We all want to make the most out of our days, but poor sleep can prevent us from doing our best. If you are suffering from stress related insomnia or a health condition that impacts your rest, it might be time to deal with the problems. Sleeping better will help your brain function at its best throughout the day, and you can get much more done in less time. Here I’ve covered few tips on how to sleep better every night and make the most out of the days.

1. Change Your Diet

You might be surprised to hear that your diet has an impact on how you sleep, but it does. If you find it hard to fall asleep at night, you might want to have your evening meal earlier and avoid eating late at night. Instead of those midnight snacks that get you through the periods of studying for your exams, opt for some fruit and protein bars, but nothing too processed. You don’t want to put too much pressure on your metabolism before you go to bed, or you will end up with an irritable tummy (read: gas).

1. Go to the Gym at Night

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If your body is restless and that causes you sleepless nights, it might be time to change your lifestyle. A jog or a gym session before you go to bed, but not directly before, will do you good. Apart from reducing stress, it will exhaust your muscles at the same time, so you can get yourself to go to bed easier, and have a relaxing sleep waking up alert and refreshed.

1. Avoid Caffeine

One of the mistakes students do is that they overdose on caffeine. While it is important to get you through the day and your studies, you should not have coffee or green tea, energy drinks after sunset. Caffeine can irritate your bowels and your bladder, so by the time you would get comfortable in the bed you will have to get up to go to the toilet. If you are not planning to stay up all night, swap your caffeine drinks to a herbal tea, such as chamomile or red bush.

1. Get Your Health Back on Track

When your body needs a good rest, but your health conditions prevent you from sleeping, it might be time to talk to a specialist. If you have asthma and it is not under control, you might wake up in the middle of the night or early morning coughing. If you are finding it hard to breathe while you are in bed, you should get in touch with a doctor to see if you are suffering from nasal polyps that restrict your airways and prevents you from sleeping well.  

1. Stop Falling Asleep on the TV

Another bad habit young people have is falling asleep on the sofa watching TV. If you have a television in your bedroom, you might be tempted to put on the sleep timer and binge watch your favorite Netflix series until early in the morning. Instead, you could get a good book or listen to a podcast that will entertain you, help you focus on something other than the day ahead, and send you to sleep naturally. Music is another great option to consider.

1. Meditation

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When stress levels are high during the exams, some of the natural ways of sleeping better might not be working, and you should consider meditation at night or in the day. There are plenty of great meditation sessions available on the internet, so you don’t have to spend money on a counselor if you can’t afford it. From stress release exercises to sessions aimed to reduce insomnia, there are plenty of mediation sessions you should try to improve your mental and physical health and become more productive during the day.

1. Night Yoga

If you don’t feel like going for a jog at night or don’t have a gym membership, you can try yoga at home. Instead of the cardio-focused Vinyasa flows, go for a gentle relaxing and unwinding sequence that will help your body and mind relax. Doing yoga at night will not make you sweat, but it will improve your digestion, reduce your stress levels, and improve your posture, so you reduce the risk of waking up with a bad neck or shoulder.

If you would like to improve how you sleep, you might need to make some small lifestyle changes that help you relax and let go of stress. Avoid midnight snacks and make sure that you exercise and take a step back from your busy life sometimes.