By : Madmasti Editorial

Sleep gives your body a rest and allows it to prepare for the next day. While you sleep, your brain sorts and stores information, replaces chemicals (Especially your body secretes a variety of hormones and other substances that help regulate your metabolism and other health related factors).

How many hours you need to sleep depends on several factors including:
1. Your inherited need
2. Your sleep hygiene (that is those daily activities you control, from drinking coffee, alcohol to smoking and exercise).

The quality of your sleep helps lift your mood. If the quality of your sleep is poor, you can end up with serious consequences. It can affect performance and alertness. (It is said that if sleep is reduced by one and a half hour for one night, your daytime alertness is reduced by about one-third).

Poor sleep can affect your mood, and your mood can affect the quality of your sleep. Poor sleep can cause obesity, and obesity can cause sleep disorder.

Here are some tips which you could follow to help you sleep :

Learn to Relax : You must learn to relax either through exercising or meditation or reading a book or playing some musical instrument etc. (Read the article, ?Learning to Relax!?). Your regular exercise should be performed at least 2-3 hours before bed time.

Perform relaxation techniques such as Progressive muscle relaxation : Learn relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation and practice in bed.

Write a list of jobs to be performed the next day : Don't keep any activities in your head, rather clear your head of by writing a list of jobs to be done the next day. Now you tell yourself that you don't have to bother about these jobs now but you will think about it tomorrow.

When you are drowsy only then you go to bed : Don't keep turning in the bed trying to sleep. You should leave the bed and go to some other room (when you are facing the problem of falling asleep) and do something else. When you find you are drowsy, only then go to your bed.

Heavy meals should be taken two hours before you sleep : Don't have heavy meals within two hours before your sleep time.

Your bedroom should have good ventilation : Make sure your bedroom has good ventilation and tolerable temperature.

Taking milk helps to sleep : If you feel hungry late in the night, take a cup of milk or light snack. Milk contains acid L-Tryptophan, which helps sleep.

Caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine can be the cause of headache : Caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine should be taken at least 4-6 hours before bed time. (Caffeine is a stimulant that is present in the coffee, cola, tea, chocolate, and various over-the-counter medications).
Try reducing the intake of caffeine you consume to avoid withdrawal symptoms
like headache.

Alcohols may help you sleep but it can be the cause of nightmares and sweats : Alcohol is a depressant and may help you fall asleep, but the subsequent metabolism that clears it from your body when you are sleeping causes awakenings and is often associated with nightmares and sweats.