Going to sleep or staying asleep are common areas in our modern lives where many people struggle. Quite a few books have been written and Netflix has shows full of advice on how to wind down, get to sleep, and how long you need to sleep.

In order to get a better night’s sleep there are things that you cannot control, such as the body’s chemical process of falling asleep, and things you can control, such as the sleep environment, to support the best night of sleep possible.

Controlling the controllable is a step towards getting a good night of sleep. Tuning these five areas to be as ideal as possible for you will help you improve your night of rest so that you can dominate your day.

1. Keep the bedroom for bedroom stuff.

   Bringing work, television or other activities that are not meant for the bed in the bedroom trains our brain that the bedroom is an okay venue to stay up and think about work and allows our mind to spin and keep us awake. Train your mind that when you get in bed the goal is to sleep by keeping the bedroom for bedroom activities.

2. Temperature

   When you sleep the body’s core temperature drops. This is true even if your sleeping partner accuses you of being a furnace. According to the National Sleep Foundation the best sleep in a temperature of 60 to 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 15.6 to 22.0 degrees Celsius. If lowering the thermostat can’t work for you try adjusting the covers.

3. Light

   The part of our brain that regulates when you are tired and when you are awake sits right behind the eyes where it can receive the best data about light and dark. When it is time to sleep and you are surrounded by light or electronics that put off light the brain is tricked into thinking it is daytime and time to be awake. Experiment to determine how much time before bed you need to be away from devices and artificial light in order to get the best sleep possible.

4. Sound

   Sound can be friend or foe in helping to get a good night of rest. Loud and sudden noises from inside or outside can keep you up and wake you up. If soundproofing your sleep space is not an option you can fight noise with noise. Use a white noise app on your phone or use a white noise generating device.

5. The comfort of the bed, sheets, and pillows

   Is your mattress like a concrete block? Does your pillow hold your head in a funny position? Are the sheets too rough? All of these can keep you awake. Investing in a hotel like sleep sanctuary will pay back in improved daytime productivity.

What other information about a better night of rest would be helpful? Click here to connect with any questions.

Part II: “Sleep: Control What you Can Control. More thoughts”