by T Kane

Created on: July 24, 2009   Last Updated: July 25, 2009

Imagine a health strategy so powerful that it could instantly lower your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, diabetes and cancer, cut your risk of colds in half and help you shed 24 pounds this year. Well, this amazing tonic exists; it's sleep! Here are five simple steps to help you get all the health-restoring slumber you need:

Turning off your cell phone!

Surprising Swedish research shows that using a cell phone right before bed can make falling asleep more difficult! Scientist suspect that waves emitted by the phones over-stimulate the nervous system, preventing the dip in alertness needed to prime you for slumber. To ensure a better night's sleep don't stash your cell phone in your bedroom, and use a land-line if you need to make a call within an hour of lights-out.

Shutting out sleep disturbing light

Even tiny amounts of light at night can invite insomnia by interfering with your body's ability to produce the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. The worst offender? Blue light from your computer or television screen! No wonder channel and Internet surfers are twice as likely to report poor-quality sleep! To avoid this pitfall try to stay away from these screens at least a half hour before bedtime. If this isn't possible then consider taking a 1-mg. supplement of melatonin a half hour before bed.

Sipping that sleep-sabotaging nightcap earlier!

Sure, it's easier to fall asleep under the influence of a little bit of wine or a cocktail. But what you may not know is that alcohol adversely affects both the quantity and quality of your slumber! Why? Because in the liver, alcohol is broken down into coffee-like stimulants that increase heart rate and alertness, interfering with the deepest stages of sleep. You don't need to give up alcohol entirely, just imbibe with dinner and the alcohol will be fully metabolized by the time you go to bed.

Resting easier with comfort food

There's a reason Grandma served cookies and milk as a bedtime snack: Not only does milk contain the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, it also reduces stomach acidity, helping you avoid one of the top sleep blockers, acid indigestion. Eating a few cookies or another carb-rich snack increases your production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel relaxed, groggy and ready to sleep.

Stopping stress with music and stretching

A recent study has shown that 86% of women nod off faster if they spend ten minutes lying in bed listening to soothing music while gently stretching their neck, back , legs, fingers and toes. Together, these moves drop the levels of stress hormones in your bloodstream and lower anxiety, muscle tension and even your heart rate and blood pressure. Calming music also increases the production of relaxing theta brain waves (the ones needed to enter the first stage of sleep).

So, if you want to sleep your way healthy I suggest trying out these simple tips.

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