I’ve had trouble with sleeping off and on through my life but I feel like recently I’ve cracked the code. Here’s what I found:

Wake up at the same time every morning

Your wake up time drives your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock that tells you when to sleep and wake up), so pick a time to wake up, and wake up at that time every morning.

Don’t go to bed till you’re tired

Too many people think that the right bedtime is the key to a good night's sleep, but it’s actually the right wake up time. If your wake up time is correct, your body will let you know when it’s bedtime.

Don’t go to bed before you’re tired. You will lay pointlessly and your mind will wander and keep you up past when you’re supposed to get tired.

I usually wind down and watch TV till I literally start having trouble keeping my eyes open. Only then I go to bed.

As a side note to this, don’t do things close to your normal bedtime that might distract your mind from feeling tired, For me it’s things like programming or playing video games.

Find the right temperature

This seems obvious, but sometimes when you’re laying there trying to sleep and it’s hot or cold, you don’t get up to fix itcuz you’re too sleepy. Temperature ideas:

• Crack open the window
• Close the window
• Turn up the heat in your room slightly
• Stick your feet out of the blanket
• Turn your pillow to the cold side
• Put your arms and hands against your cool wall

Do whatever it takes to find that ideal temperature. Being too hot or too cold will crush your odds of getting a good night’s sleep. My brother has nicknamed sleeping as “A Quest for Cold.”

Once you find the perfect temperature, you might need to make adjustments every time the weather changes.

Don’t hit the snooze button

If you snooze too long, your circadian rhythm doesn’t know what time it’s supposed to set for. Snoozing doesn’t really feel good, doesn’t get you more rested, and wastes more of your day.

Snooze once if you must, but no more than that.

Sweet dreams!