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How to Get a Good Nights Sleep

If your bedroom is giving off the wrong signals, you could find yourself livening up again - then your mind will start racing and you'll find it impossible to drop off.

The key is to turn your bedroom into a quiet, relaxing place that you associate with sleep and sex rather than somewhere that resembles an office or, even worse, a nightclub.

CREATE A LUXURIOUS OASIS

If you dread going to bed because you have too much to do or have diffi culty falling asleep, try making bedtime seem more luxurious so you'll look forward to it. For example, invest in cotton sheets with a high thread count (at least 200 threads per inch); they cost more but feel softer. Change your bedding about once a week, or often enough to keep it feeling fresh.

Scenting your bedroom with fragrant herbs can also make bedtime feel special - but remember less is more. You don't want your bedroom smelling like a cheap perfume counter. Try stuffi ng a couple of tablespoons of dried lavender in a small cloth bag and tucking it among your pillows. This acts as a mild sedative, too.

Remove distractions. Your bedroom environment should calm you. That means no computers, CD players and television or piles of books, magazines, letters, bills and dirty clothes, which can all make you feel anxious and keep you awake. If you must keep electronics in your bedroom, at least turn them off before bedtime and keep them out of your line of sight. You could even cover them with a cloth. And you might have to get rid of that huge photo of New York hanging in your bedroom. Visual distractions like pictures remain in your mind even after you've turned out the lights.

Block out light. For the best quality sleep, make your room as dark as possible. Too much light and your body won't make enough of the hormone melatonin. This helps regulate your sleep cycle, sending you off to sleep and helping you stay that way. The amount of light you're exposed to at any given moment is what tells the pineal gland in your brain whether or not to produce melatonin. The darker it is when you sleep, the better your melatonin production, and the better the quality of your sleep. To block out light from outside always draw your blinds or curtains - and ideally invest in blackout versions which let in virtually no light. And turn brightly lit digital clocks around so you can't see them.

Choose the right temperature. Most sleep scientists believe that a slightly cool room contributes to good sleep - about 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 18 degrees Celsius). That's because it matches what occurs deep inside the body, when the body's internal temperature drops during the night to its lowest level. (For good sleepers, this occurs about four hours after they begin sleeping.) Everyone's body temperature is set slightly differently because it changes according to your body clock. And if you've got insomnia your body temperature won't fluctuate as much as in normal sleepers. Body temperature patterns also change with age, and are related to changes in sleep patterns. As you get older, your body temperatures start to rise and fall earlier - which leads to less sleep. Two people with different body temperatures are obviously going to disagree about the desired sleep temperature. It's still best to turn the thermostat down at night in cold weather - it not only saves on your fuel bills, it sets the stage for your sleep. If your bed partner is feeling cold, replace your duvet with blankets that can be piled on and taken off as you wish. Your other half may benefit from an electric blanket or warmer bedclothes. Bed socks aren't the most glamorous of night attire, but they definitely work.


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