Seven steps to sleep better

From HealthSmart Magazine

1. Set a wake-up time

Establish a wake-up time that you can realistically stick to every day.

You can allow yourself a one-hour sleep-in one day per week followed by a 30-minute sleep-in the following day. It is important, however, to stick to your set wake-up time the rest of the week.

Don't go to bed too early. Ideally, 85% of your time in bed should be spent sleeping.

2. Reset your body clock

Allow plenty of light into your eyes first thing in the morning to help your body reset its clock. A quick walk or eating breakfast outside should do it. If you need to have a nap, keep it to 5-10 minutes.

3. Reduce your anxiety about sleep

When you get up, find five minutes to write down all the unhelpful thoughts you may have had overnight about not sleeping. Perhaps you feel you can't do your job properly or that you are guaranteed to have a bad day if you don't sleep for eight hours. Challenge these thoughts and replace them with helpful ones, such as, “Sure, I will be tired and grumpy but I will get through the day as normal. And because I will be tired, I will probably get a better night's sleep tonight.”

4. Establish worry time

Bed is for sleeping, not for thinking and worrying. Set aside 30 minutes every day to go through your worries, plans and thoughts.

It can help to write them down. That way, when you go to bed you know you have already thought about those issues and that you have scheduled time to think about them again tomorrow. Say to yourself, “Stop, I thought about this today, I'll think about it again tomorrow, now's the time for sleep.”

Have a pen and paper next to the bed, so if new thoughts pop into your head while you are trying to sleep, you can write them down as a reminder for the next day.

5. Wind-down time

Avoid strenuous exercise three to four hours before bed, and stop working or studying at least one hour before going to sleep. Spend the time relaxing by reading a book (out of bed), listening to music, or doing any other activity that slows down your body and mind.

6. Bedtime

When you go to bed, make sure you are comfortable and relaxed. If you are uptight or anxious it will be difficult to sleep. If you are not asleep within 20 minutes and you feel tense or agitated, hop up and do a relaxing activity until you feel calm or sleepy. If you prefer not to get up, ensure you can get to a relaxed state so that you are at least resting peacefully and calmly.

7. Deal with unscheduled waking

If you wake in the night and can't get back to sleep after 15-20 minutes, get up and do something relaxing until you are ready for bed again or until you feel the wave of sleepiness. If you are tossing and turning fretfully in bed, you are not resting and your body is not replenishing itself.