by Janette Peel

Created on: March 25, 2009

To make sure that the quality of your night's sleep is as good as possible, you should pay attention to the preparations you make for going to bed.

In recent times, research has shown that, far from being able to cope with five hours sleep a night; most adults need anything up to 10 hours in order to keep healthy and alert. Sit it is in your best interests to make sure that you have enough sleep, and that the quality of your sleep is good.

Good sleep is important if you want to feel better and function effectively, and there are a number of things you may need to change to be rewarded with satisfying sleep. You can't possibly have good quality sleep if your working day crowds your evenings, so it is vital to make a clear division between work and play.

Make the effort to achieve a level of mental calm before going to bed. Even diet and exercise during the day can contribute to the quality of your sleep, but you should find that falling into a healthy routine is easy and the deep sleep you gain in turn makes your day much more productive.

One of the most important functions of sleep is to provide periods of dreaming, which help to consolidate memories you have had during the day. Without sleep your memories can become scattered and chaotic, and you wake up feeling drained and unfulfilled.

Part of the success of a good sleeping plan lies in beginning your preparations for good sleep a long time before you actually head to the bedroom.

Wind down

One way to ensure a good night's sleep is to make sure that you wind down successfully after work.

Make a real effort to change gear after work, this should involve changing your clothes and deliberately choosing very different evening activities from your daytime ones.

Exercise: It has been scientifically proven that stress is lessened after aerobic exercise. Do stretches, yoga or brisk walking daily to help release the strains of daily life from your body.

Allow yourself some private time, at least two evenings a week, even if you are very sociable, as this will help you to wind down.

Eating practices

Some types of food can make you drowsy and encourage better quality sleep.

Increase the amount of bananas, figs, dates, yoghurt and milky drinks in your evening diet as they are high in tryptophan, and amino-acid that helps to naturally promote sleep.

Try to increase carbohydrates in your diet to combat insomnia. Carbohydrates such as jacket potatoes, whole wheat pasta, oats, rice and wholegrain bread are all anti-stress

Drink alcohol

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