Mental health articles

Advice on how to sleep better

• Keep to a regular sleep routine. Go to bed at a fixed time.

•Wake at the same time no matter how much sleep you have had during the night. Use an alarm clock if you have difficulty waking at a fixed time in the mornings.

• Do not use alcohol or sleeping medicines to get to sleep.

• Do not smoke before sleeping; coughing can keep you awake.

• Empty your bladder just before sleeping.

• Avoid tea and coffee in the evening; these are stimulants and can keep you awake.

• Try relaxation exercises before sleeping.

• Avoid exercise in the evenings but do exercise in the daytime.

• Avoid daytime naps.

•Worrying about not being able to sleep worsens the sleep problem.

• Make your sleeping environment ‘sleep-friendly’: keep the room dark using curtains, or use eye patches; close your windows if it is noisy outside or use earplugs.

• If you cannot fall asleep, do not lie in bed; wake up, read a book or relax for 15 to 30 minutes and then go back to sleep.

Tags: sleep