10 Tips on How To Get Sleep Instantly

How about this one-- you wake up way too often. Whether it's from
the fact that you don't sleep heavily, are easily startled, or
there's just too much noise going on around you or outside, it's
really annoying to wake up several times in a night. This can really
irritate your sleeping schedule.

Here are a few tips and tricks I learned over the years to help me
get a better night's sleep-- and they've worked. Not all of these
are for everyone, but you're bound to find something that you can
add to your routine.

1. Cover up your clock. You heard me. Cover it up with a shirt, turn
    it facing the wall, whatever it takes for you to not be able to see
    the time anymore. I'm willing to bet that every single time you wake
    up at night, the first think you do is look at the time. If it's two
    hours before you have to be up, you start fretting over it. BUT, if
    you don't know what time it is, you'll be more likely to fall back
    asleep without any hassle.

2. Create a background noise. Light music, a white noise CD, or my
    personal favorite-- a small portable fan. I turn it on every night.
    It drowns out the noise of dogs barking, crickets, and just general
    "outside" noise. It's really improved the quality of my sleeping
    ten-fold.

3. Stay away from high sugar snacks and sodas at least two hours
    before bedtime. Do you really want that extra energy before you're
    supposed to be sleeping? These things can make it almost impossible
    to fall asleep immediately.

4. Block out light. If you have to put thicker curtains over the
    windows, then do it. Wear eye covers if you have to.

5. Get in the habit of routine. If you do the exact same thing
    before bed every night, then your body begins to establish a pattern
    of routine. This will help your body prepare for shutting down at
    night if you do the same things to prepare for bed time.

6. Exercise, but not right before bed. This helps expend your body
    of extra energy so that you're more likely to fall asleep easily. Do
    not, however, exercise before bed. It raises your blood pressure and
    keeps you awake longer.

7. Use the bathroom before going to bed. This one should be the
    obvious one. If you don't have to worry about getting up in the
    middle of the night to use the restroom, you'll sleep better.

8. Go to bed earlier than usual. The extra hour of winding down can
    come in handy.

9. Wear socks. Wearing socks, especially in those with poor
    circulation, helps with cold feet. This is a big cause of waking up
    at night.

10. A hot shower or bath before bed. This warms the body up and
      relaxes it, putting it in the perfect mood to fall asleep.

Tired yet? Get to bed!