Good Sleep Quantity and Quality

Getting the right amount of sleep is essential to feeling physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. We don't want to just be in bed for eight hours, we want those eight hours to be deep and sound sleep. Here are some tips that can help:

Build your routine: the body loves stable and consistent habits. Make bed time a regular time for every night of the week. Perhaps practice your daily meditation, take a nice bath or other calming activities during the hour before bed time.
Embrace stillness: avoid overloading on stimulation within an hour or two of bedtime. This may be scary movies, action-packed adventure books, or just the news.
Embrace the bedroom as a sanctuary: try to avoid doing anything in the bedroom that doesn't involve sleep or being cozy with your partner. Invest in thick curtains and avoid lighting in the bedroom during your sleep hours; a sound/noise machine can be helpful where complete silence is not an option
"Light therapy:" light is a very powerful stimulant that tells the brain it is time to wake up. Expose yourself to natural light during the day, and avoid light at bedtime and in the middle of the night as much as possible.
Avoid stimulants: these include alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. Alcohol can make you sleepy initially, but a few hours later its metabolism has a stimulant effect that can disrupt deep and quality sleep.
Keep naps short and early: if you have trouble sleeping at night, daytime naps are a natural place to look for catching up. In general, keep the naps under 30 minutes, and during the earlier part of the day.
Exercise: a regular and robust exercise routine is beneficial for so many reasons, and sleep is one of them. Exercise can reduce stress and release excess energy and anxiety. Exercise is a short-term stimulant for the body, and is best done at least a few hours before bed time.
Pets in the bedroom: an emotional topic for many. Just be honest with yourself. If you sleep great with your pet around, wonderful! If your pet wakes you or disrupts your sleep, it's time to think about creating some healthy boundaries.