The modern world is fast paced and a good night sleep seems to be somewhat of a luxury. Understanding how to get a good night sleep is often the first step to ensure you can fit this luxury into your life.

Monday morning blues

After a hard week or after partying the night before, most of us look forward to a sleep in on the weekend. It is a time we can catch up on our sleep. The problem with this is that your body likes to stick to a routine. When Monday morning comes around, your body will want to sleep in to the same time as the weekend. Your alarm disturbs this and you get Monday morning blues.

Go to bed the same time as last night

Had a late night last night? too bad. You will need a late night again tonight. Your body can not handle going to bed 3am one night and then 9pm the next. At the most it can only efficiently handle up to an hours change to sleeping patterns. This means that if you went to bed at 3am last night and woke up at 11am, the earliest you should go to bed tonight is 2am. You should also not expect to rise before 10am ether.

Caffeine takes 6 hours

Most people assume that the effect of caffeine is instant and wears off after an hour. It will surprise many people to learn that it takes up to 6 hours for caffeine to have its full effect. If you have caffeine at 5pm, it will hamper sleep until well after 11pm.

Alcohol makes sleep less efficient

Alcohol seems as if it helps you get to sleep, but it just means that your body will want to sleep longer to recover from the effect the alcohol has.

Stay still in bed

There is no way you can get to sleep if you continually move about. Stop scratching itches, trying to find a good position or moving in general. Just stay still.

Exercise

Make sure that you exercise during the day as this will help you get to sleep. Just make sure that it is at least 2 hours before bed so that you give your body time to wind down.

Worry and stress

If you have something on your mind, this can often stop you getting to sleep. Make sure that you try to sort out all of your problems, stresses and worries before you attempt sleep.