1. Go to bed earlier than midnight. Ideally? Go to bed at 10.30pm with a book.
2. Turn off cell phones, tablets, computers and TVs  after 9pm and go for a book instead of watching a movie in bed.  Studies have shown that magnetic fields wreck havoc with our sleep. Furthermore LED screens emit a blue light. This blue light sends the wrong signal to our brain that it is daytime when it is not anymore. This wrong signal inhibits the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin. This leads to a highly perturbed sleep leading to a lower focus ability, slower reflexes, and mood swings.
3. Dim ambiant lights  (computer screens, table lamps, ceiling lights, …). This is indispensable to optimise melatonin production. Start dimming 2 hours before going to bed.
4. Eat light at least 2 hours before going to bed. But don’t hit the sack on an empty stomach, as this would also impact the quality of your sleep. Large quantities of fats and sugary foods slow down our digestive process and increase our body temperature. However to increase deep sleep our body temperature needs to be lower than what it is during the day.
5. Nap! Just 5 minutes and you will produce more melatonin, help your muscles recover after an intense session at the gym, and increase your ability to focus. You will feel more apt at taking the right decisions and at critical thinking.
6. No violent movies at night
7. Settle your gruges before going to bed. Then you can avoid obsessing over them in bed and tossing and turning instead of sleeping.
8. List all the positive things that happened to you during the day
9. If you have too many ideas swirling through your mind jot them down on a small notebook you keep on your side table. Every item that’s written is not on your mind any longer.
10. Close your eyes and practice breathing yoga for 5 minutes.

Start with one tip a day and after two weeks you will have nailed down your plan to sleep better and have more energy!