9 Ways To Get Your Best Night's Sleep EVER

To drift off faster and stay asleep longer—whether you're in your own bedroom or traveling—add some (or all!) of these savvy options to your arsenal for better rest.

• Sleep in-but still set your alarm

You may have heard that you should wake up at the same time every day, but you actually have about 30 to 60 minutes of wiggle room that allows you to flex your schedule and still get the same sleep benefits, according to Shanon Makekau, MD, medical director, Kaiser Permanente sleep lab in Hawaii. So if you typically get up at 6 a.m. during the week , feel free to add an extra hour of snooze time on saturday.

• Let the sun shine in

Bundle up and take a brisk walk around the block soon after you wake up. Immediate exposure to morning light resets and fine-tunes your sleep-wake rhythm, says Namni Goel, PhD, associate professor in the division of sleep and chronobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

• Devise a backup plan

"One of the most common mistakes women make is spending too much time in bed hoping to doze off, but this can actually perpetuate insomnia," says Meena Khan, MD, assistant program director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. If you can't fall asleep or you find yourself awake at 2 a.m., get out of bed. "Go relax in another room for 15 to 30 minutes until you feel drowsy," she says. It's a good idea to prep by having a book, knitting project or a few relaxing stretches at the ready.

• Consider a later bedtime

Just because you crawl into bed at a decent hour doesn't necessarily mean you'll get more sleep. "Plan to be in bed only for the time you're truly sleeping," says Dr. Khan. First, figure out how many hours of sleep you want to get. Say that's 7 hours. So if you have to be up at 6 a.m., go to bed at 11 p.m, not 9 p.m.

• Build in buffer time

Your body needs a minute—or 30—to wind down and do something relaxing, so stop reading email at this point. "This period is crucial in separating the chaos of the day from the quiet of bedtime," says Dr. Makekau. Turn on a podcast or draw in an adult coloring book. (And finish your last glass of wine three to four hours before bed so it's out of your system by the time you crawl in the sheets.)

• Stop and think

At some point in the evening, take a few minutes to pause and notice smells, sights and sounds. Simply being mindful may improve sleep quality and daytime functioning better than a formal program that includes stress reduction tactics, suggests research published in JAMA Internal Medicine. "A minute or two can make a big difference in your stress levels," says Shelby Harris, PsyD, director of behavioral sleep medicine at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at the Montefiore Health System.

• Keep ice nearby

Stash a bucket of ice with a towel on top next to your bed. "If a hot flash wakes you up in the middle of the night, you can easily grab the towel and put it on your neck to cool down," says Dr. Harris.

• Let there be light

"The light in traditional bulbs reacts with the cells in your eyes and tells your brain to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that your body makes to help regulate your sleep cycle," says Michael Breus, PhD, a sleep specialist in Scottsdale, AZ. That's why you should consider a filtered lightbulb, like the Definity Digital Good Night bulb ($39.99; LSGC.com), for your bedside table. The glow is the same as a standard bulb, yet this bulb filters out the blue light that keeps your brain in awake mode. It's pricey, but LEDs can last up to 50 times longer than CFLs.

• Take a sleep-assisting supplement 

Popping melatonin can be helpful, particularly when you're trying to sleep at a time other than your "normal" bedtime, according to Dr. Breus. For example, if you start to work a night shift as a nurse and need to go to sleep at 8 a.m., you may want to take melatonin at that time. Talk to your doctor first—she can help you figure out the right amount to avoid residual sleepiness and adjust dosages as needed. Another problem you can ease with melatonin: jet lag. Traveling eastward and crossing at least 2 hours of time zones? Take up to 3 mg around the bedtime of your new destination, says Dr. Goldstein. (So if you're traveling from California to Ohio or New Jersey and want to go to bed at 11 p.m., take it at 11 p.m. EST.)

source:womansday