Sleeping well at night is essential to getting the most out of every day. Sleep affects the mood, health and energy. The average sleep requirement for adults is eight hours. But, not getting enough is a problem for millions. There are myriad ways to guarantee a better night’s rest to have more energy and optimal health.

First, get the internal clock reset for a more appropriate time. To start, get used to waking and sleeping at the exact same time each day. Sleeping longer on weekends will make it that much more difficult to stay on the right schedule on weekdays. This will result in fatigue during the day as the clock is not set to an ideal schedule. To get a favorable cycle started, get exposed to sunlight. Sunlight is a good catalyst for resetting this clock to be active and tired during the right times.

Sleeping well sometimes has a lot to do with your daytime activity. Being active by getting exercise regularly promotes a better night’s sleep. Exercising should not happen too near to sleep, though. Exercising late will get the heart rate raised when it’s actually time for it to be calmed. Earlier exercising times will keep your level of energy lower at night. One of the ideal exercise times is late in the afternoon. This creates a dip in energy at precisely the time when sleep should occur.

Sleep time can often be attributed to habit. A habit of staying up late is often hard to undo. Staying awake in bed is also a habit. It’s important to start a new bedtime routine. A new habit can be a routine of things that are done every night before bed. This will soon establish a direct connection in your subconscious between the routine and falling asleep. Once it’s ingrained, just beginning the routine will make you sleepy.

What you consume at night will have a profound affect on your sleep as well. People know that drinking caffeine at night is a bad idea. But, other foods can also have a wakeful effect. Foods with tyrosine will cause wakefulness. Tyrosine is in items such as bologna, cheddar cheese and pepperoni. Red wine has similar effects on sleep. If you are hungry at night, have bread and warm milk. When both of these are consumed together, the effect of the milk’s tryptophan is enhanced and sleepiness ensues. But, a large meals is not a good choice at bedtime, or it may interfere with a good night’s rest. Have dinner several hours before bedtime and stick to milk and bread as a snack as needed.