Getting a good night’s sleep is important for attaining the best performance throughout the day. It affects health, moods and energy levels. Every night the average adults needs about eight hours. However, millions of people don’t get enough sleep due to poor sleeping habits. There are many ways to get a enhanced night’s sleep to ensure better health and more energy.

First, the body clock needs to be reset. To begin a better cycle, go to bed and wake up at the same hour every night and day. Oversleeping on the weekends can reset the clock slightly, making it harder to go to sleep on time during the week. This is the beginning of a poor sleep/wake schedule that can create daytime fatigue. To get a favorable cycle started, get exposed to sunlight. Sunlight helps the body to set its internal clock to be active during the day and tired at night.

Often, the best predictor of your night’s sleep is what happened throughout the day. Exercise done throughout the day can make sleep better at night. However, it’s not a good idea to exercise too late in the day. Exercising at night will give you energy at a time when you should be resting. An earlier exercise time means that the energy will be there during the day but will have dissipated by bedtime. Exercising in the later afternoon tends to be the best time. This makes the raise in energy end when it’s time for bed.

When you sleep is often just a matter of habit. The habit of a late bedtime can be hard to change. Another bad habit is lying awake in bed. It’s important to start a new bedtime routine. The bedtime routine should contain several things that you make bedtime habits. This will soon establish a direct connection in your subconscious between the routine and falling asleep. After it’s become ingrained, performing the routine actions will make you tired.

Watching your food and drink at night will also affect your sleep. People know that drinking caffeine at night is a bad idea. But, there are other food items that can keep you awake as well. Foods with tyrosine have an effect similar to caffeine. Pepperoni, avocados, bologna and cheddar cheese contain tyrosine. Red wine has similar effects on sleep. If you find yourself hungry too late at night for a meal, have some warm milk and bread. The tryptophan in milk is absorbed better when it’s consumed with bread. A big meal eaten too close to bedtime may keep you awake too late. It’s best to eat dinner well ahead of bedtime and to stick with warm milk and bread if hunger persists.

Find out how to sleep less, and have more time in your day!