It’s no secret that we humans like our sleep. There’s nothing nicer at the end of a long day than climbing into your own bed and curling up under the covers. These days, however, it seems as if there are just way too many things that keep us from getting the sleep we need. Stress, anxiety, health problems and even your weight can keep you from getting enough quality sleep.

But why do we even need sleep?

Scientists have yet to come up with one definitive reason for why we need to sleep. Some of the theories under investigation on the physical need for sleep are:

1. Sleep gives the body a chance to replace chemicals, repair muscles and other tissues, and regenerate cells.

2. Sleep aids in strengthening the immune system.

3. Sleep may also be a time to let our heart and lungs get some rest. During sleep, people with normal to high blood pressure can experience a 20-30 percent drop in blood pressure, and a 10-20 percent reduction in heart rate.

Overall, sleep has a healing effect as it gives the body time to rejuvenate, re-energize, and restore itself. And that’s only the physical effects of sleep.

Sleep research gets really interesting when sleep’s effects on the brain are considered. Here’s just a few things we know about sleep and its effect on our brain.

1. Sleep gives the brain time to reorganize information, find answers to problems, process new information, and organize memories.

2. It’s also the time when the brain’s glycogen levels are replenished.

3. Sleep may give the brain the opportunity to process the day’s experiences and to use neural pathways that may not otherwise be used.

In essence, like the rest of the human body, the brain uses sleep as a time to slow down, recharge, and repair itself.

Who needs sleep? The answer to that is… we all do.

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When you’re trying to find ways to get better sleep one of the first things to do is create healthy sleep habits. Proper sleeping habits will not only help you get more restful sleep at night, they will also help you be more productive and energetic during the day.

Good sleep habits don’t just start in the bedroom. In fact, one of the best habits you can develop is to limit your use of stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate, and alcohol in the hours leading up to your bedtime. Sleep experts suggest that it’s a good idea to avoid these foods and drinks for at least four to six hours before trying to sleep.

By avoiding stimulants in the evening you are giving your brain time to slow down on its own. Even little things like turning off the television and the computer an hour earlier can have a positive impact on your sleep experience.

A second way to create good sleeping habits is to develop a consistent pre-sleep routine. What you do in the hour or two before you go to bed can determine the quality of sleep you will have. The whole idea of the pre-sleep routine is to train your mind and body to expect sleep at the end of it.

A pre-sleep routine is an individual experience so there is no right way to do it. You should experiment with different ideas to find out what works best for you. Some ideas you can try include:

• a warm bath to relax
• light yoga or stretching exercises
• meditation
• 20 to 30 minutes of light reading.

Consistency is the key to a successful routine. If you do the same things every night you will begin to associate the routine with sleep and by the time you’re done you will be ready to nod off.

Creating healthy sleep habits is one of the most important ways to help yourself get better sleep. By making sure that you are as relaxed as possible when you get into bed, you are taking the first step toward getting a good night’s sleep.

The environment in which you sleep can have a great impact on how you sleep. It’s no secret that if your bedroom has a calming and restive energy, you will sleep much better than if your bedroom consists of a mattress on the floor in the storage room.

Here are five easy ways you can create a healthy sleep environment:

1. Make sure that your bedroom is the right temperature for you.
Experts suggest that the ideal temperature for sleeping is between 65 and 70 degrees F. Everyone has their own comfort point though, so you should experiment with various temperatures to find what works best for you. (Just to give you an idea, my perfect sleep temperature is between 50 and 55 degrees F.)

2. Make sure that your bedroom is properly ventilated.
If you can, sleep with the window open at least a crack to allow the fresh air in.This makes it much easier for you to breathe while you’re sleeping.

3. Try and keep your bedroom as quiet as possible.
I know that if you live in a city, it’s pretty much impossible to shut out all the noises like traffic and neighbours. If you find yourself continually waking up to outside noises you can use ear plugs to get the silence you need to sleep well.

4. Try and keep your room as dark as possible.
In addition to keeping your room as quiet as possible, you should also keep it as dark as possible. This allows you to experience the full benefit of the day/night cycle. You can accomplish this by the use of heavy curtains or blinds to keep the light out. If that fails you can also try using an eye mask when you sleep.

5. Use your bedroom only for sleeping…
and of course, for sex. That means no television and no computer to keep your brain occupied. You want to train your body and mind to expect only sleep when you’re in this space.

These are just a few of the ways you can create the perfect sleep environment in your bedroom. By adopting any or all of these suggestions you can give yourself a better chance for a good night’s sleep.

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