Nine healthy ways to improve your sleep (see pics)

Well-planned strategies are essential to deep, restorative sleep you can count on, night after night. By learning to avoid common enemies of sleep and trying out a variety of healthy sleep-promoting techniques, you can discover your personal prescription to a good night's rest.The key, or secret, is to experiment. What works for some might not work as well for others. It's important to find the sleep strategies that work best for you.The first step to improving the quality of your rest is finding out how much sleep you need. How much sleep is enough? While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need at least eight hours of sleep each night to function at their best.Here we brings to you nine easy steps to get a good sleep.1. Set a regular bedtime- Go to bed at the same time every night. Choose a time when you normally feel tired, so that you don't toss and turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends when it may be tempting to stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime, help your body adjust by making the change in small daily increments, such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day.2. Wake up at the same time every day- If you're getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock to wake up on time, you may need to set an earlier bedtime. As with your bedtime, try to maintain your regular wake-time even on weekends.3. Nap to make up for lost sleep- If you need to make up for a few lost hours, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping late. This strategy allows you to pay off your sleep debt without disturbing your natural sleep-wake rhythm, which often backfires in insomnia and throws you off for days.4. Be smart about napping-While taking a nap can be a great way to recharge, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes.5. Fight after-dinner drowsiness-If you find yourself getting sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.6. Identify good posture-Good posture is nothing more than keeping your body in alignment. Good posture while standing is a straight back, squared shoulders, chin up, chest out, stomach in. If you can draw a straight line from your earlobe through your shoulder, hip, knee, to the middle of your ankle—–you've got it.7. Listen to a bedtime story- Do read novels or load audiobook on your Ipod. It doesn't engage you but diatract your attention until your drift off to sleep.8. Avoid excessive snacking before bedtime- Especially avoid grains and sugars before bed. Though light high nutrient foods are recommended before bed, this can provide the L-tryptophan needed for your melatonin and serotonin production.9. Before bed do not watch TV or use electric devices, instead read- Especially do not watch TV or computers monitor before going to sleep. It's too stimulating to the brain, preventing you from falling asleep quickly by disrupting your pineal glands function. Try to wind down from electric devices about 30 minutes before sleep time.