A quiet environment and good temperature, not too hot or cold. A comfortable bed: a good mattress and a good pillow will enhance good sleep. Spending a considerable amount to buy a good mattress and pillow is a wise investment into your life.
The following tips will help you sleep better:
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekend.
• If possible, use your bedroom for sleeping and relaxing only.
• Provide a darkened environment as early in the night as possible. Turn off fluorescent light. Use curtains that do not admit rays of light easily into your bedroom. This enables a brain hormone called melatonin to be produced and it sends a message to the rest of the body that it is night and it should start preparing to sleep.
• Put aside anything that can raise your adrenaline about two (2) hours before bed time: working, arguments,unpleasant phone calls, paying bills, discussing upsetting matters. It takes about two to four hours after stopping work for the adrenaline to go down enough for sleep to be initiated.
• Avoid caffeine (in coffee or tea or carbonated drinks) alcohol, chocolates, spicy or greasy foods near bed time. In fact avoid any heavy meal less than two hours before bed time.
• Don’t force yourself to sleep. Forcing yourself will make you tensed up and release more adrenaline which will delay sleep onset further
• Exercise regularly but not in a competitive manner or too close to bed time.
• Relaxation will help you to sleep.
• Force your mind away from troublesome issues. They can be written and treated the following day.
• If you wake up at night and get into the non-dream stage of sleep, don’t get up to do other things. Enjoy just lying down.