Getting a good sleep may seem like an hard goal when you are wide awake at 3 a.m., but you have much more control over the quality of your sleep than you probably realize. Just as the way you feel during waking hours often hinges on how well you sleep at night, so the cure for sleep difficulties can often be found in daily routine.

Simple Tips to Improve Your Healthy Sleep

Keep in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle

Circadian rhythm, is one of the most important strategies for sleeping better. If you keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, you’ll feel much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times, even if you only alter your sleep schedule by 1 hour or 2.





Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. This helps set your body’s internal clock and optimize the quality of your sleep. Choose a bed time when you normally feel tired, so that you don’t toss and turn.





Be smart about napping. Napping is a good way to make up for lost sleep, if you have trouble staying asleep at night, napping can make things worse. Limit naps to 15 to 20 minutes in the early afternoon.





Fight after-dinner drowsiness. If you get sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.





Take a relaxing bath or shower

They can help improve overall sleep quality and help people , especially older adults , fall asleep faster.

A hot bath 90 minutes before bed improved sleep quality and helped people get more deep sleep

Alternatively, if you don’t want to take a full bath at night, simply bathing your feet in hot water can help you relax and improve sleep

Avoid sleeping in—even on weekends. The more your weekend/weekday sleep schedules differ, the worse the jetlag-like symptoms you’ll experience. If you need to make up for a late night, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping in. This allows you to pay off your sleep debt without disturbing your natural sleep-wake rhythm.





Relax and clear your mind in the evening for good night sleep

People have a pre-sleep routine that helps them relax. Relaxation techniques before bed have been shown to improve sleep quality and are another common technique used to treat insomnia.

A relaxing massage improved sleep quality in people who were ill.

Strategies include listening to relaxing music, reading a book, taking a hot bath, meditating, deep breathing, and visualization.

Try out different methods and find what works best for you.





Pay attention about what you eat and drink

Your eating habits play a role in how well you sleep, especially in the hours before bedtime.

Limit nicotine and caffeine. Caffeine can cause sleep problems up to ten to twelve hours after drinking it! Smoking is another stimulant that can disrupt your sleep, especially if you smoke close to bedtime.





Avoid big meals at night. Try to make dinnertime earlier in the evening, and avoid heavy, rich foods within two hours of bed. Spicy or acidic foods can cause stomach trouble and heartburn.





Cut back on sugary foods and refined carbs. Eating lots of sugar and refined carbs such as white bread, white rice, and pasta during the day can trigger wakefulness at night and pull you out of the deep, restorative stages of sleep.





Avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening. Drinking lots of fluids may result in frequent bathroom trips throughout the night.





Optimize your bedroom environment for better night sleep.

People believe that the bedroom environment and its setup are main factors in getting a good night’s sleep. These factors include temperature, noise, external lights, and furniture arrangement.

External noise, often from traffic, can cause poor sleep and long-term health issues.

To optimize your bedroom environment, try to minimize external noise, light, and artificial lights from devices like alarm clocks. Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, clean, relaxing, and enjoyable place.





Set your bedroom temperature

Body and bedroom temperature can also profoundly affect sleep quality.

As you may have experienced during the summer or in hot locations, it can be very hard to get a good night’s sleep when it’s too warm. Bedroom temperature affected sleep quality more than external noise. Increased body and bedroom temperature can decrease sleep quality and increase wakefulness.

Around 70°F (20°C) seems to be a comfortable temperature for most people, although it depends on your preferences and habits.





For better sleep, time your exercise right

People who exercise regularly sleep better at night and feel less sleepy during the day. Regular exercise also improves the symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnea and increases the amount of time you spend in the deep, restorative stages of sleep.





Control your exposure to light

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone controlled by light exposure that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Your brain secretes more melatonin when it’s dark—making you sleepy—and less when it’s light—making you more alert. However, many aspects of modern life can alter your body’s production of melatonin and shift your circadian rhythm.





Good and Healthy Sleep plays a key role in your health. If you’re interested in optimal health and well-being, it’s recommended that you make sleep a top priority and incorporate some of the tips above.

Relaxing bath or shower is another popular way to sleep better.