9 Ways To Instantly Improve Your Quality of Sleep

The simplest cure for what it is that ails us is... a good and solid night of sleep. Russians intone, "morning is wiser than the night." It's hard to argue with the obvious, but how exactly can I sleep well with my worries, obligations, emails, city noise, etc.?
It isn't rocket science, but a few good tricks can really help.
1) Turn off your phone, computer and TV at 7. Rest your eyes and brain. After a long day looking at computer screens, your phone or tablet and TV, your eyes and mind are drained. With too much light exposure after darkness sets, you are beginning to mess up your circadian rhythms and in turn, your quality of sleep. Don't look at your phone before bed. Don't check your emails. Don't worry yourself with things that can wait until tomorrow. Instead, spend quality time with your family. Read a good book. Take a nice walk outside.
2) Avoid eating dinner after 7, especially heavy foods (anything fried, heavy carbs, red meat, anything in a heavy tomato or cream sauce). At around this time, when it's starting to get dark, your digestive system begins to prepare for sleep and becomes less and less efficient after the waking day. During sleep, your digestion is at its least efficient. Going to sleep soon after a heavy meal can cause indigestion and/or other digestive issues, which can easily disturb and lessen the quality of your sleep.
3) Drink a glass of water before bed. Help your body clear toxins from the day. Enhance digestion during sleep.
4) Sleep at least enough hours for your body to recover to peak performance the next day. Your body us unique in the amount of sleep it needs to feel refreshed and ready to go. Ideally, you should wake up at the end of a cycle of sleep, not in the middle. In order to measure your sleep cycles and the optimal amount of sleep, you can download several great sleep apps.
5) Resolve all your pressing problems with people before going to bed. Say thanks, apologize, talk it out. Do whatever it takes to return to your normal emotional state. Just don't go to sleep pissed off or angry or otherwise emotional.
6) Practice gratitude before sleep and throughout the day. Be grateful for your health, family, home, food and sustenance, good friends and the ability to do what you do in life. Meditate or pray on all of the great things in your life. Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative, as the old saying goes.
7) Read a good book or story before bed to get your mind off from work and other worries from the day. Dive deep into another person's world. You will at worst escape and at best, learn something new and interesting.
8) Finish your chores before bed and prepare for the next day. Wash the dishes, take out the trash, prepare your lunch. Remember that the state of your home reflects the state of your mind. If one is a mess, the other will be too.
9) Take good care of your dental, mental and physical hygiene before sleep with an established routine that you follow, no matter what. Even if you've had a crappy day, your routine will put you in the mindframe for a good night of sleep.
Now you know. Try out one, two or a few of these and you'll see a real improvement in your sleep.
Sweet dreams tonight!
Are there other tips and strategies you've found useful in getting a good night's sleep? Share them with the community in the Comments section below.
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*The views expressed herein are his own*