocoa, and caffeinated soda. Caffeine can keep you awake even if you drank it earlier in the day, as its effects can last up to 12 hours. This also includes other stimulants like those found in energy drinks even if they are not caffeine. Avoid tobacco products in the evenings as well.
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  Instead, drink a relaxing warm beverage. Highly recommended beverages include a warm glass of milk or chamomile tea. However, most herbal teas are fine.
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  Avoid drinking water or other fluids within one hour of your appointed bed time. Ensure, though, that you drink at least two liters of water during the day.
  - A well-hydrated body will not wake you from thirst, but drinking a big glass of water just before bed might wake you to go to the bathroom at an inconvenient hour.
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  Skip that nightcap. Alcohol will make you feel sleepy, but it will also reduce the quality of your sleep as your body processes the alcohol and sugars. Alcohol tends to produce broken, shallow sleep (even if you don't notice the periods of waking during the night), which does not refresh.^[2]
Method 3 of 5: Setting the Stage for Sleep
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  Take a warm bath. Sometimes a warm shower can relax your body and feel clean. Studies suggest that bath relax have good results in elderly (67-83) and younger (17-23), providing at least three hours of good rest with lower movements than without the bath.
  - You should try to take the bath a couple of hours before you go to bed.
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  Get comfy. Take out any hair pieces and put on loose clothes, preferably cotton pajamas.
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  Lower the lights, stop watching TV and using computers/tablets an hour or two before bedtime.
  - Bright light confuses your body into thinking it's still daytime. If your home is very brightly lit late at night, try turning off lights you do not need. This also includes TV, tablets, and other electronic devices. Darkness makes your body start producing the hormones that make you sleep.
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  At bedtime, turn out the lights. Exposure to light during the time you're supposed to be sleeping can disrupt your body's internal clock. It's one of the primary clues to the body that it's either sleep time, or waking time. This has been documented in studies surrounding circadian rhythms.^[3]
  - If you must have light in the room—–for example, you're in an unfamiliar house and you don't want to use the braille method for finding your way to the bathroom at 3 a.m.—–use a very dim night light. Pull the blinds down or shut the shutters to prevent outdoor lights, or the full moon, occasionally, from shining in. If you wake up and see any kind of bright light, you'll have a much harder time falling back asleep.
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  Try to eliminate all other sources of artificial light. This includes windows, LED clocks, computer lights, cable boxes, and all those other devices with blinking, glowing lights and LEDs. You can cover them with heavy paper, cloth covers, masking tape, or just unplug them. Not only will you get a good night's sleep, you'll save electricity.
  - If you must have a light at some point in the night, red lights will not affect your night vision. Pilots flying at night use flashlights with red lenses so that their night vision isn't destroyed by white light.^[4]
  - For a truly soothing evening, prepare for bed, then put on some ambient music, and instead of incandescent lights, light several candles in your living room and in your bedroom. For the last 15 minutes to half an hour, practice meditation, focusing on relaxing your body. When it's time, extinguish the candles as you make your way to the bedroom. Your home will get progressively darker until the last candle is extinguished.
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  Put on an eye mask. Eliminating all light is the most important thing you can do to fall asleep and stay asleep. Light not only inhibits the production of sleep hormones but also stimulates the body to feel awake and alert. The light can also keep you awake.
  - Sometimes lavender eye "pillows" can be more relaxing.
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  Add gentle sounds. Use a white noise generator that generates various soothing sounds—–surf, wind, steam—–these are sounds that have no shape, and they can help your brain to de-focus on right now..
  - White noise has been shown to not only help people fall asleep more quickly, but also it can disguise other noises that may wake you during the night.
  - White noise or natural sound machines are often wonderful. But if you cannot afford one, a fan can make soothing noise. So can a radio tuned to "between stations".^[5]
  - Repetitive or ambient music is very good for falling asleep. What's especially important is that there be no dramatic shifts in the dynamics of the music. Ambient music, such as that produced by Brian Eno, is ideal.^[6] Just be sure that the music stops or fades out in about an hour, or it could keep you from experiencing really deep sleep.