These are the 12 tips from the book “Why we sleep” by Matthew Walker.
The most important one can follow is the first one, to have a sleep schedule.
1. Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Sleeping later on weekends won't fully make up for a lack of sleep during the week and will make it harder to wake up early on Monday morning. Set an alarm for bedtime. Often, we set an alarm for when it’s time to wake up but fail to do so for when it’s time to go to sleep.
2. Exercise is great, but not too late in the day. Try to exercise at least 30 mins on most days but not later than two to three hours before your bedtime.
3. Avoid caffeine and nicotine. Coffee, certain teas and chocolate contain the stimulant caffeine, and its effects can take as long as 8 hours to wear off fully. Smokers often wake up too early in the morning because of nicotine withdrawal.
4. Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed.
5. Avoid large meals and beverages late at night. A light snack is okay, but large meal can cause indigestion, which interferes with sleep.
6. If possible, avoid medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep.
7. Don’t take naps after 3pm. Naps can help make up for lost sleep, but late afternoon naps can make it harder to fall asleep in night.
8. Relax before bed. Don’t over schedule your day so that no time is left for unwinding. A relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to music should be part of your bedtime ritual.
9. Take a hot bath before bed. The drop-in body temperature after getting out of the bath may help you feel sleepy, and the bath can help you relax and slow down so you're more ready to sleep.
10. Dark bedroom, cool bedroom , gadget free bedroom.
11. Have a right sunlight exposure. Daylight is key to regulating daily sleep patterns. Try to get outside in natural sunlight for at least 30 mins each day. If possible, wake up with the sun.
12. Don’t lie in bed awake. If you find yourself still awake after staying in bed for more than 20 mins or if you are starting to feel anxious or worried, get up and do some relaxing activity until you feel sleepy. The anxiety of not being able to sleep can make it harder to fall asleep.