How much sleep is a good night’s sleep? Is it 4 hours, or six or eight, or even ten hours a night? Experts can establish guidelines to tell us how much they think we should be sleeping, but in reality the amount of sleep each person needs is as individual as our DNA. Quality is much more important when it comes to sleep. How well you sleep determines how much of it you actually need.

How do you tell how much sleep you need?

The best way to judge how much sleep you need is by paying attention to how you feel when you wake up in the morning. If you wake up refreshed and eager to face the day, then you have most likely got the amount of good quality sleep you need. If, on the other hand, you wake up feeling tired and cranky even though you’ve been sleeping for eight hours, you might want to examine the quality of your sleep. You may find that you’re not sleeping nearly as well as you think you are.

One of the best ways to determine sleep quality is to ask your sleeping partner (if you have one) for their opinion. You may not know if you talk in your sleep, have restless legs or snore, but they certainly will. And if you are keeping them awake all night, chances are they’ll be more than happy to let you know about it.

If you do suffer from physical sleep disorders, the best thing to do is talk to your family doctor or health care practitioner to arrange for a sleep test to determine exactly what’s wrong, and what to do about it.

If, however, you can rule out culprits such as sleep apnea, or restless leg syndrome, then the next place to check for sleep saboteurs is in your pre-sleep routines. There are several ways that your actions in the hours before bedtime can keep you from getting the sleep you need. For example, drinking caffeine or alcohol will keep you up at night, as will eating midnight snacks high in sugar. Other actions that stimulate the brain before sleep are watching television, playing computer games, and even some medications.

Changing your pre-sleep routine to eliminate some of these habits may improve the quality of your sleep. Replacing them with mind-calming activities such as meditation or light reading can relax your body as well, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep long enough to get rested.

The bottom line is that only you know what a good night’s sleep is for you. It will vary from person to person, and even from year to year as you age. Babies and growing children need much more sleep to be fully rested than adults do. Creating healthy sleep habits will go a long way toward giving you the quality sleep you need to ensure the quantity is perfect for your needs.

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.