1. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water, and then iron them before making your bed. The scent is proven to promote relaxation.
2. Hide your clock, so that its glow won’t disturb you and make sure there is no light coming from other sources including your windows as this will seriously impair your body’s ability to produce melatonin.
3. Choose the right pillow -- neck pillows, which resemble a rectangle with a depression in the middle, can enhance the quality of your sleep and reduce neck pain.
4. Paint your bedroom sage green, or another soothing color, which will provide a visual reminder of sleep.
5. Move your bed away from outside walls, which will help cut down on noise.
6. Kick your dog or cat out of your bedroom -- studies have shown that they snore!
7. Take a hot bath 90 to 120 minutes before bedtime; it increases your core body temperature, and when it abruptly drops when you get out of the bath, it signals your body that you are ready for sleep.
8. Keep a notepad at your bedside -- if you wake in the middle of the night with your mind going, you can transfer your to-do list to the page and return to sleep unworried.
9. Put heavier curtains over your windows -- even the barely noticeable light from streetlights, a full moon, or your neighbor's house can interfere with the circadian rhythm changes you need to fall asleep.
10. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed -- they’re a good source of tryptophan, a sleep-enhancing amino acid.
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